Our London shop’s 2013 New Year Sale has started, offering great reductions for personal shoppers on some of our most popular pieces, as well as some items we do not sell online, such as the blouse pictured below.

Our opening times and directions to our shop can be found here. We’re only 5 minutes away from both Aldgate East and Liverpool Street underground stations.

For Personal Shoppers We’ve moved! Our London boutique has moved to 72 Commercial Street in historic Spitalfields. You can now find us at the corner of Commercial Street and Fashion Street, the latter being the London home of the world renowned fashion school, the Istituto Marangoni. We’re only about 300 yards from our old Lamb Street premises. Nearest underground stations are Aldgate East and Liverpool Street. You can find directions here. If you can get into visit us we have some exciting opening offers for personal shoppers… A free corset keyring with every purchase (while stocks last). Our in-shop Summer Lingerie and Corsetry Sale. 15% discount on all full-price lingerie when you quote code 15272. Offers valid only in our London shop

For Online Shoppers We’d love to see you in our new shop, and give you the chance take up our personal shopper offers, but we know many of you are just too far away. So we have decided to give our online customers a great offer too. We’re calling it Summer Madness… All orders of £100 or over will receive an automatic 15% discount (Sale, Clearance and Special Offer items do not qualify) Offer is valid for online orders only. OFFER ENDS 31st AUGUST, 2011 Our Online Shopper’s offer has ended, but keep checking regularly here and on the website for upcoming offers. Why not subscribe to the FairyGothMother / Lulu and Lush enmail newsletter? A link can be found at the bottom of all our web pages, or subscribe now.

We like to chat with our customers, so we tend to know what people are buying for. Obviously, in November and December it’s Christmas parties, and in February it’s Valentines (in January it’s in despair), so what happens in the Summer months? Weddings, apparently! Also Ascot, and slightly drizzly barbeques . . . we can’t help with the barbeques, but for everything else, we firmly believe there’s a suitable corset. So one Bank Holiday Monday we assembled at the shop to demonstrate some of them, aided by the lovely Annette.

The easiest way to make a corset outfit suitable for the Summer months is to pick a pastel shade. Obviously, it would be risky to go for white or ivory if it’s a wedding you are thinking of, but this pale pink outfit (above) is light without causing drama – always remember not to have a bigger train than the bride! The minute floral sprigs on the corset add a clear seasonal air to the outfit, and as it is cotton lined, and the skirt is silk, the fabrics are light and airy. The relatively demure cut of the corset means you won’t worry the ministers delicate sensibilities, but if you are worried about the bare shoulders and decolletage, add a shrug, stole or scarf to cover up. As with many corsets, this really doesn’t need any jewellery, but a clutch and perhaps a small fascinator would be sensible for the day.

This outfit is easily recognisable as a Dior-esque, New Look silhouette – always a classic for a glamorous event, or anything with a retro theme. The bold florals on the corset (above) bring the seasonal element but are strongly hued enough to manage being paired with black without losing their impact. A halter neck gives the impression of modesty, whilst the full circle skirt over a petticoat will have you twirling with enthusiasm!

If you are going to an event with fans of the 40′s and 50′s, wear the above with seamed hosiery and classic heels. For a more contemporary look – perhaps for a daytime wedding – try bare legs or sheer, skin toned hosiery, and perhapsa more modern heel that picks up on a colour in the corset.

This is the same skirt, this time styled for Ascot! This outfit means you can enter the Royal Enclosure – here in the UK there are some interesting rule about being near royalty, and the end result is modest necklines and big hats. For the Royal Enclosure, you must be wearing shoulder straps of not less than one inch, and you must have a hat, or a “substantial fascinator”. We’re not entirely sure which this is – somewhere in between perhaps!

This outfit (above)is very classic, almost red carpet with the hair down, with a trained skirt and bold contrast panelling, but with the red and black colourway would be bit much for the average daytime Summer Wedding. For the evening though, its a fairly simple and stylish option. Again, if the bare shoulders would upset a more conservative audience, a cover up is always a useful option. One of our ex-staff members is addressing a large group of bankers next week, and will be adding a fairly extensive shrug to her corset outfit!

Alternatively, for a more cocktail party look, pair a pencil skirt with a paler colour of corset. If you wanted to make this more daytime, lose the black hosiery, and add a hair flower. In this case, we kept the skirt in a nice quality of cotton, which is great for warmer times, and tones down the overall level of formality.

