Growing up in the UK in the 80s meant that the phenomenon that is Victoria's Secret has largely passed me by. Even as my lingerie obsession deepened, the iconic US brand still failed to register on my radar until the opening of their first UK store in 2012. I went along to review it and... Continue Reading →
Why the new face of Givenchy shouldn’t be news
This week, there has been a flurry of fashion news stories about the American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu being announced as the face of Givenchy's Spring 2014 campaign. While this is great news for those who have been busily pointing out the lack of diversity in mainstream fashion imagery, it's also a bit sad that it's... Continue Reading →
Feminism Friday: Welcome to the ‘real’ world
Back in 2011, I wrote about the media and advertising construction of 'real women' as curvy creatures who weren't represented adequately by (apparently 'unreal') fashion and beauty models. I pointed out that all women are real - whether or not they are tall, black, short, trans, white, fat, athletic, thin, disabled etc - and so... Continue Reading →
Dollydagger Model Search 2013
Last October, one of my favourite UK independent fashion brands ran a competition to find a face for their clothing line. Brighton-based Dollydagger received a whopping 118 entries and shortlisted 8 finalists, but the whole thing was so much fun that they're planning on doing it all over again! "When we launched the competition in... Continue Reading →
Love your body
Back in March, I wrote about how these so-called 'real' women the media are always banging on about don't always have curves. I pointed out that actual real women come in a pleasing variety of shapes sizes. Fat, thin, old or young, each of us is a unique combination of race, nationality, height, weight, build,... Continue Reading →
Real women don’t exist
We hear lots of talk about 'real' women these days. Folk moan that magazines don't use images of 'real' women, labels don't design for them, and that they're having a hard time coping in a world full of supposedly perfect (I'm guessing 'unreal'?) models, actresses and assorted celebrities. However, in their attempts to right these... Continue Reading →
Agent Provocateur: Back on track?
Last time I blogged about Agent Provocateur's incredibly un-sexy choice of models, I assumed that Nicola Hunn, who replied to the complaint I sent in, was merely humoring me with a standard response. Well, I don't know if she really was listening to me of if lots of other people shared their disappointment with the... Continue Reading →
Playing pin-up
This post was written by a RWL Guest Blogger - Burlesque performer Honey Schnapps attended a glamorous retro lingerie press event on behalf of Rarely Wears Lipstick.This week I went to the most delightful afternoon event which promised dressing up and cupcakes. How could I possibly resist? Organised by lingerie brands Ayten Gasson, Playful Promises... Continue Reading →
Getting Agent Provocateur’s “sexy” back
Since I blogged about Agent Provocateur's recent move towards extremely un-sexy models, I thought I'd put the URL out there a bit in the hope that someone at the company might read what I'd said and respond. I sent it to their oddly named Twitter account, which claims to be the official Twitter for the... Continue Reading →
Fashion fades, only style remains
I like Hadley Freeman. Her fashion advice column in The Guardian is a breath of fresh air with its lack of meaningless rules and the opinion that liking nice clothes doesn't always have to make you look like a twat. Yesterday she reminded us that: "Fashion is supposed to be about giving grown women self-confidence,... Continue Reading →