Back To Black

Back To Black..

When my pal and co-collaborator (or should that be co-conspirator), the immensely talented photographer and post-production genius, James Burton called me up to do a high end lingerie shoot, it was only natural that Fred & Ginger London was the first luxury lingerie brand to spring to mind.

Launched in 2007 by Victoria Holt, I had been sent their first look book when I was style and grooming editor at GT Magazine. Though I couldn't make their launch event, my brain carefully filed the brand away for future projects.

Victoria held the position of senior designer at Jenny Packham for five years (a vintage-inspired and ultra-glamorous red carpet staple), which explains her affection for the finest silk, satin, Chantilly lace and Swarovski crystal trims in her own lingerie collections for Fred & Ginger.

Oddly enough my friend the couture milliner Louis Mariette has designed hats for a Jenny Packham show, styled by our mutual friend, the London/Milan-based international stylist Michael Dye. It's a small world.

It was such a pleasure working with the Fred & Ginger Black Label lingerie on this shoot. The pieces feel absolutely exquisite to the touch, so incredibly soft, yet robustly and intelligently engineered. They say the devil is in the detail and the brand wins hands down on this front.

Our gorgeous model, Lisa @ MOT, was absolutely mad about the pieces she wore. She wanted to know how much they were and where she could purchase them, which is testament to their allure. The female studio manager was also under the spell of the Fred & Ginger London Black Label lingerie, lured to the styling table, like a sailor drawn to his peril by the siren's call.

I'm enamoured of the fact that the collections are manufactured in the UK, which is brilliant for boosting not only domestic employment but also the global presence of a new luxury British lingerie brand.

The French have always been synonymous with the most sumptuous, sensual lingerie, but with the rise of Fred & Ginger London, the people at Kiki de Montparnasse are going to have to watch their backs (and their profit and loss accounts).

Top and below are the final shoot images, peruse the shots at your leisure, dream of the lingerie, or Lisa, or both - and simply click on the shots to admire them in all their glory.

Black Label Balconette Bra - £110

Black Label Satin Boy Shorts - £65

Black Label Suspender Belt - £70

www.fredandginger.com

Photographer - James Burton

www.jamesburtonphotography.com

Model - Lisa at MOT

www.motmodel.com

Hair - Cinta Miller

www.cinta-london.com

Make-Up & Styling - Ian Brown

http://diaryofafashionmister.blogspot.com