Simply Gok Wan Lingerie Blog

Good old Gok has been working his socks off as usual – and spreading the good word for the Gok Wan lingerie range for Simply Yours too! God bless Gok.

Here are some snippets from Gok about the lingerie:

On the whole lingerie project:

“The [Simply Yours] guys approached me and asked me if I wanted to do a range, and initially I wasn’t sure. I thought about it – and the fact is, I’ve worked with all the other underwear brands for years and magic underwear is really, really ugly. You’re not going to pull in it.

“So what I decided I wanted to do is create a range of underwear that is really sexy but tucks you in, lifts you up and gives you the silhouette you want – magic underwear that does the trick but which also means that girls can still go home and have sex.

“I was involved in every single stage. Because I was putting my name to it, I wanted it to be perfect.”

“It’s taken a year to get off the ground and a lot of effort. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.”

Read the full article here.

 
On the importance of the right underwear

“It is the foundation of every single outfit you wear and if you bang on underwear that makes you feel unattractive, it doesn’t matter what goes on top. It might be a Christian Dior ball gown or a Chanel jacket, you are still going to feel unattractive.

“My ethos for dressing people is that they have got to feel good about themselves.

“It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, you have got to feel confident and that starts with the underwear.”

 
On the problem with some magic underwear

“I don’t know how many women have said to me over the years that they love wearing magic pants, but they can never let anyone see them with them on.”

“Over the years, I have used so many different brands of magic underwear and they all seem to have faults.

“The biggest of which is the fact that they are generally really, really unflattering. So I decided that I wanted to design control underwear which was sexy and vintage in style.”

“I wanted to design something that would still give women the confidence they get from control underwear, but in which they would still feel attractive.”

 
On the big size range of the lingerie:

“I wanted my underwear to cater for as broad a market as possible, so we make from a size eight right up to size 20 and beyond.

“I know there is not much available for larger girls when it comes to underwear. Both my sister and my mum are larger and often ask me to get them underwear but I just can’t because there is so little available.

“I also know there are slimmer girls who want to use underwear like this as well.”

 
On the importance of the lingerie project for Gok:

“I have been so nervous about how my underwear will be received.

“It is such a personal thing and I really want it to work. But, at the same time, I don’t want to be seen as one of those TV idiots who pushes themselves on people or just adds their name to something without knowing anything about it.

“I also didn’t want people to feel betrayed by the How To Look Good Naked brand either, because I love the show and I know how much it means to the people who watch it.

“So I was involved in every aspect of creating this underwear, so much so that I think I freaked Simply Yours out a bit. I know just how much effort it took to find fabric that works with the body in a way that it won’t ride up or dig in to give women the unsightly lumps and bulges that they can get with other magic underwear.

“I also know that material allows the skin to breathe, that there is so much Lycra in it, it will never lose its shape.”

Read the full article here.

Bra news roundup

There’s been all kinds of bra stories in the news this month so I thought I’d do a little August bra news roundup!

Bullet-proof bra for the German police force

Not the whole German police force of course – just the female police officers. Apparently ordinary underwired bras can be dangerous to wear in the line of fire, even when worn with a bullet-proof vest:

“The impact of a bullet can push the metal and plastic bits of the bra into an officer’s body, causing serious injury” according to Carmen Kibat, the pioneering woman who identified the problem and did something about it.

The new bras, which resemble a sports bra, are optional for the women police officers; though I think its pretty cool the way they say ‘Police’ all the way round them! And, more importantly, if the bras help save more women from injury then it’s a very good thing.

It doesn’t say what size the bras are available up to so I don’t know whether the more buxom Bundespolizei will be able to find a bra in her size.

Our Gok Wan bra is available up to a G cup of course. Though it is underwired, so we’d recommend it more for a night out on the town than a night fighting crime.

Full bullet-proof bra story here.

 
Stella McCartney furious over one of her bras used in fur campaign

Okay so I may have just relayed the entire story in the header there but let me elaborate a tad. It seems a stylist for a London fur company inadvertently chose a bra from the animal rights advocate’s lingerie range to feature in an advert for a full-length mink coat. As you can imagine, hardcore vegetarian and designer of vegan clothing range Ms McCartney was not best pleased to spot it being used thusly on a full page ad in September’s vogue! The fur company has made a full apology though and are pulling the ad.

Full Stella McCartney bra story here.

