handmade lingerie

SADA by Sarah is a relatively new brand to come to my attention, but that I hope to see featured a lot more in the years to come. Designer Sarah Dawson creates her signature pieces in Brooklyn, New York, after realising her passion for designing intimate apparel while studying the city’s Fashion Institute of Technology.

Have you ever been so excited to receive a parcel that instead of tearing into it the moment it arrived, you actually waited a day or two, because you wanted to savour the anticipation of knowing you were about to unwrap something truly special? That’s how I felt when my Love & Swans package arrived.

I’ve been following Primrose & Pixie for years now, ever since I first discovered this “lingerie and sleepwear for modern daydreamers”. The designer behind the brand, Sarah Richards, creates beautiful, unapologetically-girly lingerie inspired by nature, fairy tales, magic and Gothic styling.

My favourite new lockdown habit has been dress up nights… It’s a new tradition that I hope to continue long after it’s deemed safe to regularly leave our homes again, and one that has given me a wholly new appreciation for Knickerocker’s over-the-top designs.

Looking at Helen Valk Varavin’s designs is like peering into a lush fairytale. There is definitely something magical about these luxe underthings, which are often named after famous mythological women and are designed “with modern goddesses in mind”.

My absolute favourite thing about Instagram is how often I discover new lingerie brands over there, and Love & Swans is one such treasure that made its way onto my feed shortly after its February launch. I was instantly besotted with their beaded embroideries.

The second I stumbled across Dorshelle Guillaume, I fell in love. The designs are simply breathtaking, every single one of them an ornate and unique showstopper. There’s a level of decadence and attention to detail here that is rare even amongst luxury lingerie brands, from lusciously-embellished fabrics to beaded fringing.

While I love Lydia’s design aesthetic, the main reason I enjoy her social media is her commitment to inclusivity when it comes to those she creates for. Every piece of lingerie is made to your own measurements, which you provide during the ordering process.

I first heard of Queen of Suburbia back in 2016, when the brand was just getting started. The designer behind the brand, Megan, was a lingerie blogger for a few years before she decided to start making her own lingerie, which she now sells through her website and Etsy store.

As September winds down, I can’t help but feel sad that summer is basically over, and with it those seaside days that make the season so special. Then I realised: why let the beachy vibes fade with summer?