When it comes to comfortable lingerie, the sort you want to wear day in and day out, I have a few favourites and it suddenly struck me the other day that I hadn’t written a Friday feature about them. B’tempt’d by Wacoal is one of these collections, a line that produces comfortable and pretty bras and briefs designed to give great shape and style.  One of my ‘essentials’ from the B.tempt’d line is the B.wow’d Push Up Bra. Available in pink, lilac and wine, the bra has moulded cups and a scalloped hem perfect for under a tee or fitted dress. Their Lace Kiss Bralet, a soft cup style, is another of my favourites.

This is a youthful line, perfect for the ‘girly girl’ who wants femininity and flattering fit.   To see more B.Tempt’d styles click HERE. Click HERE for the B’Tempt’d Facebook page.

Moisture

“The key to sexy beach hair is great condition,” Bruce explained. Intense sunshine, sand and salt water can take its toll, making hair dry and brittle.” Bruce recommends using a deep-conditioning treatment such as Sassoon Professional Intense Restore to keep hair looking healthy and glossy.

“If you plan to spend a full day in the sun, apply an intensive hair mask before setting off to the beach. Comb into a high, sleek ponytail, or twist hair into a classic, chic bun,” he continued. “The mask will seal in moisture, while the style will complement an effortless beach look.”

Texture

Soft beachy textures, seen at Phillip Lim, Burberry Prorsum and Diane von Furstenberg SS13 shows is a low maintenance, on-trend style that works perfectly at the pool, then the bar. To achieve this look, wet hair and divide into four sections. Braid loosely, and then leave the hair to dry naturally. Once dry, gently run fingers through the hair for soft, sexy waves.  Finish with one of my favourite products around, a little Diamond Polish to smooth frizz and flyways, then lightly mist with Motion Hold for a flexible hold.

Post-Holiday Replenishment

To replenish hair following a holiday spent out in the sun; indulge in an injection of moisture. Bruce recommended that I use a weekly treatment, such as the Intense Restore mentioned above, to ensure hair returns to optimum condition.

Quick Expert Tips from Sassoon:

• Allow hair to dry naturally, instead of rubbing it dry with a towel. Air-drying hair will prevent breakage and cuticle damage, which maintains softness and combats frizz.
• Add texture for a messed-up look by twisting individual sections as hair dries.
• After every dip, rinse out salt water and chlorine with fresh water, and then reapply a sun protection spray. Rinsing the hair will limit impurities from penetrating the hair cuticle and protect the hair’s moisture.

• Following a beach or pool day, apply a leave- in conditioner, such as Sassoon Professional Halo Hydrate. It will make it easier to comb out the hair, and prevent unnecessary breakage.
• Sea water can lead to split ends so plan to visit the salon for a trim just before jet-setting away. A haircut will keep the ends healthy and super shiny.

If you would like to find out more about Sassoon Salon, to purchase products or get further personalised tips, click HEREto find a local salon.

Images: via Pinterest.

One spring trend that has been popping up left right and centre is wearing overalls.  I think we’ll all recall this one-piece from our childhood – the dungarees or ‘boiler suits’ we slipped on as a youngster are now back with aplomb for spring.  I bought a pair of vintage wash overalls from ASOS a couple of months ago.  I prefer to wear them in a casual style with trainers and a sweater, folded over at the waist, but I’m becoming braver at styling them smart / casual – like in these examples from Stylesight‘s recent round up of Milan / Paris fashion week attendees.  I read a recent review of this emerging trend in Elle magazine, it mentioned how much your ‘inner child would thank you for wearing overalls. I agree. However some tips on not appearing like a three year old version of yourself; add a low or high heel; roll them up and keep them baggy!  You are now ready to rock your dungarees…

Wearing: Supra footwear; ASOS overalls; Tag Heuer watch; Miansai fish hook bracelet; Dorothy Perkins sweater. Photos of me: The amazing William Williams. Fashion blogger images: Style sight

“I am very definitely a woman, and I enjoy it” ~ Marilyn Monroe.

“Joie de vivre, that quintessentially French approach to life, is defined as a delight in being alive.  Reinvent yourself, revitalize yourself, or just remind yourself of your own innate sense of style. Scandale inspires every woman to reclaim her  “joie de vivre” infusing every moment of her day with beauty.”

No doubt prompted by the opening of The Great Gatsby in cinemas combined with my eternal love for the TV series Downton Abbey, this week’s Friday Lingerie Lust is a collection of chic products inspired by the vintage elegance of the brand, ‘Scandale‘.  Created very much with the modern woman in mind – with an attention to effortless elegance and innovative fabrics, each piece radiates confidence.  Scandale’s collection of lingerie and shapewear is for the woman who knows how to dress well. She knows that good dressing begins with great underpinnings, perfecting, as Scandale tell us ‘the beauty of her curves.’

