OH YES CELESTE! (not just capitalized out of my excitement for the brand!) is one of the brands whose relaunch I have probably waited the longest for now. I first discovered this wonderful brand in early 2016 from The Lingerie Addict's wish-list post for their black celestial kaftan (which is on my wish-list too!) and I was absolutely smitten. I had never seen such an exquisite piece of loungewear with such intricate beading and detailing. I have to say, I can't get enough of a good celestial print, or even anything with stars, they tend to be reminiscent of 1920s deco.
Ever since I saw that stunning gown, I couldn't wait to see what else OH YES CELESTE! had to offer. The brand was in the process of rebranding from their original CELESTE, which only offered loungewear, and were changing the brand to not only sell gorgeous luxury loungewear, but also jewellery, shoes, makeup, and more! It's almost like a retro luxury lifestyle brand.
The gorgeous kaftan that made my heart skip a beat!
The brand first launched in 2014 by Rose Poulsen, who already had an extensive lingerie career at the time. Poulsen worked for several lingerie companies, including one of my now-defunct favourites, Carol Malony. But she wanted to start her own brand because of the difficulty of finding beautiful 1920s and 30s lingerie and loungewear pieces, and because of the very few options for luxury loungewear. Poulsen wanted to create pieces that would evoke old Hollywood glamour that just weren't being made.
Later on, renowned model and lingerie blogger, Tiah Eckhardt joined Poulsen and then they started reworking the brand. Eckhardt has been modelling in Australia since she was 14 and began modelling internationally at 18. She's appeared in magazines like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Playboy, GQ, Marie Claire, and has appeared in campaigns for Agent Provocateur and Honey Birdette. She brings her unique dreamy aesthetic to the brand and creates content and ideas that connect well with customers.
After a year and a half of my waiting, the brand finally relaunched on July 1st, 2017 and it was everything I waited for and more. I went into it knowing that I wouldn't be able to afford anything; I'm a 22-year-old almost graduate student who works in retail. But I love luxury goods and retro-beauty more than anything so I knew the visual feast would be worth it.
The Harlow Long Gown and the Stellar Plumes Capelette
When the shop was launched, there weren't a huge amount of products available yet. The OH YES CELESTE! Instagram teased a great deal of items that still aren't available yet, but I assume that they're still in the process of making runs of these items. But it has been fun seeing what's been on the way!
One of my first impressions of the shop is the prices. I knew that the prices were going to be high and I long assumed that the beloved celestial kaftan would be at least $2000usd. It's made of silk and heavily beaded by hand, how could it not be in the thousands? Brands like Agent Provocateur sell gowns that are less detailed for far more. But to my great surprise, the kaftan, like everything else is far less than I expected. The kaftan is $899usd (approx. $1140cad) and is one of the pricier items, aside from the incredible Stellar Plumes Capelette. Everything else is in the hundreds, which is still pricy for most, but relatively inexpensive given the materials used, the fact that it's an indie brand that isn't mass-producing, and that the quality is likely quite high.
Another impression the products gave me was how authentic to the period they look. The Harlow Long Gown really does look like something Jean Harlow would wear on the red carpet or in one of her films in the early 1930s. One of the company's main goals with their loungewear is not only making beautiful pieces like those of another era, but also to create pieces that are also supportive and comfortable for the wearer. The gowns are sewn so that they provide some breast support so that bras aren't totally necessary. This is nice because most people don't want to wear bras while they're at home but don't want to feel totally unsupported. However, I think it would be a shame if these pieces were only worn at home. They deserve to be seen and could be worn to formal events, that's how beautiful they are.
As I mentioned in my post about Foo Foo Slippers, I can't get enough of boudoir slippers, and the fluffier, the better! OH YES CELESTE! just launched these gorgeous spring-o-lators in collaboration with Long Gone Shoes, a Spanish vintage shoe reproduction company. While boudoir slippers go much farther back than the 50s, it was in the 50s that the spring-o-lator was introduced and allowed the wearer to wear heels without any sort of strap or backing to support the foot. These shoes are made of suede and leather with a removable marabou pom-pom and are sturdy enough to be worn outside the bedroom!
The Theodora earrings
One more thing I love about the brand is that they make equally stunning jewellery to go with their designs. Everything is just so beautiful and unique, but my favourite pieces have to be the Theodora earrings, that are just so glamorous. They go for $214usd (approx. $270cad) and seem more than worth it considering how expensive it must be to develop those intricate shapes! I also adore the Czarina tiara which is fit for a boudoir princess.
What do you think of OH YES CELESTE? Let me know in the comments!