Boux Avenue A/W12 press day & Robyn Lawley..Embrace your curves!

   A little while back I was lucky enough to be invited to Fluorescent PR's Autumn/Winter 2012 showcase, which included Boux Avenue. Boux has been all over the media recently after revealing Robyn Lawley as the new face (and curves) of the brand's new collection, 'Embrace your curves'. 

   Robyn is a stunning 6ft 2", size 14/16 (AUS) plus size model who hails from Austalia. Having graced the covers of Italian Vogue, French Elle and Marie claire, Robyn seems to be a great choice for the brand not just for her looks, but for her great outlook on body image. Robyn has mentioned that in the past she has struggled with eating disorders, but she has grown to love her body and her curves:

 "My body looks better as it is because that's the size I'm supposed to be, with curves. It's my natural body shape." (Australian Madison Magazine)

   It is refreshing to see her as the new brand figure head and it sends out a really positive message to women to be proud of their body, whatever shape or size.. 

   The Boux Avenue Autumn/Winter 2012 showcase was also nothing short of gorgeous, with an array of exciting new prints, colours and fabrics to make you feel fabulously flirty and feminine in true boudoir style. The 'Embrace your curves' collection is very size inclusive for a 'high street' name, offering sizes 30A-40H and sizes 8-20 in coordinates and nightwear. There was even a fabulous boudoir dressing table set up to display Boux's fashion and beauty accessories!

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   Looking at Boux Avenue A/W12, three themes pervade the collection. The first is animal print, with everything from leopard print bras to bodies, chemises, loungewear, fluffy marabou mules and cat slippers!

(I love the black contrast piping on this body and bra set)

'Georgia' animal balconette bra, £26 (32A-36G)

Ruffle animal print camisole and pants set, £32

   Another key trend is luxurious jewel tones - purple, turquoise, raspberry pink and yellow chartreuse are married with opulent satin and lace fabric combinations...

'Lyla' satin balconette bra, £26 (30C-40G) - This raspberry coloured set makes fir a great update to traditional festive red and the delicate black contrasting lace gives a glamorous and seductive feel. This bra also comes with the option of 'fifties sex kitten' style high waisted shorts (£16)!

The unusual 'Carina' plunge bra in chartreuse, £26 (30E-38G) - I'm a sucker for a pretty plunge, so I'm keen to try this as I love the shape of it on the model (pictured above).

Lacey plunge bra in violet lace, £24 (30A-38F) (another rich purple tone bra)

   The third main theme of the collection was a vintage revival in the form of elegant balconettes in satin with sophisticated patterns of polka dots and vintage floral lace overlays, coupled with mesh, tulle, frills, bows and charms that hark back to bygone eras. These sets feel very 'old Hollywood'...

'Penelope' spot balconette bra, £28 (32A-38F) 

'Carmen' bandeau bra, £26 (32A-30E)

(Lace rosette bra)

Cutesy flock spot balconette plunge bra, £26 (32A-38E) (also comes as a babydoll)

'Nancie' satin and lace balconette bra, £26 (32A-38F) - One of my collection favourites, the 'Nancie' is a stunning peach tone satin and lace balconette bra that oozes vintage chic with its floral lace pattern, little frills and bow and cameo charm at the centre of the cups. This would make a great bridal bra alternative - if only it came in my size!

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   The Boux Avenue A/W12 collection has some really gorgeous styles to suit a variety of tastes. I was a particular fan of the decadent jewel tones, satin and lace combinations and soft blush tones and vintage detailing. My only niggle is that not all of the lingerie starts at a 30 back and only select styles go up to an H. That aside, it's great to see more larger cup sizes readily available from a big name commercial brand! 

   Whilst I didn't have a great amount of luck with my first Boux Avenue try out, I am keen to try some newer styles in a 30 back as a few people have mentioned that some of them may work for a 28 back too.

Perhaps this A/W will see me 'embracing my curves' in some new Boux Avenue lingerie...

Shop the new Boux Avenue collection here.

Love,

Kitty xo

Welcome to the boux-doir - A 'Boux Avenue' review!

(Credit: www.walesonline.co.uk)

   With a background in property finance, investments in Ryman's stationery and a permanent seat on hit TV series, "Dragon's Den", it may come as no surprise that Theo Paphitis is estimated to have a net worth in excess of £170 million! (The Sunday Times, May 2011) Paphitis, however, is no ordinary 'dragon' and certainly knows a thing or two about ladies' undies!

  Perhaps one of the most interesting and lucrative of all of Paphitis' projects, is his contribution to the lingerie market. Having sold La Senza in 2006 for around £100 million, Paphitis embarked on a new mission to bring a new lingerie experience to the UK – one with a strong online presence, in addition to having 'luxe', french boutique-feel stores. The official 'Boux Avenue' site claims to be a brand that is “for everybody, no matter what your age, size or style”, and has clearly been engineered towards inclusivity, whilst being diverse enough to appeal to a wide range of clientele. Paphitis states:

  “Boux Avenue is about appealing to your moods – one day it may be sophisticated, another seductive. Boux Avenue will offer a fantastic lingerie and nightwear shopping experience for women who want to feel special.”

