Uye Surana appeared in February’s inaugural Fashion Week with a collection of lingerie/loungewear hybrid pieces in a range of beautiful colors: rich, saturated pinks and teals contrasted with soft baby blue and jet black. The shapes were soft and relaxed, with loose gathering for necklines and billowy drape. While I tend to prefer a more structured look, I really loved the layering in some of the pieces: translucent, sheer fabrics draped softly over darker underlayers, skirts with sheer hems, soft bralettes and shorts. This time around, as the pieces sat more firmly in the lingerie camp, I was struck by the lovely, delicate retro feel, like lingerie from the 1920s and 1930s. Very often the vintage aesthetic gets channeled through the 1950s/pin-up aesthetic, and it’s nice to see echoes of another era.
The Spring/Summer 2014 collection maintains the easy, soft aesthetic of the previous one, but updates it into a more cohesive, wearable style.
The collection features several beautiful bralettes, some bandeau style, some wire-free triangle bras, in a muted, delicate palette and featuring intriguing juxtaposition of textures. I particularly liked the two bralettes above left, which paired silk with gathered chiffon trim.
More juxtapositions abounded: delicate bras paired with boxer-like tap pants, with flirty cut-outs, a beautiful silk chemise, seemingly paint-splattered and paired with strappy, casual tan sandals. The models all sported natural, tousled hair and these wonderful white feather eyelashes.
Monica Wesley, Uye Surana’s designer, with her collection
I loved the collection’s clear, cool colors and easy nonchalance. Sky-high heels, matching sets, and careful blowouts have become the default for lingerie presentations, and it was really wonderful to see more unusual, relaxed styling, particularly the charming, low-heeled shoes.
It was hard for me to pick a favorite piece, but I think it had to be the pink chemise. The color reminded me of a pale pink rose, and the surface looked like it was lightly speckled with flecks of darker pink. The cut is simple, precise, and flowing, and the slightly lowered hem in the back is so pretty and graceful.
Uye Surana is based in New York and made entirely in the USA.
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Lola Haze is a brand that’s been on my radar for a while, largely thanks to the writings of its founder, Laura Mehlinger, for The Lingerie Addict. The press images have always appeared bright, sexy, and fun.
These two collections were somewhat a study in contrasts: while they’re both more relaxed and delicate compared to the garter belt/girdle/corset look of some of the other presentations, Uye Surana reads as delicate, light, and calm. Lola Haze, on the other hand, offers bold, graphic lines and color blocking, with poppy, electric colors and shimmering fabrics. The collection is a bit edgier and sexier, featuring lace teddies and shining chemises and slips, all cut for a closer-fitting silhouette with more daring neck- and leg-lines.
The colors, oh my, the colors. They were all absolutely right up my alley: bright cobalt, electric teal and pink, bright yellow, and overlays of black and white lace. Cobalt, in particular, gets me every time: I love the chemise above and below– one voluminous and ethereal, the other slinky and fitted.
The models all wore beautiful braided up-dos woven with teal and blue ribbons, with vibrant red lips and color-lined eyes. I again noted some fun plays with texture: layers of lace atop chiffon, opaque silk shot through with sheer chiffon chevrons, and a beautiful white silk robe with full lace sleeves.
Blue + black will forever be one of my favorite color combinations.
Favorite looks? It was a tough call, but ultimately as much as I loved the unexpected (and always welcome) use of yellow lace in the teddies, I kept coming back to two chemises: one sheer and billowy and layered over a glittering bralette and brief, and the other black silk with sheer, smoky panels.
Photo courtesy of The Pink Slip (www.thepinkslip.com)
What do you think of these collections? They’re a bit outside the realm of the kinds of lingerie I usually cover on Sweet Nothings, in that they’re much closer to loungewear than they are to the bra-and-panty sets I usually discuss. They’re making me want to expand my lingerie wardrobe!
