WIN £150 Of Playful Goodies: Selfie Competition

We love seeing our customers feeling fabulous in our lingerie and clothing, so we've decided to launch a selfie competition!

The competition will be running from now until the 17th July, giving you enough time to get together your best shot. We'll be announcing the winner on the 18th July.

Here's the rules:

1. Follow Playfulpromises on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter (depending on where you plan to post your selfie)

2. Post a selfie (or have a friend take the photo, but it cannot be a professional studio/boudoir shoot) on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter with at least one piece of Playful Promises or Peek & Beau lingerie or clothing on show*

3. #prettyinplayful and #playfulpromises so we can see your entry.

* you needn't show your face in the image if you are uncomfortable, and you can also do some creative layering of lingerie with outerwear should you wish. Creativity with styling and composition is what we are looking for, and you can have anything from our current or past collections included. Check out our Shop Instagram page for ideas

By entering the competition you are giving us permission to repost your selfie (with credit) on our social media.

You can enter as many different photos as you wish, however they must be a completely different outfit combination each time. 

Competition is open internationally.

Winner's voucher cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount and must be used within one order.

Shooting Peek & Beau - By Anna

A few weeks ago Emma discussed the design decisions behind our mini-brand Peek & Beau, time for the next step: Photoshoots!

Once our designs are made real and samples are (almost! First samples almost always have some fun surprises that require a bit of rigging on photoshoots – they haven’t yet been through the fitting and refining process required to go into production) ready to be photographed, we start organizing photoshoots. For our main Playful Promises collection this usually requires a lot of juggling with models, locations and the dreaded budget, however Peek & Beau was a little easier!

We decided to shoot some simpler shots at our in-house studio, using coloured lighting to make the images pop. As this line was a little more alternative and experimental than Playful Promises we wanted to use a model that gave off an effortlessly cool vibe to match. Georgina Clifford at Profile caught our eye because of her awesome undercut!

I love the idea of exploring what is “feminine” and how lingerie plays a part in this discussion – much of the Peek & Beau collection steps away from traditionally feminine lingerie shapes to more androgynous options, combined with lace textures and cut outs. Styling Georgie’s hair with curls, eyes a heavy blue and black with nude lips balances a punk aesthetic with a softer edge. 

Thanks to Richard Marz for this BTS photo - sneak peek of a piece that is arriving in August!

As we loved this collection so much, we decided we’d like to invest in some more elaborate imagery to sit along with the shots we’d already done. We’d followed Tilly Dinmore(a.k.a Demonpuff) for a while, and just adored her style – she was just who we had in mind when we thought up Peek & Beau!

As I was visiting LA in January, it seemed a great idea to fit in a photoshoot with Tilly (we also shot our competition sets  and some extra imagery on Miss Miranda the same day). Tilly was super bendy from contortion work, which makes for some interesting poses – the shot on the swing was a little harder to get as it was covered in a slippery fabric!

We can’t wait to share the rest of the images with you once they arrive in August, and we’ll be shooting next season’s collection at the end of May, so keep an eye on the Peek & Beau instagram for behind the scenes pics.

Shop the Peek & Beau collection at Playful Promises

Hooked on a Feeling Part #1 - Lingerie & Mood

Does lingerie have an emotional connection to the person wearing it? Can it alter or enhance your mood? We spoke to five wonderful lingerie addicts about how lingerie affects their mood; Amber - the full bust blogger from Scarlet's Letter, Wen - another full bust blogger shopping on a student budget from Comics Girls Need Bras,  Laura - a small bust blogger who writes on Morning Madonna, Vicky - a photographer who specializes in lingerie, and finally Lamb, the small-bust blogger from Of Lambs and Lace. Five different women, with different tastes and needs. So, let's find out...

How does lingerie make you feel?

Amber: Empowered. Sexy. Confident. Lingerie just makes me feel good. Wearing pretty lingerie feels like an act of self-care. I'm able to feel good about myself, while wearing comfortable lingerie when I feel like it, or wearing sexy playful lingerie when I feel like it. I feel like as women any act of self love and care does indeed feel like a revolution, and I'm all about making beautiful lingerie a part of my daily routine.