   With these prophetic words, it is no wonder that 'Boux Avenue' has garnered such attention right from its launch in early 2011. What I really wanted to know, however, was how 'Boux Avenue' measured up for a real life customer...

   I decided to go online to the 'Boux Avenue' site to investigate and I was met with a very well-developed web page (with easy to navigate sections) and a plethora of different products on offer; from lingerie to swimwear to nightwear to beauty products. Although 'Boux' does not stock 28 backs, I was impressed to see that the size range went from a 30A up to a 40G. After losing myself for an hour, captivated by the beautiful array of boudoir-inspired lacies and vintage-print babydolls, I decided to check out what was on sale. What better way to justify a lingerie purchase, than to snap up a pretty bargain?

   Whilst I was generally very impressed with the way that the bras were displayed on the 'Boux' site, I was slightly worried by the fitting guide, which resorted to the out-dated 'adding inches' method. For example, the model in their fitting video had a 69cm (27 inch) underbust and was advised to wear a 32 back. Similarly, in the pictures below, the models are said to be wearing a 34B and a 34DD, which would definitely be too big in the band for such small frames. Having around a 27 inch underbust myself, I know only too well that 34's and 32's are not supportive enough for my frame, let alone for the models in the photographs!

  That said, with no 28 backs available, I decided to chance a 30 back, in the hope that it might come up tight. I, therefore, purchased the 'Chloe Lace Plunge bra' in coral in a 30FF and the same bra in violet in a 30F and a 30FF, to try for size. There was a “3 for 2” offer on all sale items and free postage - 3 bras for £18 including postage – a cracking deal! I opted for a free gift wrap as well..because every girl loves a bit of luxury in her life!

   Although I opted for standard delivery, my parcel arrived within about a day or two of placing my order! Not only did I receive my purchases quickly, but on opening my parcel, I was met with a very glossy-looking box with 'Boux Avenue”' embossed on the front. Inside, was lace-print pink tissue paper wrapping, my three lace bras, a scattering of scented petals and a free lily, jasmine and elderflower scented hand cream sample! In terms of delivery and presentation, 'Boux' certainly scored 10/10!

  I really liked the colours of the 'Chloe' lace plunge bras. The coral and violet make for very girly and eye-catching tones - a welcome change from standard black, white and nude coloured everyday bras. The bras are very lightly padded in the DD+ style and the cups are overlaid with lace. The little bow in the centre of the bras and the lace scalloping also add some detail, stopping the bras from looking too 'basic'. I definitely drew a design parallel almost immediately to La Senza's 'Lullaby lace' bras that I used to wear. What I was desperate to know, above all, was the answer to the all important: "How does it fit?"

  I bought both a 30F and a 30FF in the lilac bra to compare the fit and was interested to find (similar again to La Senza), that 'Boux Avenue' bras come up a bit small in the cups. The 30FF was a slightly better fit than the 30F (which I would have assumed would be my size, given that I usually wear a 28FF!) One very marked difference as well, was the width of the straps on the 30F and 30FF bra. As you can see from the picture below, the straps are much wider on the 30FF and it is also a slightly more 'fuller cupped' bra style...

  Sadly, the 30 backs were too loose on me and even on the tightest hooks, the band was riding up. I was also a bit disappointed that the straps could not be tightened very much, leaving me feeling frustrated with the fit and lack of va va voom that I would normally associate with a plunge bra. Unfortunately, I have decided to return all three bras.

  To sum up, I would say that 'Boux Avenue' has quite a lot of similarities to highstreet giant, La Senza. 'Boux Avenue' is rather like a more 'boutique-y' rebranding of La Senza, driven towards a slightly wider age range with more varied lingerie preferences. In terms of improvement, I do think that 'Boux Avenue' could benefit from developing a more accurate fitting guide and  ensure that they provide consistent and standardised bra sizing. I am also hoping that 'Boux Avenue' will continue to update and expand their DD+ range to include their promised K cup! All in all, 'Boux Avenue' scores very highly in terms of its company ethic, user-friendly site, pretty designs, customer service and exceptional presentation!

  Despite not having much success on this occasion, I am keen to try out some 'Boux Avenue' nightwear and swimwear in future, to get a feel for some more of the 'Boux Avenue' range. There are a few things that I will definitely be buying though, and that is some of their beauty products. Both me and my mum loved the free sample of "White Chiffon" handcream so much, that I am going to purchase an array of their lotions and body butters! Boux-tiful!

Love,

Kitty xo