A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO BRAS...

I did mull over whether it was appropriate to post about lingerie on International Women's Day, which I've often marked here over the years. It's true that a photo of a teenage girl with her nipples showing, in order to promote a brand, isn't very feminist as well as having little to do with the customer that's likely to buy it. But I do think there's something about buying yourself fantastic lingerie that's liberating as well as being your right to do. We don't need to burn our bras anymore do we? That's something to celebrate I think. We can be educated, accomplished and respected and support our curves/not curves with beautiful lingerie should we so desire. Or not. I just happen to like nice underwear.

One of the things on my to-do list in Paris was to finally pluck up the courage to visit the infamous lingerie shop Sabbia Rosa - favourite of every A list celebrity you can think of. I'd read various articles about it over the years, which never included photos of its goods - just the description of visiting it, where you'd be whisked into a changing room, measured, appraised and would then be given outrageously expensive items of lingerie that the shop owner chose for you to try, then purchase - as it would be too awkward not to.  I'd passed by the shop in rue des Saint-Peres lots of times but the sight of banks of green drawers (of the wooden furniture variety!) which I wouldn't be allowed to open put me off. This time I braved it, expecting to emerge triumphant with a tale of humiliation by lingerie.

What actually happened was: I went in, they were really nice, and I was able to browse through quite a few things and decide that while the array of coloured silks was amazing, the styles were a little too classic, maybe even old fashioned for me. I'd already been to the lingerie department at Le Bon Marche and found Elise Aucouturier and into the Eres boutique to see the spring/summer 13 collection in pop pastel shades of pale blue, coral and watermelon pink. I knew that was more for me. No bows - Eres lingerie never has bows, I love it so. The spring collection is here - you can see all the glorious spring colours there, but this {Pompone} is my favourite:

I'd never seen Elise Aucouturier's collection before, but at Le Bon Marche there was a big display of it in prime position. To me, it's crossover ready to wear lingerie, that maybe isn't all that functional but is really, really pretty. The spring collection is all thin cotton and delicate crochet in indigo, cream and rust. Despite Elise Aucouturier's maddeningly slippery flash site I managed to cobble together some screencaps by cutting off various body parts of the model, who has no doubt already suffered enough in the name of fashion. Happy International Women's Day indeed!