The gorgeous vintage charm pendants by I Heart Anna sold out so quickly that we just had to get more! Her Fall line is even more amazing, with an expanded selection of earrings and necklaces. We’ve got more of the popular Their Fringe Unfold made from vintage leather gloves, as well as the earring equivalent - The Spirits Dance - in white, black and grey. My new favorite has to be Pendants of Gold, which has a hammered brass charm at the end and a long, braided leather insert, though the Sacred Place locket is a close second. (see above) Snap ‘em up quick, cause they sell out fast!

Now don’t get me wrong; I love bikinis as much as the next girl, but there are times when I want a little more coverage; say for example, family vacations or trips to the waterpark. It’s nice to feel demure in a sea of teeny weeny bikinis that demand a brazilian. In the past, I’ve had a hard time finding a cute, flattering one-piece that wasn’t created with either an olympic swimmer or a 50 year old in mind. You know the ones I’m talking about - huge padded cups inserted into the bodice, skirt attached, invariably fashioned out of tropical print lycra. Nothing against these suits, which certainly have their place in the market, but when you want something a little more youthful, where do you go? Well, good news - we have three amazing one-piece suits in stock (and one more on the way) that bridge the gap between basic speedo tank and grandma’s swimdress.

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Chabadabada is pretty much the best name for a lingerie set ever. Today we received the Chabadabada, a flirty little crinkly grey and lavender soft bra and boyshort set from Princesse Tam Tam, along with several items from Tam Tam’s Ballade group. (more…)

Heads up, loyal LIL readers…due to the overwhelming demand for more Araks, we will be getting a ton of new stuff in next week - from the incredibly soft new organic cotton range to the ever-popular silk and cotton crepe sets, we’ll have it all, in many new colors like Tangerine, Alpine and Ocean! If you missed out on the stylish Ingid keyhole back tank or my personal favorite Ivana/Karin set, here is your second chance! As promised, we’ll have new bathing suits in too, but sizes are limited and we won’t be able to get anything else from this season, just fyi. The next delivery won’t be until September, so now is the time to stock up. You’re welcome!

It’s official. My perseverance has paid off! This Fall, Lille will be carrying a small selection of lovely lingerie from Lyell. Alliteration aside, this is some incredible news. Their gorgeous vintage-inspired tap panties, onesies and bralettes are as elegant as their ready-to-wear, and we hope to incorporate some of the delicate camisoles and other versatile pieces into the mix in the future. Truth be told, I would love to carry all the svelte velvet jackets, to-die-for silk blouses, flapper-ish dresses and adorable knits in the collection, but then Lille wouldn’t be a lingerie shop. It would just be my dream closet.

I received some sad news today in the form of a letter from Lisi Valle notifying us of the discontinuation of her eponymous line. Citing a lack of financial backing and the much-hyped economic downturn, she’s been forced to halt production, so none of her merchandise will be arriving this Fall. We’re so disappointed because her sweet and elegant silk camis and boyshorts filled a niche in our shop that few others could. Here’s wishing her the best in reviving the line in the not-too-distant future!

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I’ve never passed one, er, failed one? If the pencil falls to the floor, is that passing or failing? I’m not really sure. Anyway, pencils tests! Remember them? The awesomely middle-school test for bra worthiness? If you’ve never heard of a pencil test, the basic idea is that you take a good old No.2 pencil and you place it against your rib cage under your breast. If, when you let go of the pencil, it falls to the floor then you have failed (I decided that it’s failing) the test and are not permitted entré to the womanly world of brasieres. Boo. Yes, I am 28 years old and I still can’t pass that damn booby bar exam, I just tried again after 15 years and the clatter of the pencil hitting the ground is still mocking me just like it was in 8th grade. But you know, I wont let that stop me from wearing bras, you know why? Because bras are fun and sexy and who cares if I don’t need one, I want one. Take THAT, pencil.

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Why is “bra” singular, but “panties” plural?  Really you’d think it would be the other way around, there are 2 cups in a bra, but only one piece of cloth covering (or not covering) your butt with panties.  Since there are 2 leg holes with a pair of panties, but only one torso hole on a bra, does that mean that these items are dictated by their negative space?  And a “pair of panties” even.  You only get one panty in a pair.  Pants I  can understand, since there are two pant legs unifying to create one pair of pants, but panties are a real head scratcher.  Something to chew on.  Go chew on panties, that’s an order!

Oh how I love to make etymology posts. Today lets discuss where the word “Lingerie” comes from.  France, duh, but what does it mean?  According to the Online Etymology Dictionary:

“Lingerie: 1835 (but not in widespread use until 1852), from Fr. lingerie “things made of linen,” also “laundry room, linen shop” (15c.), from O.Fr. linge “linen” (12c.), from L. lineus (adj.) “of linen,” from linum “flax, linen” (see linen). Originally introduced in Eng. as a euphemism for scandalous under-linen. ”

That explanation seems fair.  Oddly enough, hardly any lingerie is made of linen anymore. Maybe it should more aptly be renamed to “cotterie”  or “silkerie” or, god forbid, “polyerie”, or maybe “leatherie” for the bolder ladies of the bunch.  But no, none of those terms have that sexy sonorous sound that “lingerie” does, it rolls off the tongue and asks you to linger longer.  I think it’s good advice to stick with what works.

