As I've mentioned a few times, UK full-bust label, Harlow & Fox, is doing some of the best work in the luxury full bust market on the lingerie scene today. Their designs are not only decadent and luxurious, but fit wonderfully and not only look like special-occasion lingerie, but function like everyday pieces. These are some really comfortable and supportive pieces.
It seems like that the brand's designs just keep getting better and better with every season. I was totally blown out of the water with the ivory and rose Serena sets the gorgeous lilac colourway for the spring 17 version of the brand's classic Eleanor collection, and the Vivienne loungewear set when they came out and couldn't imagine how these designs could be beat. But once again, Harlow & Fox as stepped it up and introduced some killer sets for their fall collection.
The only brand-new range this season is Demetria, a gorgeous take on traditional black lingerie that uses detailed embroidery instead of lace to create an interesting abstract floral pattern that isn't overly feminine. It's actually a bit gothic in my opinion, and reminds me of romantic gothic fiction of the 19th century. If modern-day lingerie existed back then, I think women of that genre would wear this set.
The embroidery on this set is absolutely incredible. It's so beautiful and the intricate detailed sewing makes the florals and leaves on the fabric come to life. It's nice to see a darker floral, especially for the fall. As much as I love pink and pretty things, not everyone does and this is a nice option for them. It's also different to see florals in the fall, they're usually reserved for spring (as mentioned in that iconic scene of The Devil Wears Prada) and take a back seat in the colder months. Harlow & Fox does a dark twist on the print, which I absolutely love.
As much as I love this set, I have to say that my favourite thing about it is the matching sheer half-slip that's part of this collection. It's so gorgeous and adds such an interesting touch to the look of Demetria as a whole. No one really makes half-slips anymore, which is a shame because they can come in handy. I usually only find half-slips when I go vintage shopping. I love the retro throwback of a half-slip and especially how decadent the Demetria slip is. It's functional but still luxe with a silk band around the high-waist and the embroidery at the bottom, and it's sheer to show off the fabulous lingerie underneath! This whole set is just perfect.
The damson colourway of Eleanor was the first peak I saw of the FW17 collection and I lost my mind. I absolutely adore this colour!! It's such a rich bordeaux, which happens to be one of my favourite colours, and it looks so fantastic with the black lace. Eleanor has been part of the Harlow & Fox collection since day one and it just seems to be getting better and better. Sometimes brands change colourways of their core pieces from season to season and it doesn't really excite me, but that's not the case with Eleanor. Every colour they do in this set is gorgeous and always seems fresh and new. The lilac set made me swoon last season and the damson shade this season made my heart stop. I think this may be in my top three of my favourite shades of Eleanor including the lilac and the indigo set I own.
Eleanor is the most extensive collection Harlow & Fox has to offer with a matching robe, half-slip, and tap-pant that comes with every new colourway. Even harder to find than half-slips are tap pants, they pretty much disappeared from lingerie after the 30s (with some exceptions), but I think they're beautiful and oh-so comfortable to lounge in on a hot day. I love how Harlow & Fox stays true to the period of retro tap pants by using buttons as fastenings. It's such a lovely little detail that looks so pretty. The signature Eleanor lace also looks so beautiful on these, and with the black lace in general. I just love this colour!
Lastly, Harlow & Fox is offering a violet colourway of their Serena range, and like everything else in this collection, it's gorgeous. While the white embroidery is airy and dreamy, the dark violet stitching on the Italian tulle makes it dark and moody and allows the Serena range to fit in well with the rest of the fall collection. The darker shade also makes the pattern on the tulle more distinct. Serena was first introduced last season and I thought it would be a standalone collection, so I'm excited to see that Harlow & Fox has introduced it in another colourway. I hope they introduce more colours in the future because this set is so dynamic that I think it would look different and beautiful in all sorts of shades.
Serena violet comes with the deep suspender that drew me to the set last season in the new colourway, and it also comes with a kimono and an eyemask (worn as a collar above). The kimono is so gorgeously decadent with all that beautiful lace, and is perfect to wear this time of year when it's still warm outside and you don't need something to keep you too warm. It adds an interesting gothic element to the look of this set, especially with the eye-mask worn as a collar. I never would have thought of that and it looks so cool!
I always like Harlow & Fox's lookbooks, but this has to be one of my favourites. The set is so perfect and compliments the lingerie perfectly! It's also nice to see a woman of colour modelling lingerie with her natural hair. Lingerie is such a white field and we so often only see white women modelling lingerie and on the off-chance a WOC models for a company, more often than not she doesn't wear natural hair. So kudos to Harlow & Fox for the diversity in their campaign this season, I hope to see more of it and to see more from other brands.
What do you think of this collection? Let me know in the comments!