Lingerie as Outerwear - Christmas Party Outfits

Christmas is coming, so that means it's party season. In come the invitations to work dos, family get-togethers and reuniting with old friends to welcome in the festive season. All of these leave you asking: "what shall I wear?" Well, we're making it easier for you by putting together the cutest Christmassy outfits, all featuring Playful Promises designs for you to incorporate. Forget cheesy Christmas jumpers and flashing earrings (although no shade if that's your thing!) Here's 5 outfit tips & ideas to help you out:

Shake up your textures

We're all a bit guilty of heading straight to black clothes when we're not sure what else to wear. With this outfit you can still do that, but you can mix it up with different textures for a more interesting look! The Roxy Bodysuit is an ideal winter piece on account of it's velvet devore and mesh, it'll keep you cosy and feeling sassy. Pair it with a PVC skirt, and it's fringed choker for another layer of super-cool texture.

Simply sparkle

Sequins & gems are a Christmas party staple. The Show Time bodysuit is dazzlingly bright and sparkly, and perfect for getting noticed. With something so sparkly, you can dress it with something simple like a plain tennis skirt. If you're feeling extra, wear glittery earrings and jewelled tights too!

Clash colours with patterns

If sparkly isn't your thing, wearing a daring print with a brightly coloured longline bra is another sure-fire way to get noticed. We love the almost rockabilly-style look of the leopard print and Bettie Page Longline Overwire Bra together with some cute earrings. Wear with our seamed stockings to finish the look.

Sexy & chic

Basques are a daring way to incorporate lingerie into your outfit, and the Carlota is ideal for that! The black dot mesh makes it easy to pair with anything, but we chose a tartan pencil skirt to look a little more eye-catching and festive. Top with a fluffy beret to keep your head warm and looking adorable over this otherwise sultry outfit.

Retro glamour

A vintage-lingerie inspired LBD and a floor length robe is a killer look when combined, and it's so simple to put together! The Leopard Print Robe makes any outfit look glamorous. Pair with vinyl heels and red lipstick to fully channel your inner femme fatale.

What are you doing for Christmas this year? Which of these outfits do you think you could rock?

Everyday Halloween Chic

The nights are getting longer, the crisp chill is in the air and we are all reaching for layers over - and under – those lush pieces of lingerie of ours. This can only mean one thing – that Halloween is upon us!

We are firm believers that lingerie should not be just for the boudoir, but also to be flaunted; happily incorporated into creative and fun outerwear creations! And so, we think that the spirit of Halloween can be enjoyed throughout the year, bringing spoopy inspiration to everyone’s outfits and lingerie drawers all year around. There is just no denying the long-standing links between horror and the macabre and a dark, lustful sexuality, an aspect of Halloween that can influence your sartorial choices throughout the year.

Saimhain, with its ushering of the end of summer and summoning of winter – season of passing and marking of the day when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest – can indeed seem to some as too macabre to celebrate more than once annually. But passing also means rebirth and making anew, as well as a celebration of life, most notably with Mexico's El dío de los muertes, as just one example among countless other societies celebrating a variation of the festival. In spirit of such rich and diverse celebration, it feels only natural to want to embrace an aspect of that creative artistry beyond one day.

The history of fashion inspired by the darker side of life is a long and hugely inspiring one, from Victorian mourning fashion, to the campness of Hammer Horror, to McQueen’s macabre yet beautiful "Jack The Ripper Stalks His Victims" collection among countless similar examples, fashion has never failed to draw inspiration from the macabre, reinventing itself and creating something anew. Sweeping capes, witchy wide-brimmed hats, blood-red lips or sharp tailoring of The Hunger – whether you choose to channel a classic vampire, a Universal Monster or a tragic Hollywood starlet of times gone past this Halloween, there is a way to carry a token of this inspiration with you throughout the coming months.

In opposition to the homogenised, and frequently unimaginative, high-street standard of cheap plastic horns and boring, sparkly kitty ears, Halloween inspiration does not have to be all about the tired tropes of “sexy” witches or over-done vampires. Inspiration from the darker side can be as subtle, or as dramatic, as you like.

Black lingerie beats consumer preference polls time after time, and is indeed a great nod to the dark sensuality for sure, but inspiration can also be found in rich, bejeweled velvet tones, lashings of decadent, delicious lace, sumptuous devore and playful details such as tassels, or a hint of retro glamour, as well as countless variations of everything in between. Most importantly, it can be called upon to spice up your style whatever the season.

