Following in the footsteps of the infamous Harrods and East London’s Swell Vintage, Lulu and Lush have been causing a bit of a stir at Oxfam Dalston with our super-glam burlesque window! On Monday morning, we (that’s me, along with corsetry assistants Connie and Sophia) turned up with armfuls of corsets, petticoats and knickers and proceeded to cover everything in our path with pink tissue paper, pink leopard print ribbon, frilly knickers and sparkles. This was all much to the delight of passers by, many of whom very kindly took the time to pop their head in and talk to us.

Unique halter-tie and crystal overbust corset, ‘Blossom’ corset and tutus.	Lots of accessories, including pink opera gloves and ‘Burlesque’ tie-side knickers.

Situated in the coolest part of London (according to Vogue Italia, no less), Oxfam Dalston is a well-loved treasure trove of vintage clothing, obscure music and designer bargains. The shop’s managers, Steve and Kevin, update an interesting blog (where you will find more pics of the window) about their experiences as well as regularly tweeting new finds, and were very lovely and accommodating whilst were throwing petticoats around and getting in the way!

‘Lillith’ babydoll, frilly knickers and a pearl necklace from the boutique.	‘Fleur’ soft-cup bra and frilled knickers set, Lulu and Lush tote bag.	Connie and myself putting the finishing touches to the window.

The window features a mix of best-sellers, hand-finished unique pieces and items from our new collection, as well as a selection of jewellery and accessories. Oh, and a small pig.

Connie hanging up the purple ‘Jewel’ knickers	Lots of accessories - frilly knix, ‘Burlesque’ knickers and corset bags

The bright sunlight made it difficult to take photos, but you can just about make out the Lulu and Lush pink ‘Blossom’ corset, ‘Burlesque’ tie-side knickers in pale pink and fuchsia, our frilly knickers, a unique customised classic FGM-468 overbust with halter ties and crystals, purple frilled ‘Jewel’ knickers, the ‘Lillith’ babydoll, two chiffon tutus and our brand new ‘Fleur’ soft-cup bra and frilled knickers set, which we’ve recreated in pink for the summer. We also decorated the window using items we found whilst rummaging in Oxfam’s basement, as well as opera gloves, ribbon corset lacing, crystal jewellery and some cheeky sequined nipple tassels from the boutique.

The finished window!	These passers by seemed to like the display

Oxfam Dalston can be found at 514-518 Kingsland Road (next to Forest Road), and a mere ten minutes away from the Lulu and Lush boutique by bus.

The items will remain on display until Wednesday 28th July when Oxfam will be offering each item for sale at a discount price, but they’ve already been inundated with requests so head down there super-early to grab yourself a fantastic bargain whilst donating money to charity at the same time!

Photos by Sophia Mosol and Oxfam Dalston

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Here are some lovely pictures from the FairyGothMother catwalk show on Monday afternoon, where we showed off the latest dresses and corsetry ensembles added to our boutique as well as the new collection from our in-house label, Lulu and Lush.

Above: Christiane models a baby blue and white ‘Stella Flared’ ’50s dress by Collectif over a white ’50s-length petticoat. Then we have the new Nautical dress, available soon on the website. Morgana arrives on the catwalk in the Lulu and Lush ‘Alice in Wonderland’ corset, knickers and bustle and on the right she models the gorgeous ‘Audrey’ corset and skirt outfit by Eternal Spirits.

Sneak Previews of the New Collection! Here are a couple of pictures featuring more of the items in the Lulu and Lush ‘Alice in Wonderland’ collection which aren’t available to buy on the website yet, but will be very soon! On the left, Christiane models the baby blue satin bra, matching blue satin tie-side knickers and a delicate negligee in baby blue spotted tulle. On the right, Chrys shows off the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ girdle with matching nipple pasties and hosiery.

The finale of the catwalk show and a group shot taken outside our favourite florist which is part of John Torode’s The Luxe in Spitalfields, where Chrys poses in the centre in her full-length white tulle petticoat and halter-neck pink and white satin overbust corset by RDLF Corsets. Click for bigger pictures!

If that’s not enough, we’ve even filmed it for you!

(the link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd4sytvihiQ in case it doesn’t work for you)

Thanks to all the models and to Old Spitalfields Market for putting on the event.

If you’re in London and love fashion, then this is your lucky week! Old Spitalfields Market (home of our lovely boutique and a trove of vintage shops, cocktail bars and market stalls) is hosting a week of catwalk shows, Swishing (a clothes swapping event which works on the basis that your trash will be another person’s treasure), an Alice in Wonderland themed party and lots more!

