Your daily dose of pretty: Ingrid Bra from Freya

Remember the other day how I found that gorgeous bird print bra from New Look, and I was lamenting the fact that it only comes in B and C cup sizes? Well looky-look what I found!:

Here's a closeup of the print:

I love the pretty lilac edging. And being from Freya the Ingrid Plunge Balcony Bra fits D to GG cup sizes. I'll have one thanks!

Stockist information for Freya can be found here.

Your daily dose of pretty: Fly Away Bra from New Look

If (like me) you have big boobs you might want to look away now. Because this pretty only comes in B and C cups:

Isn't that print gorgeous? The Fly Away Padded Balconette Bra is £11.99 from New Look and comes in sizes 32 B-C, 34 B-C and 36B.

And there are matching knickers (or "Brazilian Briefs" even) too, for £5.99.

I do kind of wish I hadn't seen the bra though, because I really want it!

Your daily dose of pretty: Ella Balconette Bra by Curvy Kate

You've got to love a lingerie site which specialises in bras for bigger cup sizes and has the slogan "Big Bras at Small Prices". A quick browse through the offerings at brastop.com revealed a wide range of gorgeous lingerie for those of us with boobs in a D cup and above.

This bra caught my eye because I just love the bright colours used in the embroidery detail:

Curvy Kate Ella Balconette Bra £16.95, available in 28"-38", DD-H cups. 

And because matching knickers are a must:

Curvy Kate Ella Thong £6.95.

Your daily dose of pretty: Big Knickers from Knickerocker

Browsing through an Etsy seller's lingerie listings, a section entitled "Big Knickers" may not seem particularly tempting - inspiring as it does thoughts of skin-toned granny knickers in practical cotton knits.

Knickerocker's Big Knickers are anything but granny. Their clever use of fabric and colour has resulted in a range of fun, quirky and cute knickers with something to tempt almost everyone. Including your granny.

Bright colours, lace and picot trim, and polka dots in the High Waisted Pink Polka Dot Panties (US$25.00):

Cute daisy print panel front and back in the Daisy Print Panelled Retro Knickers (US$25.00):

Nautical theme and colourway and a cute mix of prints in the Nautical Sailor High Rise Panties (US$24.00):

And my personal favourite, the Retro Style Floral Panties (US$20.00). I love the tropical print and colourway - that vibrant blue is one of my favourite colours:

So what about you my pretties? Would you buy Big Knickers? Would your granny?

Your daily dose of pretty: Pink & Blue Flowers lingerie from Purrfect Pineapples

Purrfect Pineapples not only produce gorgeous hand-made lingerie, they are also cruelty-free. Which is all the more temptation to buy. As if I needed any more temptation - I'm head over heels for this gorgeous Pink and Blue Flowers limited edition set:

Flirtatious, pretty, frilly, completely impractical. What more could a girl want? Well, aside from a raise in her allowance so she can buy it?

Prices for the items (in Canadian dollars): Corset (custom made) $250, Soft Cup Bra $85, Garter Belt $64.

Your daily dose of pretty: Showgirl Antoinette Corset from What Katie Did

Hello my pretties! I have been remiss - I promised you a month ago that I'd be back to regular blogging, and, well, that was a month ago. Sorry.

Anyway, I'm in a sexy underwear kind of mood at the moment. A trip to the mall yesterday with the singular intention of visiting the Chinese massage place saw me come home with two sets of pretty underwear. Which were on sale, so obviously I can be forgiven. Eccentric English Boyfriend might not agree but he's been away in China for the last month.

One lingerie item I would really love in my wardrobe is a corset. And What Katie Did have some beautiful examples, including this one:

This is a corset designed to be shown off - inside or outside the bedroom! At £189.50 it's not cheap, but then you should expect to pay more for a good quality corset.

The Showgirl Antoinette Corset is available at What Katie Did.

Your daily dose of pretty: Hopeless Lingerie

I discovered Hopeless Lingerie the other day, and I am hopelessly in love.