Shown here are pieces from the ‘Harmonie’ collection.  The first image, ‘the dress‘ gives control and contour – smooth lines for that little black dress you want to dazzle in.  My favourite piece from this collection is ‘the skirt’, an oft forgotten piece of lingerie, tending to be passed over in favour of the waist nipper or thigh slimmer.  I love this style – it avoids the double straps you might get wearing both a bra and a shapewear dress and reaches high enough above the waist for a lovely silhouette.

I also love the editorial for this collection.  It shows that shapewear can still be very chic, sensual and playful; for the woman inspired by passion and pleasure. I hope you will check out this brand.  Click HERE for their facebook page.

I have, Blog Reader, just returned home from a lovely weekend in London.  I stayed at The Royal Horseguards Hotel on the river Thames –  perfectly positioned for hopping here there and everywhere in the city which is why I’d recommend it if you are ever in need of a fabulous place to stay.  London was my home for over ten years but as with all cities so much changes…. here I’ve put together some of my top travel tips based on the things I did this weekend. Check them out if you are nearby!

Wahacha South Bank – Mexican restaurant complete with tequila bar at the back. Eat (and drink) here at your peril.

Selfridges department store – this place will remain my London shopping mecca forever.  My favourite parts of the store: the shoe galleries and their denim hall. (I’ll be writing a post soon about my hunt for the perfect pair of denim skinnies so check back if you are interested in reading!)

& Other Stories – a new addition to London’s South Molton Street, & Other Stories is the new premium high-street brand from the H&M group.  It’s more youthful than COS, H&M’s other counterpart, yet with pretty similar prices.  What I was particularly impressed with was their lingerie collection (like my blogger friend Anna said I would, Anna you were so right!) and their accessories range.

The Dean Street Townhouse - one of my favourite places for brunch, lunch, dinner and everything in between.  The English breakfast here is really tasty and the perfect fuel for shopping.

Sassoon Salon – A trip to London isn’t the same without a visit to Sassoon to get my hair back into shape.  This visit I talked to the salon about summer hair; conditioning tips and hair styles that I’m looking forward to bringing you soon.

I hope you had a lovely weekend, Blog Reader!  This week I am posting another of my little black dress (with a twist) series and want to introduce you to a new collection I adore… until then, StyleOnTheCouch xo

Marlies Dekkers is a brand I have been meaning to write about for a long time.  Their bras are legendary – perfect for layering because the styles sit just above the line of your top to make an enticing statement…

In the Marlies Dekkers fall winter collection for 2013, inspiration comes from a tour in ’The Mauritshuis’; previously a private home and now a museum, known for its collection of famous Dutch paintings of the Golden Age.  In the museum, masters like Rembrandt, Carel Fabritius, Vermeer and Hans Holbein showcase some of their most influential works in an intimate atmosphere, all of which proved to be a perfect starting point for Dutch designer Dekkers’ new line.

“The Mauritshuis was built for Johan Maurits who was the owner and he lived there during a part of his life. The Mauritshuis is a work of art on its own, build between 1633 and 1644 in a style called Dutch Classicism. Johan Maurits was a count, royal family and a governor. In his role as governor he went to Brazil with the West Indian Company. He was inspired by the exotic culture, nature and the local population. He took artists and scientists on his trips to document as much of the exotic surroundings as possible by letting them paint on site. The art was brought back to Holland and exposed in The Mauritshuis.” ~ Marlies Dekkers

The last lingerie set in this post – Art and Armour in ocean black – is my favourite.  Inspired by the original frames of three painting in the staircase of the museum that show militaristic objects (guns, chains) to reflect the heroic journeys of Maurits himself, Dekkers challenges the wearer to be daring and adventurous with the metal chain ornaments in her designs.

To view more Marlies Dekkers designs, click HERE.  You can purchase from Faire Frou Frou, Journelle and Selfridges.

“I believe in pink.  I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot.  I believe in being strong when everything goes wrong. I believe that the happiest girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day. And I believe in miracles.” – Audrey Hepburn

Undoubtedly my new Jimmy Choo pumps would get a big thumbs up from Audrey.  They certainly make me feel happy! I get lots of questions about these shoes when I wear them (along with raised eyebrows of surprise I am stepping out, quite literally, in colour.)

