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

If you were watching the ‘Flattering Lingerie’ feature on This Morning on ITV last Tuesday, you may have spotted one of the latest additions to our ever-expanding lingerie range, the ‘Katie’ balconette bra and boy short set by Miss Mandalay. Especially designed for larger busts (30D to 36G), the Katie bra provides great support without compromising the aesthetic, and features light padding to retain shape, baby pink bows and playful ruffles, whilst the matching boy short flatters curves. From ITV1: “A new study has found that…a staggering 73% of women are embarrassed by their wobbly bits when they strip off in the bedroom. Our style guru Jason Gardiner shows us the best underwear available on the high street for all those voluptuous areas of big boobs, small boobs, bellies and bums.” Click here to watch our ‘This Morning’ feature in full, on the ITV1 website.

Smaller busted ladies, fear not - we have comfortable cotton lingerie for you too! Perfect for the summer are the Hello Sailor and Polka set by Love Baby Grand. Hand-made in the UK, the soft-cup Polka set is available in red cotton flecked with white polka dots, whilst the Hello Sailor bandeau bra with halter tie is made in blue and white nautical stripes, with frills and contrast red bows.

Black gingham Katie D+ balconette bra and boyshort set by Miss Mandalay. 30D-36GG. Bra £42, brief £25.	Blue and white striped Hello Sailor bandeau halter bra and frilled brief set by Love Baby Grand. S/M/L. £69 for the set.	Red and white Polka bandeau halter bra and frilled brief set by Love Baby Grand S/M/L. £69 for the set.

Checked fabrics are hot this spring (thanks to Christopher Kane’s S/S 2010 collection, featured here in Vogue) and if you put a burlesque spin on the current trend, try our baby pink gingham overbust corset. Team with a full white tulle skirt to go out or white frilly knickers to stay in, unless you’re feeling daring! If you prefer underbust corsets, wear Vollers‘ black and white gingham underbust over a shirt and jeans in the day and over a black dress in the evening. Accessorise with the best-selling Donna bustle by Lulu and Lush, which now comes in red gingham and looks fabulous with a white corset and satin opera gloves.

Baby pink and white gingham overbust corset with pink trim, 20″-32″, £99. White frilly knickers, S-L, £14.	Black and white gingham underbust corset by Vollers 18″-38″. £145. Chiffon blouse by Vollers, S/M/L, £49.>	Red and gingham Donna bustle by Lulu and Lush S-M/L-XL, £35. White corset by RDLF, 18″-40″, £215.

Valkyrie Corsets have taken gingham a step further by combining baby pink checks with a delicate rose print. Trimmed with ruffles in fine white lace, this longline underbust is the perfect way to dress up a light chemise. The corset is also available in mint green polka dot cotton, with white lacy frills which match perfectly with Lulu and Lush white frilly knickers.

Pink gingham and rose underbust with white frills by Valkyrie Corsets, 18″-32″, £195. pink chemise and petticoat by Axfords S/M and M/L. Chemise £28, petticoat £38.	Mint green and white polka dot underbust with white frills by Valkyrie Corsets, 18″-32″, £195. Lulu and Lush white frilly knickers, S/M/L, £14. White full length opera gloves, £18.	Pink gingham and rose underbust with white frills by Valkyrie Corsets, 18″-32″, £195. pink chemise and petticoat by Axfords S/M and M/L. Chemise £28, petticoat £38.

It’s not only gingham which has got us excited this week… We’re finally launching our Lulu and Lush ‘Alice in Wonderland’ collection (which we’ve previewed exclusively at the here on the blog, at the Corset & Diamonds event featuring Chrys Columbine’s a amazing Alice in Wonderland piano/burlesque routine and on the catwalk at Old Spitalfields Market Fashion Week), so check back later in the week for more details!

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.

Valentine’s day may have passed and now we’ve eaten our chocolates and forgotten to water our flowers, we’re all back to work, staring gloomily out of the window at the grey and miserable February afternoon. It’s definitely time to cheer up by treating ourselves to an extra Valentine’s surprise present We haven’t been able to take our eyes off Gilda & Pearl’s irresistible Parisienne lingerie set since it arrived at our boutique, and it seems that we’re not the only ones - we’ve also spotted it featured in the Independent’s ‘50 Best Lingerie’ guide last week. Exuding French chic in deep garnet silk satin and pale pink French chiffon overlay with ruffled lace edging, each set is finished off with a centre bow and silk straps.

Parisienne set by Gilda & Pearl - bra £65; knickers £37.

Inspired by ’40s and ’50s Hollywood glamour, Gilda & Pearl hand-make each piece to order, from the most sumptuous silks and delicate laces. As well as the sophisticated Parisienne, we also love their blue Frou Frou set with its pleated satin edging and soft velvet straps, the filigree Nottingham lace and indulgent silk bows of the Snow White set and the Something Blue tie-sided lace knickers which are perfect for the bride-to-be.

Above: Snow White lingerie set - bra £70; knickers £48. Frou Frou set - bra £66; knickers £38. Something Blue - knickers £34. All by Gilda & Pearl.

Also charting highly in the Independent’s favourites list were Mimi Holliday by Damaris‘ elegant silk bras and knickers, hand-crafted corsetry by Eternal Spirits and items by haute shapewear specialists Made by Niki. Check our our clearance sale for massive discounts on these brands and many others!
	Made by Niki	Mimi Holliday by Damaris	Clearance Sale, including Eternal Spirits

If you were just watching BBC3, you may have spotted “Vampires: Why They Bite” presenter Lisa Hilton’s captivating ballgown, from our in-house brand, Lulu and Lush! Lisa wears our Judy overbust corset in black taffeta and our blue taffeta ruched overskirt, supported by our full-length petticoat. Accessorising with our satin opera gloves and mini top hat fascinator, she wows the other guests with her sophisticated glamour.

“Vampires are currently topping the bestselling lists and raking in millions at the box office. Historian Lisa Hilton explores our enduring fascination and traces the origins of our favourite bogeyman, charting the transformation of the vampire from monster to heartthrob. With contributions from Charlene Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, and Toby Whithouse, creator of Being Human.” - BBC Three website

If you didn’t catch it earlier, the documentary will be shown on BBC Three all week, as well as on BBC’s iPlayer.