Do you see what I did there? With the play on words? Clever, huh? Very writer-ry ... writer-ish ... writer-ous ... Clever, huh?

The Babette Camisole made from pale pink modal jersey looks so soft and touchable, along with being pretty.

And how about these cute and sexy Janet Garter Suspender Knickers to go with it?

The camisole is US$60.00 and the knickers are US$48.00 from Hopeless Lingerie.

Bendon DimitySo Lingerie - prettiness for D to J cups

Long before its collaboration with Elle Macpherson launched Bendon Lingerie onto the international market it was a staple in the lingerie drawer of all Kiwi chicks. My first bras were from Bendon, and those of us Kiwi chicks old enough to remember the 80's probably owned at least one piece from their ubiquitous (and long lived) French Collection. I had several pieces, in shades like skin tone, white, peach and ivory - we really knew how to be adventurous with our lingerie colours back then!  Over the years Bendon have expanded their ranges with additions like Elle Macpherson and Macpherson men, the Hey Sister range for the younguns, and now the DimitySo range.

The DimitySo range caters for cups sizes from D to J and allows us bigger bosomed chicks to hoist our puppies into something pretty, feminine and not too expensive. Because let's face it, the range of lovely stuff for big boobs has grown in recent years but there's still a lot of stuff out there that looks like it was designed for the Russian Women's Army during the Cold War.

Here are a few of my favourite DimitySo pieces:

Courtesan Night balconette bra and bikini in Plum Kitten/Coral (also available in Mood Indigo/Violet):

Rose Beat balconette bra and bikini in Graystone/Peach (also available in Black/Gold):

Snowthorn balconette bra and thong in Plum Kitten (also available in Peaches 'n' Cream):

Pepper Dream strapless bra and bikini in Afterdark (also available in White, Mocha):

There are so many more styles available in the DimitySo range that you're bound to find something you like. Check out the website here, and a comprehensive listing of New Zealand and international stockists is here.

Your daily dose of pretty: Forever21 ruffle trim bra

I think it's been said before, but small bosomed ladies get all the prettiest bras.  This one is so pretty and delicate, and I'd need two of them to keep the twins restrained:

Don't get me wrong, I love my generous cleavage, but you don't get delicate lingerie like this if you're anything more than a C cup. D does not stand for Dainty!

If you're a 32B, 32C, 34B, 34C or 36C, the Ruffle Trim Mesh Bra is US$7.80 from Forever21.

Your daily dose of pretty: pretty knickers from boohoo.com

Bows on underwear are a standard of the most lingerie ranges - it's something to do with that whole "if you undo that bow my underwear will totally fall off and I'll be all nekkid!" thing. Of course most bows are purely decorative and undoing them is more likely to result in loose threads than nekkidness.

The bow detailing on these knickers is particularly pretty:

Not the sort of knickers you'd wear under low cut jeans or figure hugging/sheer skirts obviously, but deliciously pretty and sexy nonetheless.

The Brittany ribbon trim brief is £3.00 from boohoo.com, and all their knickers are also 3 for the price of 2 (if you needed more reason to by some!).

Your daily dose of pretty: Lulu Corselette

It's probably one of the inevitable signs of growing older, when a woman's underwear draw starts to contain less in the way of frilly barely-there frippery and more of the cover here-there-and-everywhere heavy duty armoury.

If I was being honest I would admit that it's also one of the inevitable signs of eating too many potato chips!

Luckily wearing underwear designed to smooth, cinch and flatten doesn't necessarily mean resorting to matronly styles any more, especially with the resurgence of interest in vintage lingerie styling (thank you Dita von Teese). I want to buy this corselette simply because it's gorgeous - what it would do for my figure is an added bonus:


Even The Eccentric English Boyfriend, who's not a huge fan of lace and suspenders, gave the thumbs up to this one. £65.00 from What Katie Did, a store that will be a definite must-visit on our trip to England next year.

