Being one of Undercover Lingerista's most blogged-about lingerie names, Freya has long been a brand that I have closely followed and adored. Imagine my absolute delight when I received an invitation from Eveden (Freya's 'parent company') to come to the Spring/Summer 2012 collection launch. Not only was Freya one of the brands to be showcased, but also Freya's sister brands: Fantasie, Fauve, Elomi and Huit.
The theme of the Eveden press launch was the 1920's - an era of heightened artistic and cultural creativity. Technology, art, music and fashion were all affected, but most importantly, women experienced a new sense of liberation that had previously been suppressed during the Victorian era. This liberation, however, went much further than the right to vote. It allowed women to express themselves as sensual and sexual beings, particularly through fashion. Their dress sense became more flamboyant, women sported bobbed hair cuts, short skirts and makeup and the image of the 'flapper' soon became a redefining image of twenties femininity.
The 1920's is a particularly important year for Eveden, as it marks its date of establishment by Mr S D Dyall, so I dolled myself up and prepared myself for what promised to be a very exciting day out...
On arriving at the venue at 28 Portland Place in London, I ascended the staircase to the highly sophisticated 'Harben Suite'. The suite had two spacious and exceedingly elegant interconnecting rooms, filled with what could only be described as any lingerista's ultimate dream: beautiful, ornately displayed lingerie and swimwear collections! The soft sound of 20's jazz music filled the air, light spilled through the windows and curvaceous flapper girls stood elegantly amidst the columns, drapes and canapés...Welcome back to the 1920's!
FAUVE BY FANTASIE
The first collection that I viewed was the irresistibly luxurious, Fauve. Fauve by Fantasie is one of Eveden's higher end brands and epitomises elegance with its sumptuous fabrics, exquisite detailing and rich tones. The Fauve collection was very diverse in that the colour palette ranged from whites, to pastels, to nudes and gold tones, right through to vivid fuchsia pink! Patterns tended to be vintage-inspired and the lingerie featured floral prints, lace overlay and pretty bow ribbon detailing and pearl embellishments...
I loved the vintage-looking Fauve 'Evangeline', which comes in a moulded or underwired half cup style in either 'Frost' (a cool mint-tone) or nude and black - both with on-trend lace overlay:
The Fauve gold-toned 'Maya' bra with graphic-inspired lace overlay:
The Fauve palette lightened for the gorgeous 'Annalise' bra. The vintage floral print looks so delicate and the dove grey colour is set off beautifully by hints of purple, the pale yellow ribbon and ivory piping:
The Fauve 'Aurelia':
I adored the peachy 'Coco' bra - the Chantilly lace overlay on this bra is exquisite and the little pearls on the straps and at the centre really exude Parisian elegance:
The Fauve 'Veronique' basque - a stunning oyster-coloured satin basque with ivory white detailing - complete with boning, to flatter your curves:
Say hello to bright colour! The 'Emmanuelle' is a real 'look-at-me' piece, especially as it is so different from the rest of the collection. The fuchsia colour screams romance, femininity and confidence. The vintage jacquard print and bow motifs keep the bra from looking too loud and give this set a sophisticated and elegant appeal:
HUIT
After Fauve, I looked at Huit, Eveden's recently acquired avant-garde French lingerie and swimwear label. Although Eveden is generally associated with providing brands that cater to the larger bust, Huit is Eveden's offering to cup sizes up to a DD:
One of my favourite designs was the 'Lucy' strapless bikini, which has a vivid orange base with white piping - very pin-up and glamorous!
My absolute favourite style was the knock-out floral D&G esque 'Love the keys', in particular, the underwired tankini. 'Love the keys' definitely turned some heads at the launch and many people (including myself) were amazed to find out that this tankini was not an item of clothing or a basque! I love how Huit have taken the idea of underwear as outerwear even further, to make underwear-inspired swimwear..'swimgerie', anyone?
Huit also presented some great underwear basics, including the monowired strapless bra (below) that sits close to the chest, gives no visible lines and stays close to the chest and does not gape, even when you lean forward!
Huit also had some great organic cotton lingerie - The 'Huit is biotiful' bra set is a great example of how an everyday basic bra can be updated with delicate crochet, to create something very pretty, practical and super comfortable:
Huit's bright colours also extend to the lingerie collection, as seen in the multi-coloured 'Scottish Queen' air bra, which boasts a very Vivienne Westwood style tartan print!
Last but not least, I have to mention the 'Tea for Two' english garden-inspired bridal set. As a bride-to-be I really fell in love with this broderie anglaise beauty. I love the button detailing at the centre of the cups too. Huit shows just how elegant bridal underwear can be..it is just a shame that it does not come in my size, as I love it and think it would be perfect for under my wedding dress!
