Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending the second Dessous London event where twenty four lingerie, sleepwear and accessories brands showed their Autumn/Winter 2018 collections to buyers. For this event, Dessous recruited Becky Mount (pictured below, with me and Zoë from Gilda & Pearl) to organise a bloggers lunch on the first day of the event, and I was so chuffed when she invited me along.
Sadly, due to being a part-time blogger with a full-time office job, I couldn’t attend during the day, but I popped along after work when show sponsor Coco de Mer was hosting a cocktail soiree catered by Morton’s Private Members Club. This meant actual cocktails, hand mixed to order, so the lingerie excitement was somewhat enhanced by the end of the evening!
When I walked in, the first stand I saw was for Dutch brand Marlies Dekkers who are back in the UK for the first time in a while. I only know Dekkers’ lingerie from books and blogs, so it was very interesting to look through the new collection in person. The bra construction is reassuringly sturdy, with soft fabrics and great strap details. Daniella Garguilo explained the AW18 collection to me (inspired by Queen Elizabeth I, with decadent velvet, lace and pearls), then we had a great chat about how bras for larger cup sizes need to be engineered differently – still baffles me how so many people haven’t worked this out and keep demanding that all brands make all sizes!
Next was a wonderful new discovery for me, a gorgeous brand called Wixson Paris. I was instantly drawn to the vintage inspired shapes and fabrics, but fell head over heels in love the moment I touched one of the garments. Soft silk tulle lined the bras, silk and cashmere blend superfine knits made up the delightfully understated loungewear… all of the women’s and men’s underwear and loungewear that was on display felt like pure luxury. I chatted for ages to the creative director Sasha Wixson about her third collection ‘Jardin’, inspired by her grandparents’ garden and featuring the occasional embroidered ladybird or bee sprinkled across a handful of the garments to draw the eye in.
During the evening, as well as the delicious cocktails, we were treated to a little bit of burlesque in the shape of a classic and rather decadent fan dance from Miss Fallon Dee. As her performance was completely visible from the street, via the huge floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the event space, we spotted quite a few mesmerised onlookers who were stopped in their tracks on Baker Street when they caught a glimpse of the lingerie clad performer strutting her stuff!
Next I chatted to Rachel Bouchon from Atelier Amour, who explained how their rendez-vous kit works – basically a clever little build-your-own harness set – and showed me their cute book-like gift boxes (see image on the right).
Then I met designer Emma Harris, who talked me through me her stunning British made luxury silk lingerie collection… with bras available up to a FF cup, and briefs up to a UK 14-16! She uses gorgeous silk and lace fabrics in her bras, briefs, suspender belts and slips, with lovely finishing so that everything feels soft against your skin. The Theodora balcony bra and high-waisted briefs were particularly striking and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for when they go on sale.
It was around this time that I bumped into the lovely Zoë Greening who works for Gilda & Pearl so, after a quick catch up, we popped downstairs so that she could show me the AW18 collection she’s been busy with, plus the diffusion line Diane Houston with its super cute printed silk pyjamas and short robes (the London print and the blue fans were particularly lovely).
The luxurious lace and silk fabrics used in the Gilda & Pearl main collection (see left) are pure Hollywood glamour and I also loved the Emilia lace high-waisted briefs, with suspenders. The bra will be available up to an F cup, so I may have to pop into their atelier to see if I can try one on. Also downstairs was Dita Von Teese Lingerie, which I’m really hoping will be picked up by more UK store buyers and I want all of it.
By the time I came back upstairs, I realised that I didn’t have much time left before the event closed for the day so, after a long overdue chat with the lovely Maz, I checked out the Coco de Mer stand. They not only launched their AW18 collection at Dessous, but they also showed their new collaboration with the V&A for the first time, which I had been drooling over on social media. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to chat to anyone from Studio Pia (sustainable lingerie brand alert!), so I’m hoping they managed to secure themselves a London stockist so that I can try some of their gorgeous new Daedal collection as it goes up to my size!
Thanks so much to Becky for inviting me to Dessous London. I look forward to seeing some of these gorgeous pieces in shops come autumn. You can check out all the brands (including the many that I missed!) over on the Dessous London website.
Main image by Russell Turner for Dessous London. Second large image via Wixson Paris. All other photos snapped hurriedly by lipsticklori on her phone.
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