Inspired by a picture of a 19th century chinese pirate called Ching Shih (also known as Zheng Yi Sao,) Made by Noemi‘s lingerie collection ‘At Pirate Sea‘ attempts to get behind the surface of this strong-minded and disciplined beauty.
Image top: Zostera series. Image directly above, Algea series.
“Ching Shih was originally a prostitute who married a Cantonese pirate captain. When he died she took over his role, married his son and made him captain. She was however the one to lead 1800 ships and more than 80,000 pirates were under her command. She was fearless and disciplined her men with strict rules and castrated any man who would commit rape. Ching Shih was in no way a nice lady but her strong mind and life inspired me to create a collection that would appeal her.
For the collection I wanted to avoid the classical pirate wine-red-corsett-with-puffy-white-shirt feeling and instead go deeper into the dirty rotten sea colours. I don’t imagine the life on board as glamorous but rather tough and humid. The colour palette for the collection spins around earthy shades like olive-green and petroleum blue with off white and beige. The materials mix between heavier velvet and delicate mesh and lace.”
“Femininity and luxury meets a world of struggle and unfriendly approaches. I wanted to make a clash of two imaginary worlds that never meet in the pirate fairytale and see what happened” ~ Noemi Ivanova, designer
Within this collection it is the mix of textures that interest me. The feel of fabric against the skin is an important part of lingerie in my opinion, and I like the use of velvets, mesh and lace together. My favourite from the collection is (image above) Deep Sea - soft cup bras are perfect for my shape and I like the gold fixture centre middle.
Above: Sargasso series.
Having resisted the temptation to write pirate jokes throughout this lingerie lust, I have to say it – oo-arrrrh indeed, me hearties! *winks*
Happy weekend!

Really nice!! love it
Love these… I don’t suppose they come in 30FF by any chance!!!!
A princess pirate would adore this collection! Not cliche in the least…a princess never wants to be cliche….btw…is there one with a tiara?
A pirate princess would love this collection! Not cliche at all! A princess must never be a cliche…btw….does it come with a tiara?
J’adore, c’est superbe!
What a fascinating story behind this collection! I had never heard fo Ching Shih, but now feel compelled to do some research – and go out to buy myself a blue velvet bra
I love the way Noemi dove so deeply (no pun intended) into her inspiration, rather than settling on colours and cuts that we would so typically associate with pirates and pirate themes, it gives a very unusual twist on an old theme.
xox,
Cee
This is exactly my kind of aesthetic. I love the dark colors and the mix with soft, feminine fabrics. I would wear many of these pieces.