Last, but not least, two outfits that are great if you’re off to an evening party and really love your lingerie! A high waisted skirt is a fantastic addition to your wardrobe if you have a slight addiction to lingerie that’s so good you want to show it off. On the left, we’ve paired a Cadolle high waisted satin shapewear skirt (which has a beautiful corset-laced effect back) with an Ayten Gasson silk teddy. Ayten’s styles are perfect for a fun, flirty show and are perfectly respectable over a bra and under a skirt. Her laid back frills both complement and contrast with the sleeker skirt that would look more formal with other styles, and she often shoots her styles in a Summer garden setting.

On the right, we’ve put a Kiss Me Deadly bra with a high waisted cotton skirt and a waterfall style chiffon shrug – as you can see, a shrug really does make an outfit look very different, and with a detailed midi or longline bra and no skin showing, it simply looks like an unusual dress. With the feathers ( is this substantial enough?) and the black and red colour scheme, this would be great for a glamorous evening party – or perhaps a show or dinner club.

Of course, many of you have no doubt done this better than us by now – so why not send in your pictures? Just send them in to us…corsets @ luluandlush.com

There’s nothing nicer than opening an email from one of our customers and finding they have attached an image of themselves wearing their FairyGothMother / Lulu and Lush outfit.

Some of you may already be aware of our Customer Gallery, but if you are not, why not take a look? We’ve images from customers showing all sorts of outfits, from their pride and joy corset, to their prom outfit, their wedding day ensembles or just having fun all dressed up!

With prom time swiftly approaching, festivals, graduation days and that summer wedding, why not send us an image(s) of yourself in your FairyGothMother / Lulu and Lush finery as we’d love to see. Please send your images to corsets at luluandlush dot com and we’ll add you to our growing Gallery.

So, after visiting the Kiss Me Deadly stand at the Paris trade show, Sam asked me if we’d do a special feature window in the Lulu and Lush boutique for Valentines. If you go and look now it’s all black, white and red, with feathers (Morgana is banned from the shop for two weeks, due to an unfortunate feather allergy), dark red roses, poems and glittering diamonds. Well, ok, not real diamonds, that would be silly. But I promise they are very sparkly.

Anyway; much as we enjoy handling the series of deeply confused looking men coming into the shop, the rush of returns shortly after is so much less fun. Plus, I’m never one for taking things too seriously, and I truly loathe those soppy poems that come in cards. So if you look a bit more closely at those poems, they’re actually limericks. Yes, this year, we’re doing our gift guide with limericks, and we want you to join in!

After careful scientific research, otherwise known as asking people on Facebook, we’ve established several key problems areas that men face buying for women at Valentines.

Sizing

There was a man tried to get the size right
Of a bra to wear valentines night
His lover caught him snooping,
Her language needed blooping,
And their relationship suffered a blight!

I have, on occasion, suggested that the best way to make sure the size is right, is not to walk into a shop, and say that your girlfriend is the same size as several of the staff members (all of whom are completely different sizes), but to look at the labels on what she already owns. Sadly, that can come across as a bit stalkerish; so maybe stick to only doing that for women you know really, really well. And live with.

Otherwise, here are a few key pointers:

Do not get something custom made without getting her measurements. You can’t return custom made items and if you get it wrong it will make your life very difficult.
The bras size is the most difficult thing, so if you can’t figure it out, stick to the more easily guess at Small- Extra large sized items, like suspender belts, teddies, and bralets.
For corsets, you’ll need to know whether they are used to them. A brand new corset wearer is much less likely to be able to take one that’s 6 inches smaller than their waist!

One size garments, on the other hand, are generally a dreadful idea. They generally don’t really fit anyone terribly well.

There was a young man from Hedley
Bought his wife gifts from Kiss Me Deadly
But when trying for fit,
She said this won’t work a bit,
A voucher would have had him blushing less redly!

If you get really stuck, get a voucher, a really beautiful card, and something nice that doesn’t need a size – jewellery, for example.

Colour and style

Is Valentines really the time to start introducing your lover to something completely new, whether that be crotchless knickers or low cost sex toys? No. As with all gifts, it should be something about their tastes, not yours. So think about what they normally wear, and don’t go on a massive diversion. A minor tangent, maybe.

A man buying gifts for valentine
Can find themselves stepping on a land-mine
Avoid neon pink,
Or she’ll kick up a stink,
With her wardrobe you should be in line!

There was a fad for neon pink lingerie on the high street last year. It lasted about a month. If she didn’t buy one then, chances are high that she doesn’t want one. I exclude Barbie fanatics, certain types of club goers, and my little pony enthusiast women from this.

