La Magia

It has been a while since we have updated our blog, and whilst we don't like to make excuses, we have had a lot on our plates! At the end of August we welcomed our first child into the world, and 2 weeks later we moved home. At the beginning of October we moved the business as well to a new office in Northamptonshire closer to our new home. Well, they do say good things come in threes!

So, while Vicki is on maternity leave I'll be doing my best to keep you updated on news, as well as new products and ranges. We are now well into the Autumn season and have lots to tell you about over the next few weeks.

To begin in style we have a brand new range from Kiss Me Deadly. Back for this season it is Sirena, one of the most popular designs from this brand. This season sees a sumptuous platinum satin colourway, contrasted with black eyelash lace. The set is limited edition, so once it has sold it will not be repeated in this colour.

Featuring an unusual demi-cup bra, softly padded and overlaid with rouched lace for a luxurious look. The fully adjustable, wide satin straps sweep up from beneath each cup creating a seductive, retro style. The matching suspender belt has six narrow suspender straps with metal clips, and the briefs feature a semi-sheer panel at the front adorned with eye lash lace.

This is always a popular design for Christmas and we expect that it will sell out in popular sizes very quickly so do place your orders early to avoid missing out on this limited edition range.

Another new piece we have sneaked on over the past few weeks is the Van Doren boned suspender belt. It is a little narrower than most of our other suspender belts, sitting high on the waist. With the all-important six adjustable straps with metal clasps, it is the perfect mix-and-match item and will complement any lingerie wardrobe.

View our collection of Kiss Me Deadly lingerie

We have two brand new ranges from Kiss Me Deadly that are just perfect for the spring time. First we have Jolie, a beautiful peach satin set with stitch details reminiscent of the Dior and Gaultier catwalks, with a very elegant 1940's look. The set comprises longline bra, boned suspender belt and full brief.

We also have the Vargas Dress, refreshed in this limited edition colourway and offering all the support and functionality we have come to know from this design. This gorgeous peach gives it a much softer look, and is perfect for wearing underneath pale summer dresses.

Along with these two new limited edition styles (yes, once they have gone they won't be back!) we also have re-stocked our Van Doren six strap suspender belts in black, and the black Vargas dresses are replenished in all sizes.

This is a very exciting time of year for us, Spring is here and we have so much to look forward to! We need to make room for all the new Spring collections coming our way so with this in mind we have some fantastic special offers on Kiss Me Deadly lingerie while stocks last.

We've slashed prices of selected items by up to 25%, including the ravishing Van Mimi Basque, the showstopping Jezebel Longline Knicker and the L'Amour Waist Cincher and Corset Style Basque. These are just a few of the unmissable offers available and as stocks are limited we would urge everyone to act quickly!

View our collection of Kiss Me Deadly lingerie

Browse all our special offers

For the rest of March 2010 we are offering a 20% discount on all red corsets from Velda Lauder. So, we have the stunning Scarlet Glitter Underbust Corset reduced from £200 to £160, and the romantic Red Silk Underbust Corset down from £235 to £190.

And two offers you might have otherwise missed are the red colour options of the ever-popular Drill Cotton Waspie and the Black Satin Underbust Bow Corset with red satin trim. Just select the red options from the 'Colour' dropdown box and the discount will be applied.

So, if you've been coveting one of Velda's gorgeous creations this is a great time to give into temptation!

Browse our collection of Velda Lauder designs.

Today really feels like Spring; the sun is shining, it's a new month and we have some lovely new pieces from our favourite faux-vintage lingerie brand What Katie Did! This year they have shown us their softer side with a feminine rose pink underwear ensemble, glamorous loungewear and sheer corsetry.

We have Sarah - a classic lingerie set with bullet bra, high-waisted knicker, suspender belt and waspie. This pretty set has a romantic, summery feel with its floral lace overlay, and is very versatile too. The steel boned waspie waist cincher can be worn as outerwear and the bullet bra is almost too gorgeous not to show off!

Hollywood is a brand new foray into loungewear for What Katie Did. Made from sumptuous black satin with cream lace trim, each piece is based on vintage design and creates an elegant, demure look that we find irresistible!

As for corsetry, we have several new corset styles to introduce. For us, the Cabaret Sheer corsets steal the show! You'll recognise the shapes as familiar favourites; Morticia and Sophia. They have been reinvented with the use of sheer organza and satin, available in vintage peach or black. Tempest is a new classic overbust corset available in black satin, featuring shaped cups and flirtatious (yet practical!) satin ties at the hip and bust to ensure a perfect fit all over.

And if pin-up swimwear is your thing, head over to our sister site For Luna where you'll find brand new retro swimwear styles from What Katie Did.

Browse our collection of What Katie Did lingerie

Despite the inconvenience of Valentines Day falling on a Sunday this year, we are still able to deliver last minute gifts to you! We have plenty of delectable items in stock and available for immediate dispatch. Our live stock control system tells you what is in stock once you have selected size and colour options. There is more information about our stock control system here.

