La Petite Coquette Lingerie Blogette

New Arrivals from Blush Lingerie

Just in! Blush Lingerie's "Guilty Pleasures" bras, panties and padded chemises (for a slip with lift - no need to lose the "false advertising" when you take off your bra).  We have them in ivory (great for brides-to-be and all ye virgin queens), as well as purple and turquoise, whose vivid jewel tones are the antidote to the basic blacks and nudes we know are always in steady rotation. The beauty of Blush is that it's truly gorgeous lingerie that only looks expensive. For those of you with champagne taste and a beer budget (okay, so it's not Pabst Blue Ribbon, more like a Hoegaarden but it is most definitely not Dom!). All the flash, without so much cash.

As they describe their philosophy:

At first blush...it seemed like a great idea. Create beautiful, affordable lingerie using luxury fabrics. And do it with standout style. A cachet all our own....Blush is  haut-de-gamme (translates to: high-end, upscale, top quality) in look and feel. High on comfort, yet surprisingly modest in cost....See for yourself what makes us blush.

Below is a "Guilty Pleasures" bra and panty set:

 

Here is the "My Little Secret" teddy, which is available online in white (another good bet for brides):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Images: Blush Lingerie

Back to Racerbacks: This Week's Style Star

Basic bras are a bare necessity. As the weather is starting to get warmer and shoulders are starting to show, many customers are coming in looking for racerback styles. One in particular has been especially popular: the "Tom" bra from Marie Jo L'Aventure. This bra can be converted to a halter that goes around the neck, which is great for dresses and tops, and it also coverts to an X-back for tank tops so you don't have strap-show. It's also a perfect pick for women with sloped shoulders - it might not sound like that's a big issue but if you're one of those who live with a lifetime of annoying strap-slippage, you know how important this is.

"Tom" is described by Marie Jo as the ultimate switch-hitter, the one you've got to get your hands on - you can take him to a party, dress him up, dress him down, take him around. This is one perfect partner:

Never out of stock, never out of fashion. No lingerie drawer is complete without Tom.

Every woman falls for Tom. He radiates luxury and his perfect fit wins them over...Is variety the spice of your life? With Tom, you can have it to your hearts's content. Choose the shoulder straps that are the perfect match for your mood and outfit. Every day is a feast of styles and shades!

 

 

 

Images: Marie Jo

Let's Talk About Socks

The May 2010 issue of Vogue China has knocked our socks off...or on, actually. Two editorials of Natalia Vodianova, one shot by Paolo Roversi and the other by Peter Lindbergh, feature all levels of hosiery: knee-high, over-the-knee and thigh-high. These come from the amazing Italian designer Maria La Rosa, whose creations we'd admired before but hadn't known the source.

Non-coincidentally, both shoots were styled by Nicoletta Santoro. More interestingly, we'd had our eye on the legwear in older editorials stashed away and it turns out they were all styled by the same person - she is definitely getting these much-deserved socks, stockings and stay-ups some serious page time.

Here's the Paolo Roversi sock story, full of pretty pastels...and those blue shoes!

 

 

 

 

  

Above: "The Seated Beauty" photographed by Paolo Roversi, via here.

And the Peter Lindbergh sock story, bringing black into the picture:

   

 

 

 

 

 

Above: "Dancer in the Dream" photographed by Peter Lindbergh, via here.

One of the original glimpses of the thigh-highs from two whole years ago...

 

Above: "Dinner at Eight" photographed by Steven Meisel in Vogue Italia May 2008; Stylist: Nicoletta Santoro.

And then we also had this in our stash, pulled from the stylist's website a while back. It seems Natalia and hosiery are a tried and true formula...and lavender/lilac hosiery is a good way to go. This takes it to another level with the spider web brooch...so cool - if only life was all muted and illuminated and pastel. Somehow this look in the reality of the subway and under office lights just wouldn't be the same - but that's the beauty of these fashion fantasies - they let us dream.