Red is a vexed issue. Bright red, which tends to be orange toned, seems to be something lots of men love. Lots of women don’t agree. So there are several shades of red in the window at the moment, and none of them are at the orange end of the spectrum.

Remember always to think,
Not all girls like to wear pink.
You may think sex means red,
But you could find yourself cut dead
So don’t just pick for your kink!

Last but not least . . . unless you do something very clever for a very sophisticated sense of humour, the chances of a comedy lingerie gift being appreciated if its the only or main part of your gift are pretty much zero. That’s because it looks like a daft, flyaway gesture without any effort put in.

There was a young man from Tunney
Thought Valentines gifts should be funny
His lover disagreed,
So now he is freed,
He really should have just spent more money!

Now for the fun bit. We want to test your writing skills, so:

Write your own valentines limerick
Post it on the net somewhere with a link back to here.
Comment on this post with a link to your limerick on our Facebook.

We’ll put the best in the window, and the very best will win a full set of the Kiss Me Deadly Red Jolie set plus the matching Lulu and Lush underbust corset. Anyone who writes one that makes me snort with laughter, I’ll probably send you a voucher.

If you want them in the window, try and keep it clean. Or you know, only just a little bit grubby.

This Christmas, warm up to sexy gothic, burlesque, and vintage vixen fashions. Whether you’re looking for show-stopping statement pieces, private bedroom teddies, or feminine dresses and corsets for everyday wear, we have it covered. Read on for some of our top picks for pressie season. And if you want to find out more about each item, then just click on the image.

	1. Corset Belt: Petite women are always asking us if we have a fashionable corset they can show off on top of their clothing, as a belt. The FairyGothMother steel-boned laced corset belt is the perfect accessory to a night on the town.
2. Alice Corset: This powder blue, feminine corset is given a soft, romantic feel with a flowing, breathtaking tulle skirt. With a fanciful dress like this, she’s bound to conjure up images of Winter Wonderland.
3. Tailored Pinstripe Corset: This corset looks best for women with D-FF Cups who want to show off their curves and tiny waistlines. This design enhances the female figure for a sexy twist on business professional pinstripe.
	4. Catherine Teddy: A vintage, pin-up style, navy teddy is the perfect pajamas, offering soft snuggly silk satin that you can cuddle up to. This little ditty is flattering enough to lounge around in.
	5. Bra and Hipster Knicker: This combination offers a break from black, with navy satin-meets-mesh. Girlish bows and see-through nuances create a sultry look for the bedroom this season.
6. Sian Hoffman Super-Shaping Girdle: Wear seamlessly beneath a cute vintage dress or pair it with a Burlesque outfit. This is one of the most comfortable outfits we have, with black power mesh side and pack panels and crimson silk steel boned panels.
7. Boy In Every Port Undies: Looking for a small stocking filler? Check out these cute, satin, tattoo-inspired hipster briefs! They go on smooth under any outfit for a seamless and comfortable look.
	8. Sparkle Clips: Another great stocking filler: For a standout statement during the next Burlesque show, try Sparkle Clips, which come in black, red, or purple. These clips hook onto suspenders to add a bit of shine for that special show.
	9. Tattoo Swallows & Teapot Necklace: Add this fashionable tattoo-inspired necklace to a stocking for an exciting surprise. Made of silver-plated brass, this necklace is affordable, yet enduring.
10. Gift Voucher: Not sure what to order or what size to get? Simply purchase one of our gift vouchers, starting at £10, which will be emailed to the recipient for easy online ordering.

So it’s winter , out with the woollies and away with the frillies right? Well, no actually! Before you don that jumper and resign yourself to a winter of frump, you’d better read on…

This season’s big trend is underwear as outerwear, thanks to the catwalk creations of Jean Paul Gaultier amongst others, the corset is hotting up our winter wardrobe! And being a two layered garment its surprisingly warm too! So throw down those frumpy jumpies and take a look at these winter statement ensembles from the FairyGothMother range:

Classic n Classy

Think ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’ and you have the essence of this look in a nut shell; this deep plunge corset in black satin is both provocative and classy. Teamed with this black satin fit and flare skirt and beautiful ornate burlesque beaded necklace your bound to turn heads at the poshest of parties. Team it up with a furry shrug and a pair of FairyGothMother’s black satinopera gloves and your good to go even if it snows!

Where 2 wear: Dinner parties, cocktail parties and anywhere really posh!