All in stock orders placed before 2pm on Friday 12th February will be dispatched in time for Valentines Day delivery. To be sure of a quick delivery we would advise all customers to choose the Next Day Delivery option when checking out. Orders dispatched by Special Delivery on Friday will be dispatched via Royal Mail's Saturday Guaranteed service, but please bear in mind that somebody will need to be at the delivery address to sign for the package.

All orders over £40 are beautifully gift-wrapped in our exclusive, handmade satin gift bags, and these just add to the romance of the occasion. And if you have any special requests just let us know, we're here to help you make this a Valentines Day to remember.

Browse our suggestions for Valentines day Gifts.

We have a very exciting competition running from today until midnight (GMT) 5th February 2010. It really is very simple, anybody who buys anything from our gorgeous range of Kiss Me Deadly will be automatically entered into a prize draw. The winner will be picked randomly on 8th February 2010 and will receive £100 worth of stunning Kiss Me Deadly lingerie and hosiery!

We'll email the lucky winner on Monday 8th February to arrange their prize with them. Good luck!

Just as the cold snap appears to be coming to an end (we hope!) we've got some beautiful new lingerie from Ayten Gasson that is bound to raise a few temperatures! This new collection for Spring/Summer 2010 includes several signature style pieces from Ayten, as well as some brand new designs.

As always the colours are rich and uniquely beautiful, and each piece is made from 100% silk with vintage cotton lace from Nottingham. Ayten Gasson is passionate about quality and attention to detail, and all her pieces are made in the UK with the most uncompromising attention to detail.

We have Tia, a dramatic and luxurious black silk range; Eva, a rich champagne silk ensemble; Isobel, a rose silk range; Florence, a pretty and feminine range available in two sublime colourways; and finally Grace, a re-release of Ayten's truly luxurious bridal range. Several of the ranges also offer adorable accessories to match, sleep masks and cuffs, and these make for great gifts.

Each Ayten Gasson collection is limited edition, only small numbers of each piece are made and once they have sold out they will never be available again. So if you love something it is very wise to secure your size early, to avoid disappointment!

View the entire Ayten Gasson Spring/Summer collection at La Magia

Happy new year! To start 2010 off in style, we have just launched our Winter Sale. There are so many exciting bargains! All of the items are very limited in numbers so they need snapping up quickly before they disappear for good.

There are too many pieces to mention, but highlights include lingerie from Ayten Gasson, Miss La La, Little Minx and Elegantly Scant. Prices have been slashed by up to 50% and the sale will continue until 31st January, so it is ideal for picking up an early Valentines gift.

Browse our Winter Sale now!

It isn't too late for all the last minute shoppers! We're busy dispatching orders to the UK in time for Christmas Day. Order before 2pm on Wednesday 23rd December and as long as you choose items that are in stock you can still have your order delivered before 3pm on Christmas Eve.

Our live stock control system tells you what is in stock once you have selected size and colour options. We have lots of lovely pieces available for immediate dispatch, and here are some of our recommendations for Christmas gifts. To secure your delivery you will need to choose our UK Special Delivery option when checking out. Also, don't forget we giftwrap all orders above £40 free of charge, so your gift will arrive ready to be placed beneath the tree!

The holiday season is well and truly upon us, and we are at our busiest at this time of year making sure everyone receives their parcels in time. While there's still plenty of time for last minute shoppers, we would urge you to place your orders as early as possible to save yourself (and us) from unnecessary worry about your gifts arriving in time!

We wouldn't want you to miss out on your favourite items, a lot of our gorgeous lingerie is limited edition and with stock moving as fast as it does at this time of year sizes do sell out very quickly. You will see this with our Ayten Gasson collection. Only selected pieces are available now, but if you've left it too late for Christmas you can take some comfort from the news that Ayten will be releasing some lovely new pieces mid-January just in time for Valentines Day! We have live stock control on the website so you can check the availability of each item.

Check our Delivery page for full details on your delivery options. Customers outside of the UK will now need to upgrade to Express delivery (so your goods are sent by courier) to secure a pre-Christmas delivery. UK customers can select our free standard (1st Class) delivery up until 18th December. After that only Royal Mail Special Delivery or Courier Deliveries will arrive in time for the big day. Remember also that all orders over £40 are gift-wrapped in our satin packaging, orders below £40 are wrapped in tissue paper.

Just in time for the holiday season we have news of some gorgeous new pieces from What Katie Did. The Striptease range of satin lingerie has been around for a little while, but it has been expanded with some beautiful new vintage colours and more lovely accessories.

The new colourway, Eau de Nil is a classic vintage aqua shade, pretty and flattering to all skin tones. The other options are classic black, vintage peach, rich claret and deep purple. With new accessories like pasties, garter and eyemask these are just perfect for gifting.

