GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAFY

When people think of Inverness, Scotland, they often think of the loch and the place where the fabled Loch Ness Monster resides. It is, however, also a beautiful, historic town of 65,000 and the Capital of the Highlands.

According to legend, in 1040, Macbeth built his stronghold in Inverness, and in 1158 King David of Scotland awarded Inverness its charter as a Royal Burgh. Robert the Bruce seized the first of the city's five castles from English forces in 1307, and in 1562, Mary Queen of Scots had the Governor of Inverness Castle hanged for refusing her entry to the Burgh. Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite troops were defeated in the famous Battle of Culloden, the last battle on British soil, in 1746. Soon after, Fort George, the finest 18th century fort in Europe, was established just outside the city. In 1822 the Caledonian Canal was completed by Thomas Telford, linking Inverness to the west coast of Scotland, and in 1921 Inverness Town House hosted a historic meeting of the British Cabinet, the only Cabinet meeting of the British Government ever held outside London.

We stopped for dinner and a glass of wine at a charming little place that used to be an old water mill, after strolling through town in the fresh highland air.

It's finally happened - we have E-cup bras in stock! We recently received our Huit Fall shipment which contained the "Panty Cherie" set shown here.
The collection is made from a Lycra jacquard voile with a tiny floral motif. The bras in this group are feminine with their ruffle lace detail, but they aren't so over-the-top that you can't wear a sweater over it. This group is a step above what we consider 'basics' with its sweet detaling and style, and the fact that it is reasonably priced for a fashion group.
At Faire Frou Frou we are stocking the Half-Cup Bra which is available in 32-38 C, D, E and the Half-Cup Push-Up Bra in 32-38 B, C, D. Both styles have underwire support and NO padding. We also selected the matching Thong and Boxer Shorts (shown) to go with the bras. These pieces really make a cute set...check them out on our online store now!

THIS IS FROM THE 9/24/07 POST on www.knickersblog.com:

This edition of Ask Knickers, we’re trying to help out a reader who has excellent taste. Here’s her question:

The Question

Hello,
I think you guys at the Knickers blog might be just the right resource for a hard-to-answer question I’ve got. I’ve had a very difficult time determining where I can get the bra worn by Dita Von Teese in this photo:

















On the other side of the pond, LA boutique Faire Frou Frou has some more colourful Dita-esque options. The sweet-as-pie plaid bra (pictured above, left) is from Betsey Johnson, and is available in limited sizes for just $49. For something a bit wilder, turn to the Italians and Parah - this zebra print (pictured above, right) is sexy, but the exaggerated lace trim adds a retro twist to the style. The Parah bra is $145 and only available in B.

I'm crazy about Kanako Sasaki's work, especially the first and third (pink dress) photographs. She has such a unique perspective and a great eye.

"Kanako was born in Japan and attended the Ithaca College and School of Visual Arts. Her striking images of obscured faces, lone figures and minimal landscapes are a contemporary take on the floating world of traditional Ukiyo-e paintings, where ordinary life becomes extraordinarily focused."

Kanako's work has be shown at the Hitotsubo-ten Gallery, Morta Politica Gallery, and Art Cocoon Gallery in Tokyo, and the Visual Arts Gallery in New York.

Venetian glass valences, a 19th-century English porter's chair flanked by a pair of 1950's chairs make this East Side townhouse ultra chic.



















Solid marble in shades of grey and green are carefully arranged into patterns to create old-world elegance in this guest bathroom.

{images: Retro Home, Taschen}

Always telling P. that it takes a special eye to take great photographs, and Jeans' (on flickr) super-talented eye creates some very stunning work.