 
 

Girly Ballerina

Imagine ballerinas crossed with Madonna singing ‘Santa Baby’ in her alternating pink and white dresses back in the 80s. This look epitomises everything girly and feminine! This long-line super curvy satin corset is available in pink, white and red amongst other colours; so whether you’re going for ballerina, snow princess or Mrs Claus this is perfect for the Christmas ball or saucy Xmas office party! Team it with this cream white tulle skirt and floaty gypsy top for a truly feminine party outfit. Add a big furry white coat to arrive in true snow queen style!

Where 2 wear: The Christmas ball/office party, the prom, girls night out.

 
 

Punk Rock Princess

Pink not in your vocab? Try this look for a more ‘tough girl’ image – wear this pinstripe and red satin underbust over your fave skinny band T with this pleated pinstripe and black skirt. Top it off with a cute mini top hat with fish net vale for a truly glam-punk-rock look.

Where 2 wear: Rock nights at the local, goth clubs, rock music gigs.

 
 

Casual Chic

Want an everyday ensemble? This is right up your street – for wandering down the high street. Think Parisian shopping; watching light snow drop softly on the Eiffel tower through the window of a cosy French café. Chic and stylish this feminine ‘Stella Paris’ dress with its full skirt and 50s Eiffel tower print, coupled with this mid-length white satin underbust (which also comes in rose print), makes for the perfect girl about town outfit. Complete the look by adding this 50s vintage style pinup necklace to your corset dress ensemble and your ready to hit the shops and cafés in style!

Where 2 wear: The Christmas ball/office party, the prom, girls night out.

 
 
 

Glam Goth

For those of you a little more ‘wild at heart’ than the rest, here’s a look that’ll conjure up images of the Moulin Rouge, the bright lights of Chicago and the darkness of Dita Von Tease’s ex boyfriend! Yes the goth look is a classic that has been redone countless times. Our reincarnation adds a touch of glamour with this exquisite sequined red and black overbust, featuring detachable sheer sleeves. We’ve teamed this beauty with the very versatile ‘Chicago’ burlesque skirt, which has adjustable ribbon ties to show varying degrees of leg! Don these Ophelia seamed Stockings by Kiss Me Deadly and your dressed to kill, or wound if your feeling merciful.

Where 2 wear: Burlesque evenings, goth clubs, the theatre, anywhere dark and mysterious!

The above post was guest written by Kirsty Sapsford from Corset Dress.co.

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For those of you who are new to burlesque or for those of you preparing for the approaching party season we’ve compiled our top ten burlesque items that a burlesque enthusiast cannot be without!

1. Corset – Whether you decide to go for an overbust or an underbust corset with pasties, it needs to make a statement. This can be done with colour, sequins, glitz, bows or frills.
2. Bustle – Depending on the bustle, it can either be worn over your corset on the waist. Or worn lower down on the hips and tucked just underneath the corset.
	3. Knickers – Frilly knickers can be a great way to emphasize your derrière, and they’re fun! However, if you’re feeling a little riskier a thong or g-string might be more your style.
4. Stockings – Seamed stockings are great for an authentic burlesque look. We have a good selection in our London boutique, or online in the FairryGothMother Accessories section. 5. Heels – It’s important to have that sexy wiggle and no better way to swing those hips than in a saucy pair of Natacha Marro heels! Natacha Marro
	6. Gloves – A fantastic burlesque move called the Glove Peel requires a beautiful pair of opera gloves. They must be easy to get off but stay in place when on.
7. Fascinator – Why not compliment your outfit with a fantastic fascinator? A full range is available in our London boutique.
8. Pasties/ Nipple tassels – If you wear an under bust corset a pair of nipple pasties are great. Helene Bach has some fantastic designs and you can even request your own designs. Our London boutique stocks some of these must haves. Twirling nipple tassels are also a wonderful addition to any act!
9. Lipstick – Red of course! But which brand? Ministry of Burlesque has a few forum posts on this subject and the three top rated brands seem to be MAC, GOSH and Max Factor. Add a layer of gloss on top to give lips that luscious shine!
10. Fan – Play coy by using a fan to hide and peep. Strictly Sensuous have a beautiful selection of feather fans.

Whether you’re interested in burlesque as a hobby or as a career there are some great classes out there where you can learn to Glove Peel, Fan Tease or a sensual way to remove your stockings. Check out Ministry of Burlesque’s forum on Learning Burlesque to find regular classes in your area. The Ministry of Burlesque is a great place to find a wealth of information on all areas of burlesque including performances, tips on make-up or outfits and connecting with other burlesque performers.

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