Are stockings too seamy?

After a couple of dry days where the sun is beginning to poke through the clouds I am confident enough to pop on the pencil skirts again. Personally I have found the days where I wear trousers distinctly less glamorous. Although I mentally conjure up images of Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich I just can’t seem to mirror their sophisticated devil may care attitude, may be I am not angular enough to carry it off with aplomb.

And so it’s back to my trusty black pencil skirts and silk blouses, much more forgiving for us girls with a few curves. The pencil skirt also brings with it the requirement for a bit of hosiery and as I rummage through the stockings drawer in Plums (don’t tell Tricia I am stealing stock again!) it makes me wonder why so many women shy away from wearing stockings. Stockings seem to have become the preserve of special saucy occasions. Women who do own suspender belts have received them as a Valentine’s or Christmas gift and have worn these lacey red or black numbers on a token number of occasions. Suspender belts have gone from almost being an essential for every lingerie drawer to a sordid piece of dress up, put away in a box with naughty nurse outfits and accessories from Ann Summers.

Maybe it’s about time women reclaimed stockings and suspenders for themselves. As much as you hear claims that stockings are more hygienic or practical than tights it’s never going to make women want to wear them. It is undeniable that stockings and suspenders are sexy but surely there isn’t anything wrong with feeling alluring? Why is it that being frumpy is more acceptable than being glamorous?

Next time you are putting on a skirt, and no I’m not suggesting full time mums should be tottering around in stilettos and seamed stockings, why not dig out that special occasion suspender belt and open a fresh pair of stockings and see if it makes you feel any different. Think Dita Von Teese and channel a bit of Hollywood film star in your wardrobe. Don’t be afraid to feel sexy, start slowly with some simple nude stockings and before you know it you will soon be wearing fully fashioned seamed stockings on a night out! Feel the need for a bit of inspiration? Then watch the film Silk Stockings it has an amazing scene where Cyd Charisse puts aside her black wool stockings and tries her first pair of silk stockings.

Don’t know your fully fashioned from your rht then check out my guide to buying stockings.

Spring is on its Way

Mid February and hopefully the worst of the cruel biting winds are behind us. The first pastel hued bra of the spring has now arrived a Plums Lingerie in of the delicate Marie Jo Rose, available is a stunning turquoise, white or black. We’ve plumped for the turquoise to bring a bit of colour to these grey days. The pretty rose embroidery is so fresh and summery and for all you fans of the Italian briefs that have been so popular in the Jane they have brought one out in the Rose.

Blue is definitely the colour of the season in Marie Jo and Prima Donna, the Marie Jo Camille is a deep purply blue with pretty floral sprigs embroidered in pretty pinks. We’ve had the Camille in for a week or so at Plums Lingerie and it’s proving to be really popular, the first colours of the spring are always light relief after the heavy seductiveness of the deeps reds and purples of the winter.

Our busty lovelies haven’t been forgotten, the Prima Donna Babel is now in stock. The delicate cobweb effect embroidered with a gorgeous floral design has made it my favourite for this season. It is definitely high on glamour especially if you treat yourself to the basque!

New lingerie and nightwear seems to be arriving daily so to get the latest updates you can become a fan of the Plums Lingerie Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.

Time to Say Goodbye, when is the right time to throw away your bras?

This weekend I had to come to a difficult decision, whether or not to retire my trust black Goa bra from Prima Donna. I love this bra, elegant and not too flashy. A smooth cup with a little embroidery on the top half. Perfect for wearing under fitted tops without declaring it’s presence to passers by but pretty enough that if I was run over by a bus my ER doctor would still be suitably impressed. On first inspection there seemed to be absolutely not reason to stop wearing this ensemble, the colour was still true and it still appeared to give enough support. So why on earth send this bra to lingerie heaven? Well for some god forsaken reason I had to run, not a natural activity to for me but I suddenly became rather aware of an increased bounce factor that was a tad uncomfortable. On investigation I notice the elastic between the cups and the fastening on the back had completely lost its stretch. I was forlorn, it doesn’t seem right to toss aside such a faithful friend, especially as I can no longer purchase a another Goa.

So when exactly is it time to say goodbye? At Plums Lingerie we recommend that an every day bra has about an 18 month life span maximum. Elastic is a perishable material and the more you wash and wear your bras the quicker it will loss its stretch. This is why we always recommend hand washing, popping your bras in the machine in a hot wash will only make their life span shorter. If you are wearing bras that you would be embarrassed for someone to see it’s probably time to move on to a new one. You wear a bra every day which if you wear a bra once a week for 12 months that’s 78 wears. At £60 a bra that’s 76p a wear, worth investing in a new one ever so often to make sure you get the fit and support you need 365 days a year!

And yes the Goa did get retired and I have replaced it with the rather more ostentatious Babel but its flirty embroidering and the fact it comes with a suspender belt lured me in. No doubt in a few weeks the Goa will become a dim and distant memory.

Sever Weather Warning!

Tomorrow brings with it a severe weather warning at Plums Lingerie. The hurricane force that is Nicola from Marie Jo and Prima Donna descends on our little boutique. Tricia is currently battening down the hatches and preparing for the whirlwind of lingerie that will hurtle out Nicola’s suitcase like something out of Harry Potter.

It’s always lovely to catch up with Nicola, listening to her animated tales of boutiques far and wide. Her enthusiastic laugh fills the boutique like the contents of her suitcase. Tricia and I have the challenge of putting together our biggest order of the season hoping that we don’t miss out on ‘the next big thing’ and I’m not referring to the H cups! I have already had a sneak preview in Paris and can reveal that the fantastic Prima Donna Deauville will be coming in raspberry for the autumn.

I am sure after an exhausting couple of hours, a few lattes and a lot of laughs we will have our order sorted. Then this weekend it’s time to put in the Simone Perele and Implicite then we are all set and we can get back to organising our party on the 10th February.

Party Time at Plums

What better way to cheer ourselves up than having a little party. The chill wind and ever impending rain with be shut out while we are inside sipping on champagne and treating our customers to a cheeky little 20% off all lingerie and nightwear. So see more details of the party you can check out the invitation here.


As well as our lovely party we've also managed to think of the joys of summer when the new Gottex swimwear arrived this week. Lots more colour was the request last year and that's what we've tried to do. However we couldn't resist the sophisticated Gottex Cosmic in black. My favourite is unsurprisingly the fantastic Gottex Paradise. I can just feel the hot sun on my face when I look at this collection. Can imagine not everyone would be a fan, maybe it's the swimwear equivalent of Marmite?

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