Sweet Nothing Du Jour 7/13/16: New Sizes and New Styles from Playful Promises

Hey gang, first of all, a quick note to say I know it’s been quiet round these parts. My new job continues to take up more time than I anticipated, and then this month I was lucky enough to go on a vacation that I’ve been budgeting for and planning for over a year! I spent the last week in France and England visiting friends with my sister (and, okay, lingerie shopping), and I just had the most wonderful time and wish I’d been able to stay longer, not the least because if I’d stayed longer I might actually have been able to attend the lingerie trade shows that happened in Lyon two days after I left France and in London two days after I left the UK. Great job, Sweets, u r good at blogging. Anyhoodle, I do have some lovely reviews in the queue from new and old brands alike, but lest this blog devolve into me staring at my own face for post after post, let’s ease back into this thing and talk about one of the hottest indie releases of the season: new DD-G styles and a brand-new Curve collection with brand-new sizes from Playful Promises!

You may recall that this beloved UK-based independent brand made a huge splash last year with the launch of their DD-G collection. I reviewed the Juliet range from the initial launch, which is still some of my most major dress-up lingerie.

The DD-G range did incredibly well, and Playful Promises has now expanded again, with brand-new DD-G styles AND the debut of a new collection exclusively for sizes 38-42 C-G and UK sizes 18-24! For an indie lingerie brand to produce bras in over 50 sizes is an unbelievable accomplishment, and the designs themselves? Scrumptious. What I love about Playful Promises is how, in an increasingly saturated lingerie market where it’s easy to see lots of overlap in terms of themes and inspiration, Playful Promises’ designs feel resolutely their own (and usually much more daring than their competitors’). This season’s new collections are no exception.

From the new DD-G styles we’ve seen so far, the Lotus Petal range takes the wow factor up to 11. A stunning quarter-cup bra with cage detailing and a coordinating barely-there brief, the range features one of Playful Promises’ exclusive prints and bold, graphic, go-for-broke use of strapping to deliver a truly show-stopping set. While quarter-cup bras and strappy briefs will be familiar territory for those who wear core sizes (just visit Agent Provocateur or almost any indie A-D brand at some point in the last four years), for fuller bust folks who are used to seeing their bras focus exclusively on support or shape, Lotus Petal is an astonishing change.

And now let’s talk briefly about the Curve collection. Holy pants, it is some good stuff (and it looks to be selling out FAST, so get on it). The mix of lingerie and loungewear is perfect, the colors are literally all my favorites, and some of the most popular DD-G styles like Juliet, Portia, and Imogen have also made the jump to Curve. As with the DD-G collection, Curve eschews “safe” and “supportive” styles and barrels straight into bold, daring, on-trend showstoppers. I could wax rhapsodic about every piece, but I want to focus today on pretty Emily chemise and robe.

First of all, hello Miss Phryne Fisher. Second of all, 1920s-inspired designs tend to skew exclusively towards people on the smaller end of the size spectrum, which means that those of us on the larger end who love flapper styles often can’t wear them. Third of all, plus-size loungewear has not historically been terrific, especially loungewear that’s supposed to be “sexy” or “boudoir”. I know that compared to some of the bras and briefs this set may feel a little tame, but it really speaks to me. I love the vintage-inspired elements, I love the pale embroidery on the sheer black chiffon, I LOVE the tassels, and I love how chic it looks.

As someone who is occasionally sized out of many core-size loungewear brands, Emily brings a smile to my face. With this set available, I wouldn’t have to worry about not fitting into triangle cups, or about scratchy cheap lace, or about only being able to find oversize tees or hot pink polyester lace with not much in between. This feels like the sort of ensemble I’d pack for my imaginary steamer cruise to Europe. I’d stroll out onto my cabin’s balcony on the first evening at sea with a drink in my hand and gaze at the moon for a bit before mystery/mayhem/hijinks/romance ensued (if you have in fact ever traveled by boat to Europe and these things did not happen please keep it to yourself). In sum, this really hits my sweet spot.

Playful Promises’ styles are available on their website, as well as at Kiss Me Deadly and Hepburn and Leigh (as well as at The Rack Shack in Brooklyn, if you’re local). You can check out all the new arrivals here. Do you have a favorite style from the new season?

July 13, 2016 by Sweets | 1 Comment