An Intimate Garden ~ Chantelle

February 19, 2013

My first exposure to an English garden was in college when I traveled to Henley on Thames to see my boyfriend compete in the 1972 Olympic Rowing Trials. Their photo finish loss in the finals to Harvard after 4 years of intensive training was disappointing but at least we had several days to distract ourselves in this pretty rural village. Lovely cottages embraced by gorgeous perennial gardens lent an unexpected charm to this rural sporting venue. Nowhere is the British blend of structure and whimsy more visible then in their seemingly random gardens, like those I had the pleasure of seeing that day. Sweeping botanical arrangements and eye catching landscaping details create a freestyle vision of color and form that is equally balanced and provocative.

The inspiration of English Garden design extends way beyond the UK, informing lingerie development worldwide; but nowhere is its influence quite as seductive as in Chantelle’s current interpretation of their successful Palais Royale collection. Created to invoke the lush and diverse hues of the British Garden, these beautiful undergarments combine Chantelle’s renowned fashion savvy with their essential fit. Pictured here, the padded demi bra, available in sizes 32-38, A-F cups, reveals a watery floral print veiled by a delicate multi colored embroidery on tulle. Lately I have been enamored by Chantelle’s grasp of the North American Lingerie market and this consumer’s obsession with practical basics. However, it is the exquisite workmanship blooming in their fashion collections that invokes this brand’s elegant DNA: a cultivated focus on what a woman really wants.

“Say It With Flowers.” ~ Patrick F. O’Keefe

Available At:

Iris Lingerie: Brooklyn, NY
Jolie Fleur: Hewlett, NY
Sugar Cookies: New York City, NY
La Petite Coquette: New York City, NY
Journelle, New York City, NY
Magic Corsets: Forest Hills, NY
Town Shop: New York City, NY
The Dain Shop: Morritown, NJ
Galatea Lingerie: Hoboken, NJ
Lace Silhouettes of PA: Princeton, NJ
Teddies For Betties: Austin, TX
La De Da Lingerie: Webster, TX
Aricie: San Francisco, CA
Basics Underneath, New Orleans, LA
Trashy Diva: New Orleans, LA
Underthings: Chicago, IL
La Lingerie LLC: Madison, WI
Nancy Meyer: Seattle, WA
Trousseau: Vienna, VA
A La Mode: Annapolis, MD
Coup De Foudre: Washington D.C.
The Fitting Touch: Birmingham, AL
Clair De Lune: Overland Park, KS
Lulabelle: Hingham, MA