Wen: I am actually a pretty shy person. I have a lack of self-confidence even if I am sure my pictures show the opposite.. It's hard for me to express myself in public. Lingerie helped a lot when I was a teen. It is still helping me now. It makes me feel like I am in control, like I can do everything because my body is okay with that.

Laura: For me it depends on the set. Lots of straps, mesh and lace up detailing can make me feel incredibly badass and strong, giving me a confidence boost. Until about a year or so ago I wasn't really a confident person but wearing lingerie that made me feel strong really helped me fake it until I truly felt it. Simpler cotton and jersey sets are what I find comforting and I tend to wear them when I'm feeling low and just want to feel cared for. Others are simply just enjoyable pieces to wear and can perk up my mood. Lingerie is very deeply ingrained into my self care rituals. 

Vicky: Lingerie is a real confidence booster for me. Even when it is worn for comfort, certain styles can make me feel great about myself.

Lamb: Lingerie is a form of therapy for me. I long ago made my peace with the notion that I'd never like everything about myself, or even come close to that but lingerie helps. It helps me like my body and it helps me to elevate my moods when I'm on a low. I adopted a 'treat your self' attitude when I was 17 to tackle my worst days of negative self reflection and that evolved naturally into a lingerie collection I feel proud to have earned my lingerie, I feel happy in myself wearing my lingerie and there's no forgetting that purchasing it helped me out in a momentary lapse of confidence.

Strappy detailing makes Laura feel like a total badass

Do you have any go-to styles when you need luck?

Amber: I love going to bras that make me feel ultra supported and sexy, one of my go-tos lately has been the Playful Promises Cordelia set, it's so pretty, gives me great support and shape, and it works really well with my body to give me stellar cleavage.

Wen: Well, when I need luck I go with my most comfy style. It has to be as cute as comfy, and discreet under clothes in term of cleavage. A set that makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.

Laura: Only recently! In November I sat my driving test and wore a red lingerie set. I feel absolutely fantastic in this set, it fits my body so well. Not only is red my favourite colour, it also symbolises good fortune in Chinese culture, so I figured it would hurt to wear it. It must have worked as I passed! I haven't been in any situation since where I've needed luck but it's in the back of my mind that if I do, I should wear this set.

Vicky: A good, old fashioned plunge bra! 

Lamb: I don't believe in luck. But being born a Manchester City fan means I was raised to consider red as a colour to be avoided, so I guess I don't wear any red lingerie on match days?

Amber likes to wear her Cordelia when she needs luck!

 Do you have any go-to styles when you're feeling blue?

Amber: I love something like a bodysuit, something that just wraps me up, like a robe or babydoll. I like pieces that move with me when I'm feeling down, something I could snuggle up with and fall asleep in if I'd like.   

Wen: When I am feeling blue, I often want to go with a bralette or the opposite, something impressive and very feminine. 

Laura: If I'm just not feeling my oats, a sports style bra and jersey fabrics are what I reach for. I have a grey cotton set which is the main set I put on when I'm feeling low. It was gifted to me by someone rather special and even though it's simple in design, it makes me feel closer to the gift giver and lifts my mood. The fact it's so pleasant to wear combined with the emotional element makes it a really comforting set for me.

Vicky: Something comfortable but with a little something extra, like some pretty lace or a nice pattern.

Lamb: I tend to buy complicated, strappy designs on these days, but then again I just tend to buy them anyway? So not really, my blue days are generally spent caring about something other than my underwear.

Wen likes to wear bralettes when she's feeling blue

Can lingerie change your mood?

Amber: It can enhance my mood, and change it for the better. Sometimes if I'm having a bad day, I'll do a little lingerie retail therapy, and get the excitement of adding a piece I've been lusting after to my collection. Or if I'm feeling a little confident and sexy, wearing a piece of lingerie that makes me feel like looks good on me, just makes me feel even more so. My lingerie collection is like a mood ring, it's varied and definitely includes all colors and styles and depending on how I feel can effect which piece I choose to wear.

Wen: Hell yeah! Maybe this is one of the only things that can change my mood in a second. It's strange how my heart can beat faster in front of a set that I love or on the opposite, how I can feel sad when I am disappointed about lingerie.

Laura: Most definitely, sometimes dramatically. If I'm feeling sad, putting one of my favourite sets can perk me up enough that I can get through my day. On days when I'm feeling great, wearing something I also feel great in can really cement that feeling of happiness. 