My favourite piece from the range is the frivolous and frilly Ballet Knickers with their soft froth of ruffles. Very cute and girlie, and a perfect stocking filler!

View our entire range of What Katie Did.

The Kiss Me Deadly Vargas Girdle Dress has just come back into stock having sold out earlier this year. It is one of the very few pieces of lingerie that we need a waiting list for, because it is just so popular.

Last year I wrote a guide for getting into your Vargas Dress, because there really is a knack to it. Over the past year I have found new tricks to make it even easier, so here is my (ever-so-slightly revised) guide to getting into (and out of!) your Vargas Dress:

1. Step into the dress and pull it up over your hips in one piece. By this I mean, let it bunch up and don't try and pull it up from the bra section, just hold it firmly in your hands and pull it upwards in one piece. A rolling motion may be easier.
2. It will be very tight the first time you do this, but don't worry it does give a little after the first wear. Crossing your legs and wiggling your bottom seems to help with the over-the-hip stage, so you may like to dress in private! I have my very own little Vargas Dance and I would not want anybody else to witness it!
3. Once the dress is over your hip in one piece, find the hook and eye fastening at the back of the bra section and fasten it.
4. Put your arms through the bra straps and position the bra.
5. Position the lower part of the dress (the girdle) by rolling it down, and attach the six suspender clasps to your stockings.
6. You should now feel supported, comfortable and most importantly of all - like a goddess!

Remember, the Vargas Dress is a control garment, so it is supposed to be tight-fitting yet comfortable. Getting out of it is simple too, always aim for a rolling action rather than pulling. Don't try to take it off over your head, you'll just end up with a ruined hairdo and possibly find yourself helplessly stuck with your arms in the air! Trust me, I speak from experience...

View the entire Kiss Me Deadly range at La Magia.

Here at La Magia we are never overly concerned with the latest 'trends' or what celebrities are wearing. We focus purely on style, we know what we like and we know what our customers come to us for. We don't really care what this season's must-wear colour may be. Occasionally, though, we find ourselves in the middle of mainstream fashion without trying to be! A perfect illustration is this beautiful image from Russian Vogue, featuring Claudia Schiffer wearing the classic What Katie Did Maitresse Bullet Bra.

It has been impossible to miss the latest interest in the conical bra making a comeback. From our perspective, we started selling these three years ago when we launched La Magia and they have always been extremely popular with our customers. Theatre productions use them for authenticity, stylists call them in for fashion shoots and they are a favourite amongst burlesque artists and pinup models. This week the Lulu Bullet Bra is on the front of Look magazine and has been featured in several Vogue isues over the last couple of years.

Yesterday, whilst in our stock room I happened to catch the tail end of a piece on Woman's Hour (BBC Radio 4) that featured Sarah Vine, journalist and Beauty Editor at The Times. It grabbed my attention because Sarah was describing the return of bullet bras as 'monstrous' and 'absurd' and it made me realise how divisive they are. People either love them or hate them. They are totally different to modern bras, you wouldn't want to wear one underneath a modern t-shirt but put it under a retro style dress or sweater and you'll see the bullet bra comes into its own.

I really like the retro look a bullet bra gives, and so I'm happy to see them in the press - but when this trend is replaced with a new one we'll still be here with our full selection of bullet bras because classic design never goes out of fashion.

Oh do we have some treats for you?! We have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of more winter offerings from Kiss Me Deadly, and they have arrived! So many gorgeous new pieces and also the re-stock of a couple of favourites, perfect timing for the party season!

You will notice these new pieces have a wonderfully exotic Arabian Nights theme, Kiss Me Deadly always make such an effort to present their products in an interesting and enticing way. First we have L'amour, a two-part range of steel boned shapewear. There is a stunning corset style basque with flexible cups and detachable shoulder straps, and a very versatile waist cincher- smooth enough to be worn beneath your clothes and stylish enough to be shown off.

On to Jezebel, another two-part line of mix and match knickers. You can wear both these knickers with other pieces from the Kiss Me Deadly range and they will look fantastic. The longline knicker really is something special with it's luxurious ribbon sash and opaque centre panel. The Cut Out brief is bound to be popular, it is the same shape as the original Kiss Me Deadly Pin-Up brief but with the added frisson of a frill and peephole detail to the rear. Well, you can't call a range Jezebel and not expect a bit of naughtiness can you?

And now a touch of familiarity with the return of Alouette, this time in a peach and black colourway. Featuring the amazing plunge bra that really boosts your cleavage, six strap suspender belt, waist cincher and shortie style brief.

Last, but definitely not least, we have a re-stock of the black Vargas Dress and six-strap Van Doren suspender belts in black. These sell out notoriously quickly and have their own waiting lists each season so if you have your eye on one of these we strongly recommend that you buy quickly.