I got to see so, so much lingerie at Curve! It was wonderful, and I love seeing what my favorite brands have in store for upcoming seasons, and what new brands just might become my new favorites (hint: probably Sunday Intimates), but it’s then kind of hard to go back and process everything! So I’m going to break things up. Today’s post will cover some colors and design details that seemed to pop up frequently, and I’ll get to styles and sizes in a future post. A lot of the Usual Suspects like bright pink, red, purple, and (increasingly) blue show up, but there are some more unexpected colors that turned up with surprising regularity, so we’ll look at them in more detail There’s obviously going to be an emphasis on full-bust (28-38 D+) brands, simply because that’s my demographic, but I will try to include other brands as I spotted them. Without further ado:
[Note: click to enlarge any photo-collage to see more detail]
Orange
Without a doubt, this color is here to stay. I noticed it recurring through much of the Spring/Summer 2013 sportswear collections, and now it’s taking over the lingerie world. While it’s a color that’s personally hard for me to wear, it’s so bright! and joyful! and cheery! It’s also nice that there are a number of different variations on the color, some pinker, some yellower, some neon, some reddish. It helps open the color up to lots of different women, and it’s a lovely change of pace from pink pink pink.
Clockwise from top left: NaiS, Uye Surana, Masquerade, Freya Swim, Cleo Swim, Cleo, Cleo, Mimi Holliday. Center: Freya.
Green & Yellow
Well, add these two to the “hard for some people to wear” file, along with orange, but I can’t remember noticing so many different shades of yellow and green in one season. I know lots of people have been waiting and hoping for yellow and green, so hopefully there will be a little something for everyone. There are a few solid green options (like a new Deco, which I didn’t get a great shot of), but green seemed to show up most frequently in prints, while yellow appeared in both prints and solids. While I would have liked to have seen more forest green, emerald, or kelly green, I really like that yellow and green are joining red, blue, and pink in the ranks of the popular lingerie colors. Cleo in particular embraced yellow for both lingerie and swim, and I know there will be more than a few people excited to see Marcie return in bright, sunny yellow, both in the classic bra shape and the babydoll. Even Fauve, which I normally think of as sticking to more conservative colors and jewel tones, takes a gamble on bringing out an unusual chartreuse color for its popular “Bronte” longline set.
Clockwise from top left: Lola Haze, Nevaeh, NaiS, Freya Swim, Timpa, You! Lingerie, Charlotte/Kris Line, Empreinte. Center: Huit.
Clockwise from top left: Mimi Holliday, Dottie’s Delights, Kris Soonik, Cleo Swim, Cleo, Huit, Fauve, Cleo. Center: Cleo
“Susanna” by Fantasie in Sea Breeze. I didn’t get to see this one in person, but I love the new color. I also love the photos for the season, which were all taken at Highclere Castle, better known to TV-watchers as Downton Abbey
Non-Boring Beige
One of the most pleasant surprises was seeing how many brands have taken beige and made it beautiful. It’s smart for them, because (a) stores will always stock beige-ish bras and (b) they’re winning over the anti-beige crowd, namely, me. From pink undertones to sophisticated fabric and embroidery choices to nods to the peachy-pink satin undergarments of the early 20th century, beige and ballet pink are really having a moment. Dottie’s Delights’ Spring collection (more at The Lingerie Journal) looks like it strolled straight out of wardrobe for “Downton Abbey”. Freya is slowly beginning to replace “Arabella”, its long-standing popular sheer range, with “Ooh la la”, an updated version with slightly Art Deco-looking embroidery, and it shows up for Spring in a lovely pale pink. We saw lots of pretty white or pale blue trim dressing up otherwise plain bras, and Affinitas offers an unusual set which layers a neutral animal print over a pale pink base. Elomi’s popular “Betty” range arrives in a beautiful new pale pink continuity color. Masquerade gets into the act with “Celene” in a lovely blush lace with coral trim and a new (and I think, spectacular) version of “Hera”, in beige with white spotted lace). The final Beige of Note is Claudette’s new “Blondie” color for their mesh bras and new lace range, which will replace mauve as one of their continuity colors.
Clockwise from top left: Noe Undergarments, Empreinte, Uye Surana, Freya, Affinitas, Fauve, Fantasie, Freya. Center: Elomi
Clockwise from top left: Mimi Holliday, Fortnight Lingerie, Fortnight Lingerie, Dottie’s Delights, Claudette, Claudette, Claudette, Fantasie. Center: Huit.
Clockwise from top left: Charlotte/Kris Line, Panache, Panache, Parfait, Freya, Parfait, Parfait, Masquerade. Center: Masquerade.
White
White is by no means unusual for Spring/Summer collections, but it can sometimes get stuck in “bridal” mode, particularly in American markets. This year, however, we saw some gorgeous white and ivory sets that will appeal to brides and singletons (hi, that’s me) alike. I particularly like the small orange accent embroidery for Freya’s new “Enchanted” range (B-HH cups), which appears in beige in the first Beige/Blush/Baby Cake collage above (second row, far right), and bottom row right of the image below. Enchanted is based on the old “Frankie” style, and is supposed to offer a “new higher underarm wire for greater coverage”. I … I’m not 100% certain that too-low underwires have been an issue for lots of folks? So I’ll be curious to see how THAT goes.
Clockwise from top left: Freya, Fauve, Secrets in Lace, You! Lingerie, Freya, Lola Haze, Huit, Gossard. Center: Elomi
I’ll pick back up later this week with an overview of some of the new shapes, styles, and sizes I noticed! Are there any brands you’d like me to cover in detail, style-by-style, with my doubtlessly intelligent and well-reasoned opinions? Please let me know, and I’ll do my best! Cecily at Miss Underpinnings already has some great posts up, including:
Finally, for more of a glimpse at Cleo’s Spring/Summer 2014 swim and lingerie campaign, check out this fun behind-the-scenes video:
