By HOLLY JACKSON

I’ve been going through a phase over the past few years where I’m fascinated by textures. Whether it’s a great piece of embroidered lingerie or just petting an antique piano shawl in a local store, I love the look and feel of textured fabrics with elements that put them over the top. While that trend has taken off in other sections of the lingerie industry, it hasn’t really hit the plus size market in a big way yet.

One of the earliest adopters of this trend was the new Tulip Embroidered Underwire bra by Elila, which was shown at Curve over several shows and has finally been released. I wanted it from the first moment I saw it, but I was also interested in how it reflected a change in the look and feel of Elila’s brand. Elila has also focused on maintaining a wide side range with superior support options. Their focus has been fit and construction, which sometimes meant their bras felt plain or retro compared to fashion forward brands like Elomi who were always chasing the latest trends. The release of their Glamour collection felt like a step in a different direction: a combination of their seriously supportive bras with some classic fashion trends.

When I asked Elila about their design inspirations, they cited Grace Kelly and other glamorous black and white movie stars. While the delicately embroidered material makes an impression, there are other changes too. Elila bras are traditionally exceptionally full coverage, so the recent releases of the Glamour and Tulip sets have been designed to be able to be worn with lower cut clothing. This is evident in their new strapless longline bra release as well, which has been designed with moulded cups and a much lower gore than previous pieces.

The Tulip Embroidered Underwire bra features the same supportive materials and three part cup design from other Elila classics, so customers don’t have to sacrifice support for fashion. Available 34 – 46, DD/E to K cups, this is the perfect holiday set for curvy lingerie boutiques and consumers who want to branch out beyond the heavy hitting brands in the industry. In fact, I suspect this will be a great way for new and younger consumers to discover how great Elila bras are.

By HOLLY JACKSON

The world of luxury curvy lingerie is small. Not just small, but nearly infinitesimally so. While budget and mid-tier lingerie brands are expanding curvy and plus-lines as fast as they can, almost no one has chosen to take on the luxury couture market. It’s still an unproven market, although one that seems to have lots of community support. But will curvy women really pay for luxury lingerie? Harlow & Fox has gambled on that idea and won.

Harlow & Fox was one of the earliest brands to experiment with couture lingerie in curvy sizes and they are still going strong. Their pieces show no compromise: the materials are of the highest quality and the designs refuse to be watered down. Harlow & Fox’s commitment to vintage glamour comes through loud and clear, from their gorgeous embroidered slips to a hand beaded gold glass robe that would be at home in The Great Gatsby.

One might think that the pressures of being one of a handful of couture brands in a newer market segment might make one more serious, but Harlow & Fox never seems to lose their sense of fun or of the experimental. A recent collection release included a decadent tulle piece that worked as an evening cape or as a tutu, while the Juliette Hazel collection combines beige silk with an unexpected gold and turquoise peacock feather detail.

The most remarkable part of the latest collection release is that the Juliette Hazel collection is a repeat of a previous collection in a new colorway. The fact that Harlow & Fox exists at all is amazing, but that they have survived and thrived long enough to consider re-releasing collections in new colors  over multiple seasons is truly remarkable. While I hope that Harlow & Fox has encouraged other brands to step into this space, I don’t think I’d want to see it without their commitment to quality and innovative design either — they’ve become a classic brand over their short existence, and the classics never go out of style.