Your daily dose of pretty: Dorothy Dots lingerie

How utterly sweet is this:



I couldn't wear it because, you know, big bazoongas and wobbly tummy. But if you're lucky enough to be slim and pert and firm it's the Dorothy Dots bralette and knickers by Eberjey. US$25.20 for the bralette and US$16.80 for the knickers from shopbop.

Your daily dose of pretty: Supa Scroll Sleep Set by ellembee

I may have mentioned this before, I la-la-love Etsy. Especially on days like today when I'm stuck for ideas for the daily pretty. I can head on over to Etsy, browse for a while and I'm bound to find something pretty like this:



I love the screenprinted scroll design:



I had to laugh at the seller's comment: "I really hope this turns out to be a bestseller; that would at least partially make up for the fact that there are now pictures of my butt on the internet." Go buy it my pretties, make it a bestseller for the sake of ellembee and her butt!

Your daily dose of pretty: Amarena dress

I'm sitting at the computer in my pyjamas (which say Yummy Mummy on the front, because I am) staring bleary eyed at the screen. You see I've been to bed already, and failed to get to sleep, what with the dogs barking at neighbours that go bump in the night and the Eccentric English Boyfriend watching Harry Potter movies in the lounge beneath our bedroom. So I decided to get up again and do some pretty-hunting, and it seemed only appropriate to look for pretty sleepwear.

And what a pretty I found for you:



Such a gorgeous nightgown, which could also be worn as a dress were you brave enough. I'm not so brave, but I would feel deliciously sexy wearing this to bed! US$85.00 from madeinitaly on Etsy.

Your daily dose of pretty: pretty Bendon underwear

My underwear draw contains far too much Practical and not nearly enough Pretty. I must remedy this situation. And now that I've invented another excuse for a shopping trip, here's some pretty underwear to start me off:



That's the Bendon Mempesona contour bra and trouser brief, also available in cream with navy embroidery. So pretty, look at the ribbon detailing. Available in sizes 10-16 from A to DD cups. Find a Bendon stockist here.

Your daily dose of pretty: cats on your bum

My mum and I went to see Cats tonight. It was delightful and funny and moving and slightly silly and very enjoyable. Now I'm sitting here with "Jellicle Cats" going over and over in my head, thinking that today's Pretty should have a cat theme.

So here is the Kitty Panty Set from Emily the Strange. These adorable little knickers come in a pack of two (one white and one pink) and are US$13.99 here.

Your daily dose of pretty: pretty underwear by Marie Jo

When we were in London in 2007, the Eccentric English Boyfriend insisted that I should experience Rigby and Peller (I know, I know, he's wonderful and he's mine!). Rigby and Peller is a 'proper' lingerie shop of the old fashioned variety, staffed by women who really know their bras, and the boobs that go into them. If you've ever watched one of Trinny and Susannah's programmes you would know them as their go-to lingerie shop, and they're even corsetiere to Her Majesty the Queen.

When we entered we were approached by a lovely staff member who questioned me about my requirements (a strapless bra) then whisked me away to a changing room where she informed me that "we don't use measuring tapes, we do fittings by eye". Cue several moments of me fidgeting awkwardly as she stared at my now naked boobs. My boobs assessed she disappeared for a few moments and returned with, miraculously, The Perfect Strapless Bra.

I left Rigby and Peller happily clutching my purchase: a bra and knicker set by Marie Jo that cost more than the rest of my lingerie collection combined but it was so worth it. It's my special occasion set, but it's been worn and washed many times (in the washing machine even, I don't really do hand washing) and is still in excellent condition with none of the stretched elastic, fraying lace or homicidal chest-piercing underwires that befall cheaper brands.

Which brings us to today's Pretty, the Tadao underwire padded cup basque by Marie Jo. Available up to a 36DD, I love the simple, clean lines, the geometric bow embellishment and the contrast between the shiny fabric of the trim and the matte of the rest of the garment.



Marie Jo's website is here, and if you're in London and get the chance I highly recommend a visit to Rigby and Peller, or their website is here.