This bustier and skirt set by Simone Perele is appropriately named.  Not only would it look fantastic with a pair of black stiletto heels, but one can easily imagine the wily and beautiful female assassin making use of this set to seduce and kill her prey.  While we acknowledge that the vast majority of our readers are not killers, we’re willing to bet that many of you do on occasion have an interest in seducing someone.  In that case, this set is definitely for you.

The bustier carries a Renaissance theme through the overall shape provided by the lines of the boning.  The foam lined cups and front panel contrast nicely with the side panels and rear, which are made of sheer mesh.  The tiered skirt is removable, as are the fully adjustable straps.  The rear makes use of a 1 column, 13 hook and eye closure.

Even if you’re not into role play, this bustier is a stunning piece of lingerie for those special occassions.  Simone Perele also makes a matching bra and thong and both are lovely pieces in their own right.  So, let out that Renaissance seductress that you know you have lurking inside of you and Happy Friday!

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Stiletto Bustier and Skirt set

There’s nothing truly special about the thong itself.  It’s the always comfy signature lace low rise thong for which Hanky Panky is famous.  It’s available in red, black and white.  What strikes us is that it’s an unexpected gift to find packaged as a Christmas ornament.  Imagine just hanging it on the tree waiting for her (whoever she is) to notice.  She’ll be pleasantly surprised when she finds out that it’s not another useless trinket, but rather the underwear of her dreams!

Okay, maybe that’s taking it a bit too far, but you do need to remember that Christmas is a Thursday this year.  So, make it a thong Thursday with the Hanky Panky low rise thong in a star box.  It sure beats fruit cake.

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Hanky Panky Thong in a star box

Countless, undoubtedly.

When the lights are on, the Luminoglow lingerie sets are quite lovely in their own right.  Among the available pieces are a tanga thong, a “satin sides” brief, a half cup bra and a “lace and satin” bra.  They’re all composed of some combination of European lace and silk satin.  The floral lace patterns are classically elegant and the swooping application of satin evokes the feel of a luxurious Meditteranean retreat.  Every piece is quite beautiful, luxurious and worthy of attention even without the special surprise.

Let’s face it though, the really unique thing about this lingerie is that it actually glows in the dark!  The lingerie needs to be exposed to strong light for about a minute before it will unleash its magical powers.  Once charged, flip the lights off and the lace glows green - kind of like the scene in Fantastic Four where Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) goes invisible and we see only her bra and panties.  The effect is a super sexy mind game that leaves one’s imagination to fill in the negative space.

The only potential drawback is that getting close to a strong light for a minute just before the lights go out may be awkward.  Also, the room needs to be in total darkness for the effect to really work.  Still, the novelty factor makes at least one set of this lingerie must have and it looks great even without the glow effect, so what are you waiting for?

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Luminoglow Glow in the Dark Lingerie

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Figleaves Sitewide Sale!

Now, he’s bringing Toasty Boys to the rest of the world.  Toasty Boys are the first line of thermal organic boxer briefs.  They’re made of 100% naturally grown cotton woven into a thermal fabric knit that is slightly looser than the typical thermal Long Johns that have been keeping deer hunters and Green Bay Packers fans warm for decades.

The Look: 3 out of 10.  I’m not a huge fan of the look of the Toasty Boys.  While the thermal weave is slightly more attractive than Wal-mart variety thermal Long Johns, the overall look is pretty plain.  Currently, Toasty Boys are available in grey with a black waistband logo, or neutral with an orange logo.  Neither color truly excites me, but I will say that the name is so clever that I don’t mind if someone catches a glimpse of the waistband while I’m wearing them.

The Fit: 8 out of 10. Toasty Boys are snug without being restrictive.  I wear a small, which is technically for a 30-32 inch waist.  I’m at the peak of training for a half-marathon, so I’m really more of a 28-29 right now.  I was instructed to first wash the Toasty Boys in cold water with a low temp dry.  If they weren’t snug enough, then I was to wash them in warm water with a warm dry.  I kind of cheated and did a cold wash with a warm dry and they fit like a super comfortable glove right out of the dryer.