Vicky: Yes, definitely. If I’m feeling a bit self-conscious, wearing a set that makes me feel good can really brighten my mood.

Lamb: It's not the lingerie in itself that changes moods, it's the notion behind the lingerie. But the simple answer is yes.

Designing Peek & Beau - by Emma

Peek & Beau started off when we at Playful Promises recognized a gap in the market for alternative lingerie. The popularity of our Magdalene set with its kitsch, tongue-in-cheek naughtiness sparked this idea for me to create a mini-brand that encapsulated this darker side of Playful Promises.

Many of the Playful Promises customers are somewhat led by alternative fashion, so creating a line specifically for this audience was a natural transition from our usual feminine flirtatiousness into an edgier - but still as quirky - range. Myself being somebody who crosses from mainstream fashion into counter-culture, I also wanted to create products that people like me would want to wear.

‘Attire to flaunt’ being the tagline for the Peek & Beau line was also very important, as we noticed an influx of alternative fashion and using lingerie as outerwear, so designs that lent themselves to this way of styling was paramount to the design process.

Peek & Beau is heavily influenced by the macabre; tarot, the occult, religious iconography, horror B-movies, gothic architecture and retro fetishism. We often look to couture designers that use similar inspirations such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, Iris Van Herpen and Givenchy, as well as photographers such as Tim Walker, Nick Knight, Mert & Marcus, and Paolo Roversi.

For the 2016 collection, we went to LA to shoot with alternative model Demon Puff AKA Tilly Dinmore. Tilly encapsulated everything we wanted the mini brand to represent – somebody who follows alternative fashion, is quirky and cute, and is also influenced by retro fashion, just like we are at Playful Promises. 

Look out for more from this collection in August, but in the meantime, you can shop these new looks at www.playfulpromises.com!

Interview with Competition Winner Louise Strudwick

Last year, we set a brief for a SS'16 mini-collection, calling for students and recent graduates to send in their designs based on the SS'16 trend forecast: Sartorial. We felt this trend encapsulated the Playful Promises brand with it mixture of femininity and dark detailing, and we wanted designs that could be considered contemporary classics.

We selected the winners back in April last year, and now the winning designs are available to purchase on our website. We wanted to chat to our winners about how they came up with their design, lingerie, and what's next for them! This week, we talked to Louise who created a Bettie Page-esque, bondage-inspired design.

Louise's Winning Design

Firstly, tell us about your winning design! Which direction did you decide to take the initial brief?

 I interpreted the brief by starting off with retro style lingerie shapes, and to keep it modern and on trend I added in subtle bondage inspired details such as the peep-hole cut outs and satin strapping, which I felt would also tie in with the classic Playful Promises ‘cheeky’ look.   

Louise's Winning Design

 When it comes to your work, where do your usually look to for inspiration? And how would you define your style?

 I usually start by selecting a muse, an inspirational female figure or I imagine and illustrate what my ideal customer would like and I start designing from there, introducing elements from trend research. I would say my style is ‘modern day pin up’, with a high contrast graphic edge, and always with a bit of kink!

Moodboard by Louise

 What drew you to lingerie?

 I’ve always been about body positivity and for me lingerie is a platform in which the wearer can express their true personality and connect with themselves without outside judgement. I love that lingerie is intimate and personal, and can instantly alter how you feel. 

Designs by Louise

 How did you begin designing lingerie initially and what made you decide to study contour/lingerie design?

 I came from a heavily art background, and was always interested in studying the female form and frequently attended life drawing sessions, my art is always focused around the female form. When I did my art foundation course I went down thefashion route and found myself creating body pieces and lingerie inspired garments, it all came together quite naturally! I had my eye on the contour lingerie design course since I was around 15/16 so it was always something I had aspired too right from the beginning.

Louise's design for her brand Victory Doll, available to buy on Etsy 

What’s next for you in terms of your future as a designer?

 I will be graduating in July, and from there I am looking to work with lingerie companies to gain more industry experience and once I've built up my professional career I am hoping to launch my own brand ‘Victory Intimates ’, which I am currently working on for my Final Major Project. I am also currently selling my work on Etsy, which I hope to keep going as a side project whilst I'm gaining experience. ( You can find Louise's work on Etsy here )

You can purchase Louise's design here, available in sizes 32B - 36D / XS - XL