A couple of years ago, I wrote an article on black-owned lingerie brands and it became one of TLA’s most popular articles to-date. Despite what many business experts or industry authorities have to say about the importance of “neutral” or “colorblind” companies, it turns out many people want to support underrepresented or marginalized designers. This is especially when these brands respond to a need the larger intimate apparel industry has neglected for decades.
One of the things I’ve mentioned here before – and that I keep coming back to, because it’s always true – is that every shoot is a new experience. Not just because I’m working with a new photographer, but also because I’m a different person. The Cora of a few months isn’t exactly the same as the Cora of right now. And I’m finding myself wanting to push, to move forward, to dig beyond what I’ve done before and what feels safe.
I always, always, always love introducing a new brand on TLA. Even better if that brand is run by someone who’s been the invisible, behind-the-scenes innovator on so many luxury lingerie labels, from Ludique to Bordelle. One can’t help but wonder what someone that creative could do if they were in charge of their own label. For now, at least when it comes to Pia Conaghan, we don’t have to wonder anymore. Her debut collection for the eponymous brand, Studio by Pia, is both ambitious and impressive.
Lascivious is a brand I admit to sleeping on for the last few seasons. I noticed them (and liked them) when I started blogging, but it took a few more years until I could appreciate them. Certain silhouettes, like their trademark frame bra (the “Milla” style, shown above and just below) are industry staples, having become representative of an entire era in lingerie. But underneath those bondage-inspired themes is a kind of casualness, a sort of relaxed self-possession that never feels like it’s trying too hard. Perhaps this is what speaks to me now – that carefree attitude you get when you’ve been around awhile and don’t have anything to prove.
Edge o’ Beyond first made the lingerie industry sit up and take notice in 2014 with a luxurious debut collection featuring lusciously opulent laces paired with delicate golden chains. In 2017, this still-new lingerie brand shows all those accolades were well-deserved with their Spring/Summer 2017 Collection, the brand’s sixth.
