Baring It All... In Front of a Camera?

In honor of Faire Frou Frou's new sister company bŏu dōir we want to talk about Boudoir Photo Shoots! Whether it's something special for your trousseau, an anniversary gift, or something fun just because, a boudoir photo shoot will always leave you feeling sexy and empowered. I'm sure many of you are thinking, "I could never do that" and that is just not true. Boudoir photography is a way to capture yourself in time whether you're 25 or 90 and make you feel youthful and sexy. As for your "problem areas" the photographers always know the best angles to make you look absolutely irresistible. With so many routes to go it can be hard to choose a theme for your photo shoot. Should it be colorful and fun? Classic in black and white? The decisions really are endless. My personal style favorites include, big sexy hair, some killer heels, dramatic lashes and a lot of lace. I also love when women include personal items such as  their mans button down or tie. Maybe even his favorite team's jersey. The most important thing about doing a boudoir photo shoot is making it personal and just having fun with it! Plus who doesn't love playing dress up?!

 

Here's a few picks that we adore:

Written By: Sydney M. (part of the amazing Faire Frou Frou Team)

Let the Sunshine In: Celebrating Timpa Lingerie!

images via Faire Frou Frou Instagram & Timpa

One of the many great benefits of working at Faire Frou Frou is every time I walk in the door there is always something new for me to fall in love with.  A couple weeks ago was no different as I was greeted at the front door by a new bra and panty set from the Timpa Duet collection, which reminded me of a ray of sunshine.  To describe the color as just “yellow” does it no justice, the color is truly inspired by the sun making it all the more perfect for Summer time.  The set consist of the Timpa classic unlined underwire demi bra designed with patented airy crochet lace.  The Duet demi bra offers a beautiful cut that lifts and shapes without padding.  The panties are available in either a traditional thong or bikini brief, designer with the same soft and airy crochet lace. 

The company was originally founded in Holland and designs bras specifically for smaller bust line (A, B & C cups).  

Of course, the Timpa Duet collection comes in a variety of eye-catching colors which we change throughout the year.  Some of our favorite hues are featured above (Nectarine, Lilac and Pool).  Though we also carry the classic everyday colors of White, Black and Nude. 

Shop the entire Timpa lingerie Duet collection here.  

(written by B.Merri, part of the fabulous Faire Frou Frou team!)

Faire Frou Frou - Online Store   *  Facebook  *  Tumblr  *  Instagram   *  Pinterest (Alison Rubke)  *  

 Pinterest (Gail Rubke)  *  Twitter  *  www.froufroufashionista.com

Carine Gilson - Luxury Lingerie Fall/Winter 2013

images via Carine Gilson

How could we possibly overlook our favorite pastime on our blog, which is featuring the latest designs from Carine Gilson.  Each season we think Carine's work is the height of luxurious perfection, and then another group comes along and 'wows' us.  The Fall/Winter 2013 collection has a definite Japanese influence, or at least that's what we're seeing.  Granted, Carine Gilson has consistently featured decadent kimono in every season, but the structure and simplicity of this season has a more precise Asian flair.  

Looking through these images makes us feel pretty lucky that we kept a few Carine Gilson pieces for ourselves when we used to carry the brand at our boutique.  The quality and beauty is just as swoon-worthy as ever, and just as much of a splurge.  Is there any pricey piece of lingerie you own that you just had to have?  We'd love to hear! 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram

Shop with us at Faire Frou Frou

CLOSED - Claudette Lingerie - En Dentelle GIVEAWAY!!!!

En Dentelle Intense images via Claudette

If you're reading this post, it may just be your lucky day, as you can enter here for a free set of the new Claudette En Dentelle Intense lingerie collection.  This brand new series of bras, panties and garter thongs has quickly become a favorite at Faire Frou Frou, and we wanted to share the love and offer 1 FREE SET to one lucky person!  If you don't already know about Claudette, it's a flattering, sexy brand that offers bras in A-G cup (30-34 A-G, 36-38 B-G), and bottoms in sizes Extra Small to Extra Large.  The En Dentelle Intense collection comes in Neon Pink, Neon Turquoise, Neon Violet and Neon Green covered in black lace.  
We are allowing each individual multiple entries into the giveaway as indicated below:

1. Like Faire Frou Frou on Facebook
2. Like Love Claudette on Facebook
3. Follow Faire Frou Frou on Instagram (find us under fairefroufrou)
4. Follow Love Claudette on Instagram (find under love_claudette)
5. Follow Faire Frou Frou on Twitter
6. Follow Love Claudette on Twitter

For each of the six ways you've followed us, leave a separate comment below.  Each comment on this post serves as one entry (so you can leave up to 6 comments on this post).
The contest starts NOW and goes through Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 11:59pm PST. 
The contest is open to anyone located in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand (or basically anyone with a shipping address in any of these locations).  

