Course Review - De Montfort Univserity contour short courses

So I got back from these courses a few weeks a go and should have done this sooner as promised... better late than never right? I took two courses: the Advanced Bra Making and the Bra Pattern Cutting, Grading and Sewing.

The Advanced Bra Making was only a two day course but it was very hands on and the group size was small - 6 students and 2 tutors. We made two bras which used different techniques and a range of DMU's impressive industrial machines. One was a fairly simple balcony bra without padding and the second was a padded Wonderbra style plunge with removable padded fillets. All in the obligatory lovely white fabrics that you wouldn't be seen dead in!

The Bra Pattern Cutting, Grading and Sewing course was also great. Again the group size was small - 5 of us and one tutor. This course was much more theoretical. We spent three days mastering the ideas of bra pattern cutting for various styles in a standard size and learned techniques to change the style or shape of the bra. I found out to my cost that one tiny error can put out the measurments of a whole pattern entirely! At least there was a tutor on hand to help me out. On the fourth day we drafted our own pattern for a bra (based on a certain wire and a 3-piece cup) and then spent the afternoon actually making it. This might not seem like a big thing but it is an amazing feeling knowing you have made a whole bra yourself from scratch... again in lovely white synthetic fabrics. We spent the final day learning how to grade a bra pattern - which is surprisingly easy when you know how! Overall a tiring but fun and informative week!

Being at the university in general was very impressive. The staff were great, the machine room was very impressive, the other  students on the course were all very interesting and diverse and there was so much amazing underwear everywhere. I have to say I very nearly decided to take the contour degree at the end of it!

Overall I would say that I'm definitely glad I took these courses, but it was a hell of a lot of money to pay out for 7 days tuition. If you are serious about going into this industry then you would be stupid not to - especially the pattern cutting and grading aspects. If you are not and have a few thousand pounds lying around then maybe but I am glad I did it, despite owning my parents money for the foreseeable future.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Perfect pants!

I was thrilled the other day to find that Frantic About Frances has somehow found a way to link my three favourite things - lingerie, pin ups and afternoon tea. I does NOT get better than this...

Ellen Von Unwerth

Feeling the pressure after a long week as I'm sure everybody is. Here's some lovely Von Unwerth images to perk us up... enjoy!

Most Wanted: Agent Provocateur

My current object of desire is this beautiful set but agent Provocateur. It's both classic and sexy, but has the right amount fashion-forward assertiveness. This set would be perfect for any occasion and will NEVER disappoint. You can find the bra, suspenders, thong and brief at Agent Provocateur's website.

What Katie Did: Jubilee Lingerie

What Katie Did is releasing a jubilee collection over the coming months to honour the Queen's diamond jubilee. The set - comprising a bra, suspender belt and 2 styles of knickers - will be released in a different colour each month.

The range will sell in red throughout May, white from 1st June and Navy blue from 1st July. I might just have to get the red set! Click here to see the range for yourself.

Photography: Elisabeth Frang

I love these images by Elisabeth Frang. They make great use of texture and sensuality in a limited colour palette - just the ticket! Also some great use of lingerie in the everyday wardrobe.

How to Digest an Image

Gaby over at Hopeless Lingerie wrote a very interesting blog post about art history in reaction to our fickle viewing of images with no real thought to the meanings and historical contexts behind them. Much as this hasn't crossed my mind hugely since I graduated from university, it is a really good point and much of the literature about visual culture – especially in blogs – does not help this 'fast-food' type culture. My background is in criminology so this will look a little different to Gaby's thoughts on the matter...

So, like her, I feel it is important to think a bit more in depth about how we look at visual stimuli. In the modern age, we are bombarded with so much information that it is beyond our capacity to take it all in. My undergraduate dissertation was actually on a topic very close to this one so it is hugely interesting to me. Even with information so shocking as that of serial murder or kidnap, we are able to let it pass through our minds and remain relatively unphased. This kind of denial is a basic tool applied by all of us in some measure to neutralise the kind of information imparted to us on a daily basis so that we can continue with our day-to-day lives relatively free of paranoia or trauma.

Part of me thinks this is a little to serious for a blog post, whilst part of me strongly disagrees and feels that without the intellectualisation of daily life, we would continue into oblivion, unaware of the reasons behind our actions. Maybe I should stop over-thinking things and lighten up? Anyhow, there's a thought for the day...