The Feel: 9 out of 10. I’m very pleasantly surprised at how good the Toasty Boys feel.  Just looking at them, I thought the weave might feel lumpy, or leave a strange pattern in my butt after a day of wear.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  The waffle weave is certainly not lumpy, and probably more comfortable than traditional weaves.  I’m sure there’s a really good explanation for that, but who cares - they feel great.  I’m here to tell you that there are no patterns (that I wasn’t born with) left on my butt after wearing Toasty Boys.  The 100% organic cotton fabric is extremely soft.  In fact, the toasty boys are softer than any underwear I own - except those that are made from bamboo.  If the Toasty Boys were bamboo, I’d have probably given them a 10 for comfort. 

Overall: 7 out of 10. I don’t want to put too much weight in my thoughts on the looks of these boxer briefs.  I don’t think they’re meant to be the underwear you go out and buy to impress the person you’re dancing with at the club.  They’re meant to be the boxer briefs you wear to the football game or even to the office on a crisp day.  I’ve worn them in a cold climate and in the hot humidity of Florida with comfort.  They certainly remain very comfortable all day long.  Let’s face it, Sara Blakely’s Spanx won’t soon win any awards for best looking lingerie, but it’s a good bet that her designs are worn more often on Hollywood’s red carpets than any other designer out there.

I think Christoper Anthony’s first foray into underwear design is certianly no home run - maybe not even a base hit, but it is a solid at bat.  I’ll put him on base and I eagerly look forward to his line of “Bamboo Boys” coming in the spring of 2009.    

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Toasty Boys

The Deco-inspired “Genius” set from The Lake and Stars at right is made from semi-sheer, baby-pink silk and is finished with black trim and straps. The bra has non-padded triangle cups on a slender stretch band, decorated with sophisticated pleating detail at the straps. Fastens in the back and is finished with a detachable silk bow in front. (This is a pretty bra for bedroom fun, but does not offer support.) The bra comes in X-small for AA-B sizes through Large for D cups. The matching G-String panty bares all with a slender elasticized band.

You may remember The Lake and Stars as the brand that had the hot unitard worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City.

But wait! If you’re shopping through our site onto FigLeaves this week, take advantage of their current BOGO (Buy one get one) promotions:

Buy 1 get 1 half price BRAS with code FIGBRAS! at checkout.

Buy 2 get 2 free PANTIES with code FIGPANTIE at checkout.

Buy 1 get 1 half price on multipack panties with code FIGMUL1 at checkout.

…remember, it’s not too early to start knocking items off that lingerie gift/wish list!

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Fig Leaves in the press - and on sale!

We featured their sleepwear line dedicated to the full busted woman (items are designed to fit C-DD cups). Now you can save on their web site, where knit items are $25 each (down from $98) and popular silk items are now $35 (down from $112). Sale will stay up until all items are sold!

Founder Christine Kurek understands the problem with the industry B-cup standard - full busted women end up spilling out of their sleepwear. But if a full-busted woman buys a standard chemise off the rack, she will have to go a size up to fit her breasts, but then is left swimming in the rest of the garment. Buxom Inc’s items are designed to fit proportionately to a full-busted woman’s body, so she can buy her true size and have it fit both in the bust and waist.

Christine knows a thing or two about “spilling out” - the catalyst that launched Buxom Inc. After a bet that if her friends flew to see her for her birthday she would wear a “fuzzy pink tube top” to dinner, the closest thing her friends could find to fit her ample bustline was a marabou top from a lingerie store. The girls thought the underwire top would support Christine’s bust line, but failed to realize that the standard B size cup would not hold their friend. (The sympathetic girlfriends permitted Christine to wear a blazer over the top to dinner!) Vowing to never again face the humiliation of hot pink marabou, the idea for Buxom Inc. was born, and Christine soon began the process of making it a reality.

Avoid the marabou yourselves, and shop the buxominc.com sale today for yourself and you big booby friends’ holiday gifts.

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Buxom Inc. on sale now!

Enter the T Santiago Cartoon Thong.  It’s made of waterproof and sweat absorbant fabric that is soft and comfortable.  It’s great for the gym, or just hanging around.  The pattern on the thong looks like it was ripped out of a comic book.  The rear is blue with an orange waistband and yellow trim.  That’s constant, but the print on the front panel varies, so you’re never sure what kind of comic adventure you’re going to get!

While we love to recommend more elegant lingerie, it’s good to keep things casual and fun every so often.  While you’re checking out the cartoon thong, take a look at some of T Santiago’s other fun designs.