Red Hearts dress by Hell Bunny, at FairyGothMother

The schedule is as follows: Monday 10th (that’s tomorrow!): We’ll be showing off our new Lulu and Lush collection on the catwalk as well as all the latest additions to the FairyGothMother website and boutique from between 12 and 2pm, so if you work/study in the City, Shoreditch or the surrounding area, pop down to see us at lunchtime. You’ll also get to see the latest designs from our neighbours at Jigsaw, Dr Martens, Area 142 and Agnes B. The show itself is at 1.30pm, and we’ll be offering a 10% discount at the boutique all day! Wednesday 12th: Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, along with a vibrant fashion show, 12pm-2pm. Also on Wednesday 12th, ‘Swishing’ is back by popular demand - Old Spitalfields Market will be putting on a Swishing event, where ladies can drop off their unwanted garments, shoes and accessories in the morning and return later in the day to choose someone else’s.

Swishing is clothes shopping, but with a twist - in Britain, we throw away more than two million tonnes of clothes a year, so swapping your unwanted items for someone else’s not only helps the environment but means you can take home some fantastic loot, guilt-free. Sounds like a winner to me!

If you’d like to take part, you’ll need to bring along at least one item of clothing, a pair of shoes or some accessories which are in excellent condition, for which you’ll receive a stamp. You can do this at the market between 7.30am and 9am. Come back at lunchtime (1pm-2pm) to browse the collection, and return at 6pm to ’swish away’ to your little heart’s delight until the event closes at 6.30pm. Want to know more? The swishing.org website will tell you everything you need to know.

There will be catwalk shows every day from Monday 10th May to Friday 15th, details of which are available on the Old Spitalfields Market website. If you’re not sure how to find us, here’s our address and a handy map.

Hope to see you there! x

P.S. To make it easier to remember, click the link to add this event to your calendar.

The next Corset & Diamonds party, with an Alice in Wonderland theme, will be taking place downstairs at the Hobby Horse on Saturday the 24th of April. As well as a complimentary drinks reception and entertainment, classically trained pianist and international burlesque pin-up Chrys Columbine will be performing a unique piano-striptease show, debuting Lulu and Lush’s brand new Alice in Wonderland-themed collection!

L-R: Lulu and Lush ‘Alice’ corset (20″-30″, £220) and Lulu and Lush ‘Alice’ tulle skirt (UK 8-18, £150); Lulu and Lush ‘Alice’ corset, knickers and bustle (S-XL, £155).

As part of our Alice collection, we’ve created a pale blue satin corset with a spotted tulle frill, trimmed with tiny matching hearts which catch the light beautifully, and a matching soft tulle ’50s length skirt. For burlesque Alice, team with our hand-draped satin and tulle bustle finished with the same delicate heart trim as the corset. We’ve also designed matching ruffled knickers, spotted tulle heart briefs and a soft-cup bra, which will be up on the website very soon!

Corset & Diamonds patrons receive a 10% discount at the Lulu and Lush boutique, where tickets are also available to purchase. As well as the unveiling of our new collection, there will also be performances by Worldmistress, Chiqui, Akimbo Moonchild, Chassy Van Klass and of course, The Mad Hatter! Conchitas will be on the decks, spinning eclectic mix of sleazy electro-rock and 80’s anthems. Where: The Hobby Horse, 281 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8AS When: 24th of April from 9:00pm - 4:00am More details can be found on the Facebook page here. The FairyGothMother / Lulu and Lush team will all be attending, and we love to meet our customers and fans - please come and say hello after the show

Ooh, we have been invited by the lovely people at the Victoria & Albert Museum to give a talk about corsetry at their ‘Underwear: Craving, Collecting & Caring‘ study day at their Hochhauser Auditorium on Saturday 27th March. “Discover the V&A’s underwear collection with curator Eleri Lynn and gain advice on how to care for collectable pieces. Hear the secrets of glamorous corset and lingerie company FairyGothMother as they discuss and demonstrate their current practice. Examine the design and history of men’s underwear with writer and curator Shaun Cole. Explore the recent developments of Marks and Spencer’s renowned household underwear lines, and investigate the trends and influences on today’s collecting market with auctioneer Kerry Taylor.”

Our presentation, entitled ‘Inspiration, Creation and the Client’, is planned for 1.45pm. Tickets are £45/£36 (concessions), and can be purchased from the V&A directly.

The talks are aimed for interested non-specialists, so if you have a penchant for lingerie, this is a good opportunity to find out more. Hope to see you there!