 

Above: Photo by Koto Bolofo in Vogue Italia; Stylist: Nicoletta Santoro, image from her website.

Another shot of dusky lavender hosiery, pulled from the archives...

   

Above: "Room with a View" with model Asia Pulco photographed by Lado Alexi.

Better Off Red

Red thigh-highs...oh, how they can make an outfit. Enough said.

 

 Image: Eniko Mihalik in "A Tight Shape" photographed by Glen Luchford in Vogue Italia March 2010; Fashion Editor: Marie Chaix. Tights by Wolford.

Celeb Spotting: Bette Midler & Daughter Sophie Lingerie Shopping at La Petite Coquette

We had the honor of a visit from the one and only Better Midler and her lovely daughter Sophie, who were at La Petite Coquette for some good ol' quality family time lingerie shopping - what could be a better way to bond!?

Sophie von Haselberg, also an actress and a 2008 Yale graduate, was a true delight. As Bette Midler told Ladies' Home Journal in 1992: "She's a lot like me...So it's comforting, and also horrifying." Many mothers (and their daughters) have shared that sentiment. The duo has certainly been called carbon copies before - see below (and click for a close-up):

 

Above: People

For you young'uns out there, Bette Midler starred in so many classic movies - Ruthless People, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Outrageous Fortune, Scenes from a Mall...and then of course there was Beaches, with a higher tear-jerker index than Steal Magnolias and Ordinary People combined, and with the female friendship-factor of SATC to the nth degree.

 

Above, not exactly lingerie...but close!: Copyright 2009 Ethan Miller / Getty Image via Entertainment Tonight.

Lejaby Héritage: Celebrating 80 Years of Lingerie Savoir-Faire

We just received the Lejaby Heritage (or shall we say Héritage?) Retro Chemise with garters in the collection's signature pink. This range (as they say) celebrates the brand's 80 years of lingerie savoir-faire. It looks much like a girdle, with its 1930's-era styling but unlike the cinchers and pinchers of yesteryear it is entirely boneless, wireless...and painless! Paneling and princess seams give a bit of shaping without any suffering. It may be an homage to vintage, but anything with suspenders have been very popular lately, whether panties with built-in garter clips or corsets. What's old is new!

 

 

Images: Lejaby

Lejaby is one good-looking octogenarian! The company has spanned a time of major changes in lingerie, both in fashion trends, ideal body types, and in advents in technology. According to the website:

It is the passion of one woman, Gabrielle Viannay, that is behind the love story between Lejaby and women. In the '30s, in the back room of a cinema in Bellegarde, near Lyon, owned by her sister and her brother-in-law, Gabrielle began making the first of the legendary bras. They were so successful that they were soon nicknamed "bras à la Gaby" and Lejaby was a natural extension of the name.

Lejaby understood the importance of image early on, and hired the famous fashion illustrator René Gruau, who did campaigns for legendary couturiers Christian Dior and Balmain, for their advertising campaign.

 

Image via here.

Unexpected Best-Seller: Sequin Heart Pasties by Ophelia Fancy

We've identified a black horse, a surprise product that's been flying off the shelves (and presumably onto ta-tas across the city): Ophelia Fancy's sequin heart-shaped pasties are officially sold o-u-t! When we received the shipment of carefully wrapped packages a little while back, who knew there was such a demand? They've been a runaway hit - and we can't help but wonder what this says. It's definitely a good sign in our minds - we're happy to know that people are having a little fun in their love lives. Can we be cautiously hopeful that the economy is turning around? Lingerie is supposed to be one of those indicators - like lipstick - that foretell changes in the economy. Or maybe it's the irresistible combination of everything girly: adorable hearts, sparktacular sequins, an explosion of candy-riffic colors.