I love to style them with my favourite black pieces and have the eye drawn to my feet; here I’m wearing my Helmut Lang leather jacket (are you tired of seeing this yet? No? Good, me neither!) Gap skinnies and simple tee from ASOS.  Sunglasses are once again stolen from American Boyfriend because let’s be honest, Jimmy Choo plus Gucci is a pretty feel good factor all round

These Anouk pumps from Choo are beautifully curved with a 4.8 inch heel height.  For those of you stiletto geeks it is a truly well proportioned shoe, something Choo must know well as the style is available in many different colours. I’m a huge fan of the silver pump in metallic leather and the jade green snakeskin effect pair.  If you can’t stretch to Choo prices then check out LKBennett for similar styles – my friend Anna of South Molton St Style models a fabulous pair of their green pumps HERE.

Photos: William Williams

Wearing: Jimmy Choo pumps, Helmut Lang leather jacket, Gap jeans, ASOS tee.

I get very excited when lingerie-loving friends let me know about their new finds! My friend and fellow blogger Lindsay, who you may recognise from her guest posts before on StyleOnTheCouch, told me about Karolina Laskowska earlier this year.  A wonderful synergy between fashion and lingerie, Laskowska told me this about her brand:

“I adore blending concepts of eroticism, luxury and lingerie as outerwear.  Most of my pieces can add an edge to outerwear, whether worn on top of a vest top or visible under a sheer blouse.  They’re equally as stylish but a lot more naughty in the bedroom!  I adore bespoke work too – designing one-off pieces for individual customers, using the finest French couture laces and silks. I’d like to introduce those sorts of materials and more colour into my ‘ready-to-wear’ line and I’m planning to develop that this Summer”

What I particularly admire about Laskowska’s designs are the way in which they blend elements of the fetish with feminine accents and materials.  For example, the soft ribbon on the Wiktoria harness and the ivory lace trim on the Kaja leather cuffs.

Laskowska’s collection includes a playsuit and accessories (cuffs and garters). You can view more images and read more about the brand HERE.

Photo credits:  Top image, photography – Steve Kraitt, model – Nathalie Hers. Second image, left: photography – Catherine Day, model – Vicki Blatchley. Third, photography – MSD productions, modelling & styling – Sundal Roy. Final image: photography – Nadia King, model – Alivya Free, styling – Tess Daly.

These pictures were taken just outside the Ruin Beach Cafe on Tresco Island, Isles of Scilly. You can see more holiday snaps here.   The day these images were taken I was very content to be hanging out in the sunshine and taking in the view at Raven’s Porth, Old Grimsby from the cafe over to St Martins island.  Clearly influenced by my beach and sea surroundings I went for a nautically-themed outfit; wearing my Edina Ronay Sailor Jacket, Mango white tee and ASOS jeans.  The Christy’s hat was loaned from American Boyfriend – it’s amazing how many clothes I steal from him these days

Edina Ronay has a fascinating history as a designer. Born in Budapest, Ronay moved to London with her family and studied fashion design at Central St Martins before moving on to RADA to work on her acting career.  She was somewhat of an ‘It Girl’ in England in the 60s, then decided to travel to Ibiza, Formenterra and Morocco before returning to London in the 70s to start her vintage lace and clothing shop on the wonderful Kings Road.  She began to design again, after being inspired by the vintage pieces she was selling, especially the knitwear for which Edina is most often known.  In 2012 Ronay launched her Red Label collection – a limited edition, luxury heritage collection designed and produced exclusively in Britain.  The sailor jacket is a lovely style, part of Spring Summer 13, of which Edina tells us:

“For Spring Summer I created timeless, flattering pieces which will take anyone effortlessly from desk to dinner. My trademark knitwear is inspired by the 40s and 50s and made with the highest quality British mercerised cotton, adorned with details such as mother of pearl buttons and lacy knit stitches and French couture lace trimmings.  Continuing to design and produce my collections in Britain is extremely important to me and I consider that nurturing and supporting British talent and workmanship is more vital now than ever.”

To view more of Edina Ronay’s collection click HERE.  Be sure to check out the Live to Love silk summer print dress, as with every purchase Ronay will donate 50% of the price to Druk White Lotus School in the Himalayas, a charity aimed at providing students from the area with an excellent education as well as teaching them social and life skills.  A worthy cause indeed!

If I had to make a lingerie map of the world, Blog Reader, I would colour France red, to signify their status as one of the hot spots for the most exquisitely made intimates.  Whilst I do not find France as fashion-forward as England in terms of their lingerie design, what I think France does so very well is understated luxury.

My friend Anne introduced me to Eres when we became friends in NYC – Eres is a very sophisticated brand and I love how they take the most simple of designs and create something very chic indeed.  Click HERE to watch the making of their spring summer collection for 2013.  Certainly the Eres woman has that ‘je ne sais quoi‘ and I want what she has.  You can choose from a stunning array of lace and satin separates and one pieces (bodysuits) and the brand also make swimwear - I love Capsule and Toxic in electric blue.

To view the entire Eres collection, click here.  You can buy Eres in their online boutique and at Faire Frou Frou.