As someone who draws style inspiration from absolutely everything around me – from modern street fashion and glamorous haute couture to the fantastical, future-noir, as well as nostalgia of bygone era vintage, films and art, and of course, the endless possibilities of lingerie styling – few things offer as much scope for creativity, artistry and self-indulgent, or over-the-top inventiveness than the myriad of possibilities offered up by the dark yet endlessly enticing celebration that is Halloween. Because who does not associate the dark with tempting, sensual allure?

Spooky Selfie Competition: #spookyinplayful

We loved seeing all the entrants for our previous spooky selfie competition, and seeing as Halloween is dress up season, we thought we'd run another!

To give you more than enough time (and to prolong Halloween as much as possible), we thought we'd start the competition now, and end it on November the 13th.

We will pick THREE winners, each winning a £75 voucher.

Here's the rules:

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

2. Post a spooky 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, Bettie Page or Peek & Beau lingerie or clothing on show*

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

* you needn't show your face in the image, 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. Winner's vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Ageless Fashion Revisited

Back in April we released our Ageless Fashion campaign, challenging our society's obsession with youth by working with 2 models in their late 60's, Lina and Pam. You can read about our director, Emma's, thoughts about the project here. We've decided to release some more images from the photoshoot, as they are just so fabulous!

As a women-run business, it's important to us to think about and challenge the expectations that women face. The response from the first campaign was eye-opening, in many different ways. It was inspiring to see positive responses from women of all ages, and also from men taking the chance to praise their own partners. Unfortunately, there were also not-so-positive responses, which goes to show that we still have a long way to go to make diverse images of women the norm.

Pam wearing our Emerald set

Lina rocking the Bettie Page Overwire Set

The thought of getting older results in a wide variety of emotions from different women of different ages. I'm 28, and I'm excited by the idea of what I might do in my life, and how attitudes might change towards me. I still don't feel like an adult, will I when I'm 38? Will I feel like I'm taken seriously when I'm 48? I've certainly spent a vast majority of my life trying to present myself to seem older!

Pam relaxing in the Jasmin robe and chemise

I don't think, as a teenager, I understood that older women still thought about their sexuality. I mean, female sexuality was barely discussed to start with, and is something many still can't wrap their minds around. I see now, how ridiculous this is, how it implies that women's bodies cannot have a function aside from reproduction and male pleasure. 

Now, I think most of the women I look up to are over 40. They seem powerful and in control, like they couldn't care less what people think. None of that might be true, or at least not all the time (women deserve love, adoration and respect no matter what their mental or physical state), but for that snap of a camera it is true, and that's what inspires me. 

Lina wearing Karine Wine and Jasmin Robe

We'd love to hear your feedback on this campaign - how old are you, and how do these images make you feel about yourself? How do you feel about getting older?

Hair/makeup by Sandra Silva Make Up & Hair

Deco Devore Desire

Right now we are all about the Francois Deco Devore Robe and Chemise set. It's the perfect seasonal transition pairing - a floaty nightwear piece for cooler summer evenings, and easily doubles up as something to wrap up in during the day. Velvety and soft, with sublimely coloured florals bursting through the deep blue.

Devoré, or the "burnout" technique is thought to have originated as a cheaper alternative to lace in 17th Century France. The word Devoré means "devour" in French, which is essential to the technique! Chemicals are used to dissolve the fibres in the fabric, which in this case is velvet. The technique was quick, and was likely applied by putting caustic paste onto printing blocks.

Popularised in the 1920s, an era that heavily influenced the design for the Francois (fringing galore!), it was widely used on gowns and shawls, and then revived in the 80s and 90s in more body-conscious styles.

The revival was credited to Jasper Conran, who used the method on theatre and ballet costumes, and said it produced better and cheaper results than applique techniques.  

As previously mentioned, not only is this retro technique gorgeous, but the Francois set is super-versatile. Not just for nightwear, you can create glamorous looks with both pieces.

The Chemise is perfect for layering over tops for more casual attire. Here, we've paired it with a black turtleneck and gold cross necklace for a gothic daytime look! To be worn with lace-up boots and tights, or strappy sandals for something more summery.

As for the robe, it can easily be used in lieu of a cardigan or jumper for chillier evenings. Here we've paired it with a navy-blue bardot-style bodycon dress

We love to see how our customers style our pieces too! How would you style yours?