Whether or not you are having one of our fabulous bridal outfits, then your thoughts have to focus on what you are going to wear under your dress. Do you want to wear a corset, a basque, bustier, torsolette or just a longline bra? You do want to look good all day for your partner!

Perhaps a basque like the one shown above left, which nips in the waist and lifts up the bosom and comes complete with detachable, multi-way straps should you need that extra support. Or alternatively, a longline strapless bra like the one shown above right. The most cleavage without straps. Featuring concealed boning, for a smooth look, and detachable push-up pads. Just perfect for gowns with lower bustlines and lower backs.

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And if you have a fuller figure, then a strapless torsolette, shown above left, with moderate push up effect, low back and a deep décolleté is an option.

Corsets of course, are what FairyGothMother is famous for, and we have a great collection of beautiful corsets like the one above left, to suit you. If you want a slightly lower back, or perhaps the extra support of a halter or straps, we have a style that is probably perfect for you.

And finally, if you are on a tight budget, we also have some bridal corsets, bustiers, basques and long line strapless bras in the Bridal section of the FairyGothMother Last Chance to Buy sale.

Whenever the big day is, we’re always happy to answer any questions you may have in your planning. Just call or email us. Alternatively, if you’d like to visit us in person at our London boutique to discuss an outfit or corset for the big day, we would ask that you contact us to arrange an appointment. Thank you.

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.

London Fashion week is over for another season, and to make room for our new Autumn and Winter collections we have added some fabulous items to our Last Chance to Buy department.

You have the chance to purchase some sumptious Ayten Gasson silk lingerie like the Rebecca bodysuit below for an amazing £60 or her Annabel cami. also below, at just £35.

They are mainly one-off pieces, so if you like, don’t be slow to order, as at these prices we’re sure they’ll go very quickly!

We also have some amazing corset savings in the Last Chance to Buy too. Like the lingerie pieces, many are one-offs, like the pink underbust on the left below…

Our Last Chance to Buy can be accessed under Special Offers on our website navigation bar, or by clicking here and then selecting Lingerie or Corsets for the Category Search.

Now’s the time to visit our London shop!

All the crowds are at the sporting events, so why not enjoy the shops of London, and of course, the FairyGothMother / Lulu and Lush shop? We have some great in-store bargains just waiting for you. Lingerie, dresses, corsets and skirts, in fact, something for everyone!

Click here to see our summer opening hours, and directions, if you have not visited us before.

A Summer of Bargains!

Have you looked at our Last Chance to Buy sale? In it you”ll find some stunning corsets, prom and eveing gowns and lingerie. Many are one-off items, so they really are last chance to buy and you can get them at a greatly reduced price. We need the space for our new collections.

A few examples of these true bargains…

This exquisite corset reduced from £325 to £165	Save £70 on this classic sweetheart corset
This pretty pink prom dress was £199 now £135	This velvet gown now just £45
This gorgeous corset was very popular and a limited edition now £95	This longline underbust now £99. A saving of 40%
Knickers reduced by over 50%	Last renaining sizes of our skirted bustier at just £12

We have something for everyone, so why not take a look? But don’t forget many of the items available are one-offs.

Our Weekly Specials this week are focused on corsets!

To start with we have a real bargain! Our best-selling, high-quality overbust corset, designed by us especially to meet your demands for a perfect hourglass silhouette is now available in Ivory and at just £75! If you are an upcoming bride, this overbust would look gorgeous as part of your wedding outfit in church or on honeymoon!
We also have two of our satin underbust corsets on Special, one available in red and the other ivory(see left and right below). You could wear as outerwear, or for a more alluring look when at leisure!
Finally, what can we say about our final special for this week. We have sold literally thousands of these frilly knickers over the past couple of years. With enough colours available to wear a different colour every day, and still have two left! There’s also a dark blue available too (not shown in image). Now’s the time to maybe buy a few, or all, of the colours you like at a very special price of just £6 each. Click on image to order! Remember, these offers are only available for one week from today!

With Summer defintely coming to a close here in the UK, we see our customers turning their attention to buying outfits for Autumn weddings, student fresher balls and even planning for Christmas ones! So if you are looking for a new outfit for a wedding, ball or just something you want, we’ve got a great Special Offer for you.

Buy any corset and get a skirt at half price! Yes, get a skirt of your choice for half price (conditions apply – see below).

Just order your corset and skirt online and we will manually adjust your order total before we charge. All our orders are reviewed before we make any charge.

Limited time offer – offer ends midnight UK time on 12th September, 2011!

Offer Conditions

• Offer is only available to orders placed online.
• Offer excludes Sale, Clearance and any other Offer corsets and skirts.
• Your chosen skirt cannot be more expensive than the corset.

Sorry, the offer has now ended.
 

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.

