Wednesday’s Buzz: Inspired

I love nice lingerie but the current economy has caused me to cut back on my spending.  A world without beautiful lingerie is unthinkable, so I’ve had to come up with options that don’t involve losing the lingerie or much cash: I’ve decided not to go with “designer inspired”  and instead started looking at lingerie that inspires designers. I remember reading about The Lingerie Addict’s love of vintage leopard print (clearly Dolce & Gabbana’s inspiration) and how to score pieces from ebay. The virtual shelves at Etsy can be a fabulous place to find vintage lingerie pieces, as well as new lingerie from up and coming designers. And of course we mustn’t forget ebay, where you can find a nifty vintage lingerie search option sorted by time period. In the past we’ve seen Catherine from Kiss Me Deadly list overstock as well as vintage pieces and accessories from photo shoots; and currently you can find overstock and seconds from What Katie Did at a fraction of the retail cost.   The trend doesn’t stop there and we’re now seeing Josefine Wing of Mint Siren listing the vintage pieces that inspired her early collections.  As far as other designs go, my current obsession is Ari Dein’s Art Deco inspired lingerie, unfortunately I’m broke so even with the 30% off at Faire Frou Frou, it’s still no dice!

So how does a poor lingerie blogger soothe the pain?  By going to the source of the inspiration; lingerie from the 1920 – 1940′ no less.   What’s really great is not only did these pieces inspire some of the latest designers but they’ll inspire you too.  Loving the lingerie from Mad Men?  Pick up a peignoir or two from sweet*cherry*pops or  this marabou trimmed babydoll reminiscent of Agent Provocateur’s original Fifi collection.  Or just pick an era and create looks that are all your own.  If you are  squeamish about 2nd hand lingerie you can always search new/old stock or dead stock (this is vintage stock unworn, tags on and probably still in the original packages).  If you have more time than money take a tour of your local thrift stores/charity shops/vintage clothing shops and with a good eye and some patience you’ll find some real treasures!  (photo: Vanity Fair leopard print babydoll opening bid $6)