Notcot blogged about the new Veuve Clicquot/Riva Yacht collaboration to make us all a little dreamy and hopeful (albeit altogether unrealistic) about our prospects for summer fun. I’d kill for an old Italian boat to tool around on - I don’t care if it’s beaten into the ground and in need of some serious repair. On a gorgeous Portland day like this one, I talk myself into thinking it could actually happen. I’m dreaming of lounging on the deck in a Princesse Tam Tam Bikini with a vintage silk scarf wrapped around my head, martini in hand. (more…)

I’m not sure if we ever mentioned anything about the dyeing process for the Araks organic line, so I’m going to make a little mention now. Sarah and I have both made it abundantly clear that the new Araks line is made of super sheer and soft and delicate organic cotton, but did we tell you that everything is dyed with organic soy-based dyes as well? It’s true.  The  Foam Dasha Teddy is the greenest sky blue that you’ll ever see. I just thought I’d throw that out there. I’ve been trying to research how soy dyes are made, but I’m not having a lot of luck. It must be some ancient hippie secret that I am not crunchy enough to be privy to. Damn hippies and their ancient secrets.

We just received the first installment of our Fall VPL Order!!!! I practically attacked our friendly UPS driver to open the box, then assaulted his ears with an onslaught of squeals of delight at the contents. It’s only the first two sets, with lots more to come, but they are so incredible: the Bisectional Bra and Boyshort, pictured above, and the Tidal Bra and Striped Undie. I’ve attached a few blurry cell phone pix after the jump for those of you who just can’t wait to see them. (These are straight out of the box, not even steamed yet, so please forgive the wrinkles!) (more…)

It’s hard to find a cute bathing suit, but it’s even harder to find an appropriate cover-up that isn’t decked out in a tropical motif. I don’t know about you, but palm trees and hibiscus flowers don’t really work with my complexion. They’re always so unflattering and billowy too, and you end up looking like Homer Simpson in a muumuu or Blanche Deveraux at a Miami resort. Call me crazy, but I can’t rock either look. All I want is a cute little cami/short set or romper that my bathing suit won’t show through after I swim, giving me that unflattering wet-t-shirt contest look. While we don’t have any “official” swimsuit cover-ups here at Lille, we do have quite a few alternative options that I think would work just perfectly.

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Shhhh… can you keep a secret? One of my favorite labels started doing lingerie for Spring/Summer ‘08. I’m not making any promises, but I’d really love to carry Lyell’s new line of floral print onesies, bralettes and tap pants here at Lille, so keep your fingers crossed. For weeks, I’ve tried calling and emailing to no avail, so if I don’t hear back soon, I guess I’ll just have to stop by their adorable shop the next time I’m in Nolita (someone please take my credit cards away first!) I would love to wear Emma Fletcher’s beautiful, vintage-inspired clothing every day, but I think I’d have to banish my pets from my house, hire a maid and refrain from any strenuous activity that could result in perspiration. Honestly, I have no problem limiting myself to a lifestyle that involves reading Evelyn Waugh novels on vintage settees, eating cucumber sandwiches and having afternoon tea with my lady-friends. Any takers?

Ok. Here is yet another picture borrowed from gofugyourself.com. If you read their blog, you know that they are typically making fun of the way famous people dress, most of the time the outfits are hideous, but occasionally I have to respectfully disagree with the fug girls. This is one such case. I think that Juliette Lewis looks adorable with her fun peek-a-bra showing. Maybe I’m partial because I happen to like her a lot, (I once served her a Soy Chai Latte when I worked in a coffee shop in college- exciting, I know. Shut up, it was exciting for me.) but I think she’s executing intentionally visible lingerie in a very tasteful way. Let’s all give J-Lew a hand for knowing how to rocking sh*t.

That yellow dress the other chick is wearing though…  mmmm, not so much.  She might have some peek-a-panties going on too, but I’m pretty sure it’s jeans, but if it is her undwerwear, it’s still not condoned by me. Bad look miss.

The new Georgette Soft Bra by Princesse Tam Tam is another adorable bralette that is not only cute, but comfy too. Like the rest of the Georgette series, it’s made from a soft silk voile and sheer tulle mesh, but this time in a dusty gray color rather than Ivory. The flat bow has a more dignified look than most girly ribbons, not to mention a slimmer silhouette under clothing. It’s not an incredibly supportive bra, so I would recommend it for A to small-C cups. The matching Bikini or Tanga options are cute, and it also matches the silk on the Delicate Boxer Short or Tanga in Lavender, so you can mix it up a bit if you’re not averse to that sort of thing. Incidentally, this set coordinates with the lovely short kimono perfectly, and would make an excellent bridal shower gift.

We now have the classy, grey, halter top Marina bikinis by Prinesse Tam Tam. I must attest that I have the Terra colored Escale Bikini and I feel so stylish and ladylike when I wear it. It’s great!  Highly recommended.  Now, here’s Princesse Tam Tam’s take on the history of the bikini for you to peruse:

I didn’t know that the term “bikini” is born from a nuclear explosion. I bet men can easily make that connection though- Kaboom!

We sincerely apologize for the delay in updating our webstore lately - what with Mercury in retrograde and the constant influx of new merch coming in this Spring, we’ve had a hard time keeping up! But we resolve to stay on top of things in the future. Within a month, you’ll witness a complete overhaul of the site, including the addition of exciting new features like a gallery of images, detail views, a much more accurate shipping calculator, video clips and much more, all thanks to the web gurus at Cularis. We’ve managed to add a few new products to the site today, including the Araks Organics line, as well as new Princesse Tam Tam Delicate and Georgette styles, with many more to come soon! Stay tuned…

The existence of Anna Karina.

Jesus. How beautiful is she? Thank Jean-Luc Godard for casting her as a stripper with a heart of gold in “A Woman is a Woman” because she is doing some great PR work for the Lingerie Council here. I’m definitely cutting bangs.

Keep your eyes open because we have VPL in our sights.  The first shipment from their Fall ‘08 line is due to be in stock very very soon.   Are you stoked?  I am.  Also, do you think I should cut my hair kind of like that model?