FairyGothMother / Lulu and Lush has been a specialist corset store for 12 years now (where does the time go!) As well as our own brand we have stocked the very best corsets from corsetieres from around the world.

Now our corsets are expensive, we appreciate that. So, if you see a Lulu and Lush product at another retailer (we do wholesale so we are elsewhere) at £20 rather than at £200 . . . well, you’d jump at it. Wouldn’t you?

Apart from the authorised retailers (who would sell at similar pricing) more and more websites are springing up using our owned copyright images, to sell a “copy”. That is why, when you order you won’t be receiving the genuine item you see in the pictures, but something vaguely similar, usually for around £20 (approx. $30). If you want a real corset, you want something sturdy, beautiful and of course something capable of giving you a great shape. You want to be admired in your new pride and joy. This we hope is why you’d come to us, or another reputable corset company.

For this very reason we decided to purchase a couple of the “copies” to see what exactly you might get. The two corsets below are the ones we find most copies of. One is our very own Lulu and Lush black satin sweetheart corset , classic in shape and giving 3-5 inches waist reduction. It’s fully steel boned, so does a great job of supporting and enchancing the cleavage. And we offer this classic shape in other fabrics and finishes each season to keep your wardobe up to date.

The second corset (on the right) is by the fabulous Miss Katie, an individual corsetiere who works from her studio in London, shown here in a two tone taffeta with luxury cream frills. This is very often called the Princess or English Princess corset when sold as a cheap £20 copy.

So what do you get for £20?

The first obvious difference is the weight. The real corsets feature steel bones (spirals and flat steels, with heavy steel busks) which with the shape of the corset help support and shape the body. The “copy corsets” feature fine plastic boning, so the garments are very light. The problem with plastic boning is it doesnt support shaping at all, and worse can bend out of shape, forever, with wear (e.g if you sit down the bones bend and wont go back!) In contrast, a real corset will mould to your shape over time and will enable even greater waist reduction.

The fabric content of the “copy” black corset is described as 80% lycra, this would suggest the fabric was stretchy, though strangely is wasn’t! The overall shape is similar, though its more square than curvy. It is also made of only one layer of fabric. Generally, real corsets feature at least two layers, often three, with the lining being in a cotton, twill or coutil for comfort and strength, and the outer layer being the finished fabric, such as satin, silk etc.With no lining, the copy corset is likely to get sweaty against the skin, not the most glamourous idea on a night out.

Looking next at the Miss Katie copy (shown above), You will notice from the images here, and in the video, that Miss Katie contrast stitches her corsets. This obviously takes extra time, but clearly shows the quality of the handmade garment (any deviation from the perfect stitching would show.). This extra time, adds to production costs, so the copy does not feature this. Miss Katie also uses a lovely pleasted ribbon trim, with a contrast ribbon running through the centre of the trim. The copy features a very shiny cheaper trim, thats gathered rather than pleated. All this means the copy can be produced more cheaply. But the main issue with this corset is the fabric. To be blunt, its vile! Think of the fabric you get on raincoats, all stiff and stratchy, and you’ll be close.

From the image above, you can see the basic shape, laid flat isnt too different. The copy (shown at the bottom of the image) is not lined, and does not feature a waist tape. Waist tape helps maintain the shape and supports the garment (it stops the seams being strained), so you can seriously reduce your waist. The extra features on the real corsets (waist tape, lining, steel bones) mean you corset will last for years and years. We were able to fold the copies in half!

Real corsets generally come with tough, strong lacing. A longer version of the kind of thing you find in good boots or 12mm wide, thick, strong ribbon (Miss Katie’s preference – it looks great!). The copy corsets came with very thin , 6mm light ribbon, not ideal as it breaks when pulled, though you wouldnt need to pull too hard on the copies anyway as they are not able to reduce the waist at all. The real corsets are tradionally laced into the middle, where they are tied off, so the whole corset takes the strain on the lacing. The copies are laced at the top. Again not ideal.

Now to the eyelets, the eyelets (grommets) on the real corsets are supported either side by boning so the lacing is fully supported. The copies have no support, and the grommets were bunching up together when laced.

To get a better look at the two corsets, you might want to watch the video, if you haven’t already. But, I think you can tell from the above images that the Lulu and Lush sweetheart corset gives definition to the waist and bust. The copy (shown on the right) has a twisted busk (it looks diagonal across the body) and offers little shape.

Just the same with the Miss Katie (shown above on the left) and the copy (right). Even from the small images below, you can tell the fabric is creased and the corset is not supporting the model at all.

In conclusion, with the copy corsets you get what you pay for, a similar garment with no shaping ability, probably fine for fancy dress, but not really the fabulous look you should get from a real corset.

With thanks to Annette for her short notice modelling and Catherine from Kiss Me Deadly for narrating our little video.

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