We are so excited to be part of the Absolutely Beautiful Things blog this morning! Check out the post by clicking their logo or here.
Though this isn't a lingerie blog, ABT is a "daily inspiration journal" for interior design. On several occasions blog writer Anna had mentioned the antique/furniture store Bountiful, which is where we purchased most of our antiques at Faire Frou Frou. We wrote to Anna because we wanted to show how antiques & interior design worked its way into a lingerie store. Most of the furniture in our store such as the counter, tables, armoire, mirrors and storage cabinet were purchased at Bountiful, which is a Venice, CA paradise that was created by Sue Balmforth nearly 20 years ago. It really is the combination of the beautiful antiques and designer lingerie that make Faire Frou Frou a special destination. The rest of our furnishings were either custom-made or purchased during our travels to Europe.
ABT blog writer Anna owns an interior design boutique in Australia called Black & Spiro. She is a young woman who runs a successful business and her ABT blog is one of the TOP 10k blogs on the internet (out of 107 million blogs being tracked)! Make Absolutely Beautiful Things one of your favorites!
Just an FYI, almost all antiques on display at Faire Frou Frou are available for purchase...so feel free to contact us if you're interested! (info@fairefroufrou.com or tel: 818-783-4970).

I've been fortunate to have travelled to many amazing places around the world, but one place I would love to visit is South Africa, and when I finally make it to this exotic destination, I will stay at Makanyane Safari Lodge, which lies hidden in lush riverside forests and was designed by a team of award-winning architects to effortlessly blend the lodge with its surroundings.

Makanyane consists of a main building and only eight suites, which lie hidden in a forest overlooking the Marico River. Rich with African textures and walls of natural rock and dried tree trunks that merge with rough teak doors and contrast with overhanging thatches, the glass walls allow uninterrupted views of the river and surrounding bush.

Vote for Faire Frou Frou as the Best Lingerie Boutique in Los Angeles!

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Voting begins NOW and goes through November 23, 2007. This contest is supported by the FOX television network, and we are proud to say that we were nominated by either a kind fan or someone at FOX. Thank you to the kind person who nominated us!

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We recently received our Fall/Winter Fifi Chachnil shipment, and were pleased to see our long-awaited accessory; beautiful hand-crafted leather gloves! Though we posted about this piece a few months ago, we did not elaborate on what makes these gloves such a work of art. Fifi Chachnil, the queen of French lingerie, teamed up with Maison Lavabre Cadet, the world's foremost leather glove craftsmen. For over 60 years, Maison Lavabre Cadet has been covering the hands of the elite, based out of the French city of Millau which is known as the historic capital of leather gloves. They specialize in made-to-measure pieces that are handcut from precious skins, mink, ostrich, and crocodile.
At Faire Frou Frou, we are proud to represent a small part of the history of Lavabre Cadet, and simply love the scalloped edges, beautiful stitching and tiny pearl buttons on the gloves in our boutique. We have read that Maison Lavabre Cadet only partners with the most esteemed designers for their collaborations, so that says a lot about the talents and reputation of Fifi Chachnil!
We have included an extra press image (of Christina Aguilera) of Fifi Chachnil's lingerie so you get a sample of Fifi's design style/look.

The new Fall/Winter collection from Damaris truly does speak for itself (see all of these wonderful pictures), but for those of you unfamiliar with this line we're happy to elaborate! Damaris is an incredible line from the U.K. that has turned lingerie manufacturing into an art form. All of the Damaris collections are hand-made by the company's atelier of seamstresses based in London. Most of the bras and panties (or knickers) are constructed from a delicate silk chiffon, ranging from coral & peach to black & white. All of the bras have the signature Damaris fastening at the back with the classic gold ‘C’. You can also find the signature 'C' (also know as the horseshoe) fastening on most of the panties. Damaris specializes in the peep bottom knicker which comes either with or without a luscious silk bow tie. Also, some of her panties have the peep bottom with a corset tie-up effect. This truly is lingerie for a special occasion, and for making a lasting favorable impression!
On a personal note, we remember our first pair of Damaris bow-tie knickers that were purchased several years ago in NYC. Never before had we spent $200 (or anywhere near that) on a pair of panties, but they were well worth it! In fact, they are currently stored in a beautiful Damaris limited edition duck egg blue hatbox with the embossed logo and gross grain handles - like a museum piece! The Damaris brand has a special place in our heart because of its incredibly unique design and exquisite craftsmanship...it truly is as the Damaris trademark says: "sine qua non".
Coming up soon, a post on the new Mimi Holliday collection!

Beautiful, beautiful vases at Lalique, especially these green meadow and anise crystal vases, above, from the Bucolique collection.