OFFER EXTENDED TO MIDNIGHT MONDAY 21st JANUARY

Whether you like snow or not, very few people will deny that when it settles across the country that it doesn’t make the place look good. Just like our clothes are beautiful, snow can make for beautiful surroundings. With much of the southern part of the UK covered in snow, particularly Wales and the West Country, and many of our customers unable to travel and visit our London shop this weekend, here’s something to warm you up.

For this weekend only (extended to midnight Monday) we have a special offer to enable you to buy our beautiful pieces via our website from the comfort and warmth of your own home, and at a discount of 10% *.

And the offer is not just for our UK customers. Take advantage of the offer wherever you live!

Place an order via our shopping cart. Then just quote code SNOWY in Comments when you checkout, and once we have reviewed your order, we will deduct the 10% before charging your card or sending you a PayPal Payment Request.

* The offer excludes products by RDLF, Puimond and Miss Katie (product codes starting 39, 70, KK or, PY) as well as already reduced items and Gift Vouchers. Offer ends midnight Monday 21st January.

We’ve had a lot of our fans asking us if were we going to have an online New Year Sale. Well, the wait is over!

Our online Sale is now on, and we’re sure there’ll be something you love. But keep checking back regularly as we may add that item you’ve been swooning over for some time.

The Sale offerings are also available to personal shoppers in the FairyGothMother London shop, while stock lasts.

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.

From now until January 2nd, 2013 we are offering 20% discount* on all items, including Sale and Special Offer items. That means an even greater saving on some already great bargain prices.

IMPORTANT: Checkout online as normal. Your order confirmation will show the full price but we will deduct 20% from each valid item once we have reviewed your order. We will then send you an amended order total for your records before charging you. Please read the Conditions of offer below.

Conditions of Offer

• Discount is valid for all ONLINE orders until midnight Wednesday 2nd January, 2013.
• * Offer is on all products, including Sale and Weekly Offer items, but offer excludes products by RDLF, Puimond, Sian Hoffman and Miss Katie (product codes starting 39, XX39, 70, XX70, 91, XX91, KK, XXKK, PY or XXPY), as well as Gift Vouchers.
• This discount cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount offer/voucher.
• Discounts are applied to your order only when it has been reviewed by us, and not when you place your order. We will reconfirm the discounted total by email after our review.

Everyone here at FairyGothMother wishes you all
a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

As we approach the end of summer here in the UK, our thoughts start thinking towards the end of the year. Yes, Christmas is only 16 weeks away, and those Christmas and end of year parties are even closer! If our summer didn’t really happen this year, we know the end of year parties most certainly will, whatever the weather. Or perhaps you have your own very special celebration coming up over the next few weeks and months?

Either way, you are going to want an outfit fit for the occasion, and what better than the wardrobe staple but ever changing little black dress. With this in mind, we have in the past few days added some gorgeous examples of the little black number to our collection.

We’ve different styles to suit the occasion, black but with that little extra to make it diffferent, and we’re sure at least one or more will take your fancy!

Why not let us know which one(s) you like either on facebook or twitter? We’d love to know.

Click on any image to be taken to the webpage for that dress.
Black Swing dress	Black Polka Dot Dress
Black Retro Style Dress	Black Retro Style Dress
Black Wiggle Dress	Black Swing Dress

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!

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

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.

We’ve had an exciting few weeks, with a visit from Keira Knightley and her famous playright mum Sharman MacDonald. Sharman wore one of our sindy dresses to Keira’s brother’s wedding. We think she looks wonderful.

See it online here, or call into the shop.