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T Santiago Cartoon Thong

Hey everyone, we wrote this post about almost sexy shapewear after last year’s holiday season and we’ve noticed that it’s been a pretty popular page.  Unfortunately, the original slip we featured went out of production.  So, we’ve updated the post with a newer, better slip that’s available in a wider range of sizes.  Enjoy!

So, it’s coming time to go to dinner parties and other social engagements, but you may be a little self conscious about a bulge or two here and there.  Still, life must go on and that’s no reason not to head out on the town this weekend. So, pull the shapewear out of your drawer and don that sexy outfit anyway.

Ahhh, but what if this weekend’s date goes beyond just dinner and a movie?

Let’s face it, shapewear can make you look absolutely stunning in your clothes but it’s not so flattering by itself. Many women just don’t feel sexy at all when they’re wearing it. It’s hard to blame them. The average pair of control panties looks like something you’d find in the laundry bin at the local senior center. With that in mind, we set out on a quest to find a few shapewear pieces that you need not be embarrassed to wear.

1) Flexees Smooth Back Camisole. (above, right) Although this stretch microfiber camisole only provides light control, its lace trim edges present a soft, delicate image to something that is normally considered industrial. The camisole will hug your curves in all the right places without making you look like you’re stuffed into it (assuming you’ve picked the right size). It certainly won’t be the prettiest thing in your lingerie drawer, but it is simple, elegant and effective.

2) Grenier Vintage Shapewear Mid-Thigh Shaper. (Left) It’s difficult to make something that looks like bike shorts sexy, but this is probably as close as we’re going to get. The floral lace pattern actually evokes the image of vintage thigh high stockings…only in reverse. This shaper offers medium control and it’s available in a variety of sizes. Pair this with something else from Grenier’s vintage shapewear collection (like the bra top camisole) and you’ll find you’ve got an intriguing ensemble.

3) Sassybax Control Slip. (Right) Of all the pieces on our list, this slip shapes the most areas (tummy, midriff, rear and thighs), offers the most control, and it’s also the sexiest. As an added bonus, it’s offered in sizes ranging from small to 2X. The look is that of a little black cocktail dress (it’s available in nude too) and it’s downright attractive. Some of you might even be tempted to wear it out in public, but please don’t. At the end of the day, it’s still underwear.

None of these items will be featured on Frilly Friday any time soon, but none of them will embarrass you in the event a special someone catches more than a glimpse. They’ll all make you look great when appropriately combined with your favorite outfits. So, get out there and have some fun, then come back and let us know how things turned out.

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3 Almost Sexy Shapewear Pieces

One of the most important features you’ll want to look for in a nursing bra are flaps that are easily opened and refasten with ONE hand (while holding baby with the other). Make sure to try on bras with breast pads in them when trying on nursing bras to make sure the cups are roomy enough for you and the pads. Purchase at least three nursing bras: one to wear, one in the laundry and one as a spare in case you leak!

Post-partum, you may want to consider underwire bras for day and wire-free for night. Most experts recommend not sleeping in an underwire bra, as pressure on the breast tissue can potentially obstruct milk ducts.

Here are some of the prettiest Nursing bras we’ve seen:

Anita Stretch Lace Kwik Klip Nursing Bra: The Kwik Klip System unfastens with one hand, and is integrated into a decorative bow. The three-section cup provides support for full breasts. Straps are attached to the breast support and cannot slip back when the cup is open.

Bendon’s Motherlove Body Lace Soft Cup Nursing Bra: an all-over lace, feminine nursing bra. Not an underwire, and not recommended by us for D cup or larger. Modern stretch lace offers a comfortable fit. Contour pad lining inside cups for added modesty and to protect from leaking. Plastic clip for easy nursing.

Fancee Free Front Snap Nursing Bra: easy center front snap opening for access when breastfeeding. Mesh lace cups with soft cotton lining. Light to medium support (because of stretch in fabric). Cups tend to run a bit small, so consider ordering one cup size larger, especially when using breast pads.

Le Mystere Florence Underwire Nursing Bra: From THE name in supportive, pretty lingerie (thanks to OPRAH), this nursing bra is elegant cotton and lace. Up to size 40G.

And for when your needs change, enter for your chance to win 5 FREE post-maternity bras to help start your new bra wardrobe after nursing.

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Win a free post-maternity bra wardrobe from Playtex