Good luck!  The winner will be announced on our Facebook page October 3, 2012. 

UPDATE:  The winner is paulasue! Congratulations!

Fifi Chachnil - Dress Up in Ruffles & Lace!

 images via here & Faire Frou Frou & here

Today we are photographing the new arrivals from Fifi Chachnil for our website, and of course had to give a teensy sneak peek here!  There's ruffles, there's lace, there's polka dots, there's retro-inspired designs...pretty much your fantasy lingerie wardrobe all in one shipment.  The new goodies will be posted in the next 1-2 days!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Google Friend Connect

Shop with us at Faire Frou Frou

Lace & Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel by Horst

Chanel black lace, via Conde Nast store

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin."
Coco Chanel, April 29, 1939

We found this lovely quote from Coco Chanel, and wanted to share it with you. We figure that if you love luxury lingerie, odds are you appreciate the beauty of fine lace. Also, we simply love Coco Chanel and her influence in fashion as we know it!

Lace Lessons

model Louise Pedersen

When we mention brands like Carine Gilson and ID Sarrieri, usually it follows with a description of a product that has handmade lace or lace that is hand-stitched. It wasn't until recently, with the prompting of one of our very good customers, that we began to wonder exactly what goes into creating a 'handmade lace' as opposed to the lace we see on less expensive products that are mass produced (say, for instance, the lace we see at one of those chain lingerie stores in the mall). Is lace actually handmade?
We know that Chantilly lace (or any handmade lace) makes a product considerably more costly to produce and sell, and we figure it must be a labor-intensive process to create it, but we wanted to learn the nitty gritty details of the process.

After doing a bit of research (and coming across too many listings about the Big Bopper hit of the same name), we found some interesting details. For instance, 80% of the lace used for fine lingerie is likely made in the French town of Calais or Caudry. In Calais, there are about 700 looms employing 3,000 workers. The two town's lace factories export about 3/4 of their output to 140 countries (Source: www.theotherside.co.uk).

courtesy of www.thelacemuseum.org

Rather than just re-post what's already been written, we suggest that you check out the following sites for some incredible information about the history of lace, and the art of making lace by hand:
http://www.slowtrav.com/france/notes/mellen_lace.htm
http://www.theotherside.co.uk/tm-heritage/background/lace.htm#louis14

Because handmade lace is produced with infinite care and a great amount of time, it will always be expensive. Brands such as Carine Gilson create exclusive lace patterns for their products, which makes the lingerie that much more valuable. There are many different grades of these laces that vary in value according to the fineness of their structure. This variance provides a variety of price ranges to chose from when buying a product with lace detailing, and therefore explains why one lace-trim bra can cost $300 and another can be $90. example of Carine Gilson's lace; all of which is handmade and hand-stitched

Vannina Vesperini - she's back!

We couldn't have been happier when we received the news that Vannina Vesperini was back in business...and she's just as wonderful as ever! We met with Vannina and her assistant Sabrina in a gorgeous apartment/studio in Paris not too far from the Champs-Elysees, which made our travels well worth it! We had a stunning model (who kind of looked like the designer) present the collection to us, while all of us sat back on plush suede sofas and sipped warm tea served in antique cups and nibbled on pound cake...
Though we have promised to keep the details of her new collection confidential, we can share that the new pieces are high-fashion luxury, with a variety of robes and gowns that are to die for! The collection will arrive at our boutique in July, and we can't wait.
Vannina has chosen to keep her distribution to a select few boutiques around the world, so we are proud to be in the mix.
We did notice that some of the pieces are inspired by some of Vannina's more 'classic' styles from her previous designs, but with new colors and patterns. Typically we tend to shy away from purchasing items with prints/patterns, but her choices were subtle and sweet, and are sure to wow our customers. What's new to her designs are her removable logo pearl-encrusted brooches that make great accessories for some of her gowns.
Welcome back Vannina!
(NOTE: photo shown is from an older collection).