We'll be getting a new shipment in a few weeks of the tasseled and "plain" versions (if anything with sequins can be considered "plain" - suppose it's all relative!):

Behold the heart-stopping Tasseled Sequin Heart Pasties:

 

And the heart-racing Sequin Heart Pasties:

 

To give a glimpse of the full spectrum, here's a sampling of the available colors:

      

They are part of the Brit brand's "Clowning Around" collection:

 Images: Ophelia Fancy

The inspiration behind the collection:

The year is 1912 and after a summer season of frivolity and affairs Ophelia Fancy has concluded it’s been fun, but it is time to leave town, with haste! Ophelia’s newfound friends at the Spiegeltent are on the move once again with their cast of bearded ladies, strong men and lion tamers in tow, Ophelia Fancy is running away with the circus! Due to a certain lack of circus skills, she has been delegated the wardrobe department and has run up an array of ruffly wonders and fabulous frills in navy gingham, deep midnight blues and dusky pink hues.

Her new performer friends can’t believe their luck, never before have they adorned such beautifully soft silk satin and genuine Swarovski crystals. After dark when the tent falls silent Ophelia Fancy works on her own act, trying to teach her old dog new tricks. She has made herself and Dolly, her miniature dachshund, pierrot clown costumes to die for. Dolly refuses to jump through hoops...

Celeb Spotting: Blythe Danner & Rachel Dratch Lingerie Shopping (Separately!) at LPC

Time for the rundown of last-weeks celeb shoppers. Blythe Danner - an amazing actress in her own right, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow, and, perhaps most notably, a long-time La Petite Coquette customer - picked up some Wolford opaque stockings the other day. A purchase that is quite befitting such a classically elegant woman.

We also got a visit from Saturday Night Live's Rachel Dratch. Beloved by fans for playing "Debbie Downer," she got a picker-upper and bought one of her favorite basic bras from Chantelle.

  

 

 

 Images: Blythe Danner via here; Gwyneth via here; Rachel Dratch via photographer Kerry Brett's website

Earth Day Deals: Worth It for the Earth!

Our Earth Day Sale starts on Thursday, April 22nd! Save 22% on 100% cotton items - 2 days only! Mark your calendar and plan it for the planet! Time to stock up on staples made from pure cotton, in all its earth- and body-friendly goodness. A small smattering of brands included are: 

Araks: The "it" brand of hipsters everywhere. The lingerie even non-lingerie-wearers love to wear! We recently posted about these under wonders, and have mucho more in store.

Celestine: Ethereal and dreamy to fulfill your fantasy of living in a Shakespeare play or being a morning-after Marie Antoinette (the Sofia Coppola version with Kirsten Dunst, bien sûr).

Zimmerli: Tanks and camis beyond compare - your closet will thank you. Also, comfy undies so many swear by.

Daftbird: The tees you see stars wearing in celeb mags and wonder why they look so good dressed-down in "just" a t-shirt. Kyra Sedgwick did a shoot for MORE Magazine last week and she loved the Daftbird tanks they borrowed from us and wanted them in every color. We recently posted about Daftbird, and have a bigger selection in store - you've gotta see it to believe it!

Eberjey: Girly goodies galore!

Chozen: A new name - see, we always come up with things you've never hear about! The breezy cotton girl boxer shorts are exclusively available at La Petite Coquette. Way better than your BF's (or DH's) shorts!

Cotn & Lu: Super soft everyday essentials.

And, finally, our La Petite Coquette tanks. A perfect gift for non-NYC dwellers...or if you just want to give us some free advertising. Or maybe, dare we say, simply because you really love us!?

This sale is for all you cotton lovers out there. Earth girls are easy...and now they're cheap too! 

  Hey wild flower, keep it natural in cotton. Image source unknown - any ideas?

Pardon Our Appearance: Under Construction

Please pardon our appearance - we're in the middle of a blog beauty makeover. Stay tuned for the new and improved site. To continue looking good, we have to be a little high maintenance!

 

 Image: Emma Tempest