FREYA
This brings me to talk about my favourite Eveden brand, Freya, and boy oh boy did they have some amazing surprises in store...
I will first begin with Freya's lingerie collection for S/S12, which was fun, young and flirty, with a hint of rock and roll edge!
As many of you will now know from my blog, I am a huge fan of the Freya 'Deco' and own many of them. Imagine my excitement to see not one, not two, but three new Deco styles at the launch!
Red Deco:
'Ocean' Deco:
The Freya 'Ashlee' in sorbet - Both a moulded plunge and moulded half cup will be available. The moulded plunge goes up to a GG:
The half cup Deco is a new style for Freya and features inbuilt graduated push-up padding for that extra cleavage boost. Unfortunately it only goes up to an F, but I am keen to try it!
Vivid brights are definitely big news for Freya's Spring/Summer 12 lingerie collection. Pink tones were also widely used.
The sophisticated blush-coloured Freya 'Elize':
The flirty powder pink 'Beau' bra - I loved the delicate bow print, cerise ribbon detailing and classic Freya mesh panels along the cups!
Freya S/S12 also sees the introduction of graphic prints set against girly shades and floral patterning. This is shown by the Freya 'Daphne', which pairs graphic florals with polka dots and has feminine pops of pink and purple:
The Freya 'Pixie' mixes aqua with graphic print florals and polka dots:
Lime green was also a common colour in the collection. The 'Patsy':
and 'Ellie':
Freya even updates traditional leopard print by adding white flower detailing and mixing the palette up with inky blue. The edgy 'Roxanne':
This brings me on to Freya swim - an amazing collection inspired by dance. There were lots of candy tones and vivid brights.
Candy colours - Freya 'Polka', 'Jitterbug' and 'Boogie':
Some of my favourites of the collection included:
The 'Calypso' - I am a sucker for bright and summery prints and the tropical polynesian florals of this bikini would look amazing against a tan!
The 'Revolution', which has been updated in a gorgeous purple for S/S12:
and here is the quirky pin-up style dog-tooth 'Lindy Hop':
FANTASIE
Fantasie is very much like Freya's elder sister and the S/S12 collection boasts a range of pretty prints complimented by lace and embroidery, giving the range a more sophisticated edge. Compared to Freya, Fantasie tended towards slightly less vivid hues, with lots of navy, slate, black, white, cappuccino and nude, with the exception of the hot pink 'Esme' and mint floral patterned 'Claudine':
The joy of this collection, is that I can see Fantasie attracting the attention of a younger and older audience alike. I, for one, love the 'Sharon' black balcony bra, which features a black vintage lace pattern over slate grey and is finished with coloured floral embroidery on mesh and little pink bows. It is just a pity that Fantasie do not make 28 backs, as this bra is gorgeous!
Fantasie swimwear had a different vibe to the lingerie collection, with obvious global trend influences - lots of tribal print, animal patterning and a vibrant palette that included coral and blue:
I loved the inky blue leopard print 'L.A.' bikini:
and the vivid coral 'San José', with its graphic print grey and white floral pattern:
ELOMI
Finally, this brings me to Elomi, a brand that provides stylish and well-fitting lingerie for the fuller figured woman (from back sizes 32-52 and cup sizes C to J). Elomi knows that the fuller figured woman wants to look good, as well as feel supported and the S/S12 collection certainly proves this. The collection was awash with colour and cute prints - highlights include the rich peacock blue 'Caitlyn' bra, the snow leopard 'Asia' bra, the scarlet polka dot 'Betty' and the stunning fuchsia 'Maggie', which Alex models (below):
Also worth mentioning is Elomi's fabulous 'Ophelia' leopard lace bra, which looks a bit like the Freya 'Deco'!
Elomi also make their swimwear debut for S/S12, which is really exciting news for ladies with a fuller figure! The collection is made up of the 'Isis', which comes in black or aubergine and the animal print 'Yarra'. Elomi have clearly thought the collection through carefully; the high-waisted bikini bottoms and flared tankini top look very flattering to the fuller figure and would be the perfect solution for ladies that want to hit the beach without feeling too exposed.
To conclude, I was really impressed with Freya, Fantasie, Fauve, Huit and Elomi's offerings for Spring/Summer 2012 and cannot wait for them to come out. As expected, Freya was the 'stand-out' collection for me, but I also really loved Fauve's lingerie and Huit's swimwear. After seeing the Fantasie range, I am also keen to try the exquisite 'Sharon' in a 30 back.
The Eveden press launch was a fantastic opportunity to meet the Freya team, chat with other bloggers and meet other passionate lingeristas who love nothing more than to chat endlessly about the amazing lingerie and swimwear on show. The only problem is that with so much beautiful lingerie and swimwear on display, I now have the most giant wishlist imaginable. Oh, Eveden, how you tempt me so!
Love,
Kitty xo
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