 
Vacuum suction bra that makes your boobs grow!

This one sounds pretty disturbing to me. An American surgeon has invented this bra called a Brava. Basically it’s a large pair of plastic domes held in place with a sports bra that induce a gentle vacuum pressure on your boobs and it based around the principle of ‘tension induced tissue growth’ to encourage your bust to increase by up to one cup size.

Apparently it looks kind of freaky (as you would expect) and in order to achieve this growth you have to wear it for 10 hours a day, every day, for about 10 weeks! And it costs nearly £2000!

Where to start? It costs a fortune and you’d have to give up your life for 2 1/2 months (pretty sure you’d get some very funny looks wearing it round the office). Although the makers claim there is no cancer risk apparently it can give you rashes and lesions and it’s pretty disruptive to wear it at night. It’s being billed as a non-surgical alternative to breast implants, but really, you’d have to be pretty desperate for bigger boobs to go though all of that.

I’m reckon I know what Gok’s advice would be. You don’t need surgery – and you definitely don’t need to dedicate your life to wearing a bizarre bra contraption. Having bigger boobs is defintely nto the be all and end all - get some perspective! But if you do want a little lift, the right lingerie is all you need! A good bra can make your boobs look bigger and better shaped instantaneously and painlessly. The Gok Wan bodyshaper, underwired slip, bra and basque all come with removable cookies so you can have more padding if you want it, and of course, they look sexy too. Just think how much gorgeous lingerie you could buy for £2000! I know what I’d rather spend my money on…

Full Brava bra story here.

This season, lingerie is all about vivid and vivacious shades. At Simply Yours we agree with Gok Wan: you shouldn’t be ashamed to be seen in your undies. You should show them off –your body is beautiful. And when it comes to showing off, the bolder and brighter the better! That’s why Gok chose the gorgeous ‘Passion’ purple colour to launch his lingerie range, and why he opted for hot Gok pink for all the lovely linings, lacings and logos. Luscious!

Over at Simply Yours the Gok Wan underwear range is definitely the star of the show, but we’re very excited about our new season lingerie collection too – especially the colours. With bras in juicy berry shades of deep pink, red, purple and blue, it’s enough to get your mouth watering just thinking about it! It’s nice to wear a brightly coloured bra; it does cheer you up in the morning and if you wear a lot of black (like me) you can get away with any colour at all! A pretty coloured bra strap on show looks sexy; Gok’s definitely all for it as he recommended showing off your bra straps on How to Look Good Naked.

The worst colour for a bra has got to be that washed-too-many-times-white-gone-grey colour – ugh! If your bras have turned this unsexiest of shades then it’s time you treated yourself to some new ones. Fresh white, classic black or fruity pink – whatever you fancy it’ll be a big improvement!

Here’s a few bright and beautiful bras from the new Simply Yours range:

Well it’s been nearly 2 weeks since I started this blog and I have to say it’s been looking a little text heavy, so I thought I’d brighten it up with some shots of Gok’s lingerie range (once someone showed me how!) I’m sure the layout can be improved upon but hey - it’s a start! I’m sure I can dig out some photos from the lingerie launch party so I’ll add some of those when when I get my hands on them.

Make sure you check back to the Simply Yours website on Tuesday as the new lingerie range goes live on Tuesday. There are some really beautiful bras in there and some sexy lingerie styles too. If you can’t wait that long then here’s a little sneaky peak…

You may have heard about the recent kafuffle caused by Marks and Spencer’s’ bra pricing policy, as protested against by the fabulously named Facebook group ‘Busts 4 Justice’. Rightly or wrongly, M&S began charging women more for some bras in bigger sizes.
Admittedly, there is an extra level of craftsmanship involved in making bigger bras, and that’s something we know all about at Simply Yours. When you’re making a bra that goes up to a JJ cup, K cup or L cup, as we do, you’ve got to make sure that the bra is still supportive enough – and still completely comfortable too. This can mean extra panels of reinforcing fabrics, more sections to the cups, stronger underwiring and sometimes wider bra straps too. So at Simply Yours we have a team of experts dedicated to making sure every beautiful bra still gives a great shape in bigger sizes.

What we don’t do is charge you more for bigger bras. When you’ve got big boobs it can be hard enough just to find a bra that’s actually in your bra size – until you discover Simply Yours of course. So once you do find that bra, we don’t think it’s right to charge you more for it, and the same goes for Gok Wan’s lingerie range for Simply Yours, available up to size 32 and bra size 42G.

There are so many different statistics bandied about regarding what percentage of women are wearing the wrong sized bra. One thing’s for sure - a lot of people have got it wrong. Having worked at Simply Yours for a while I’ve picked up a thing or two about bras… and now when I spot someone wearing a badly fitting bra it stands out a mile; bra straps up between the shoulder blades, the dreaded ‘double boob’ effect or simply a bust that’s not quite as perky as it could be!

All these bra problems are so easily fixed – the most common mistake is to wear a bra back size too big and a bra cup size or two too small but if you’re not sure, take a look at the Simply Yours bra fitting guide. There’s 3 different videos showing you how to find your correct bra size, how to spot when your bra doesn’t fot, and a guide to different bra styles.

Different styles and shapes of bras can fit you differently – no matter how much measuring you do. It can be a good idea just to try on a few until you find your perfect fit. What’s great about Simply Yours is that you can try on your bras in your own home on under various outfits – very important!

Corsets have always been in style – ever since fashion began! It’s easy to see why – there’s nothing quite like a corset for flaunting feminine curves. I think Gok Wan’s two corsets are my favourites from his shapewear lingerie collection because you can wear them in so many different ways - and I love that gorgeous satin fabric.

Gok Wan’s overbust corset can be worn under your clothes to hold you in and support your bust but quite frankly, it’s way too good to keep covered! You could wear it for a ball or prom with a full-length skirt. I always find it’s easier to wear separates for those kinds of things anyway –it means you can get more wear out of them and it’s easier to get the fit right. Or team the corset with your best jeans for a night on the town. You could even wear it under a tuxedo style suit with some killer heels – very sexy! And the purple and black colourways make it perfect for a Christmas party.

Gok Wan overbust corset - the Sex Kitten corset

Likewise the underbust corset makes very sexy underwear but looks amazing as outerwear too. You could wear it over a shirt or simple close-fitting top for a dramatic look that also makes your waist look teeny! If only all outfits did that…

Gok Wan underbust corset - the Mini Sex Kitten Corset

Some of my favourite things about Gok Wan’s shapewear lingerie (apart from how gorgeous it looks and how well it works) are the amazing names. Boobylicious Basque, Super Slicker Knicker, Curve Controller – love it! And where did these incredible names come from? Well, my man Gok Wan of course! We did have to rein him in a little bit now and then (he does have a tendency to get carried away at times). For example, we just had to draw the line when he wanted to call the bra a ‘Banger Hammock’. I mean come on - Banger Hammock? In the end we settled on Banger Booster instead, a great compromise in my mind – that bra really does boost your boobs!

Read all those wonderful lingerie names for yourself at www.simplygokwan.co.uk (If you watch the video for the Banger Booster Gok really does call it a Banger Hammock!)

The Gok Wan ‘Curve Controller’ bodyshaper, ‘Banger Booster’ bra and ‘Super Slicker Knicker’ pants!

Everything has had to be kept top-secret about Gok Wan’s underwear collection until now - and I’ve been dying to tell everyone all about the glittering launch party I managed to get myself invited to - so I think it’s time I spilled the beans! I’d like to say that I go to that kind of thing all the time and play it cool but really I was uber-excited – and deciding what to wear was a total nightmare! Anyway, enough about me, let’s get down to the juicy details…

The event was held in an exclusive underground location in London we were greeted by a champagne reception. As we came down the steps we saw the club had been festooned with feathers and jewels and the first things we saw were funky mannequins modelling the gorgeous lingerie. Journalists and media-types were already milling around in the champagne bar, which had been decorated with fabulous blown-up shots of our model in the underwear. There was definitely a sense of anticipation in the air as everyone wondered: ‘When would Gok Wan get here?’ Meanwhile I sipped on my champers and tried to look like I did this sort of thing every day of the week.

As the champagne bar filled up we were led through to a decadent black ballroom with the biggest bunch of red roses on the bar I have ever seen. (Sadly they weren’t a gift for me from Gok but you can’t have everything!) The bar was lined up with delicious looking cocktails, and, well, it would have been rude not to partake wouldn’t it? Still no sign of Gok.

I got chatting to a couple of fabulous drag queens who were a total riot. And then, before anyone knew what was going on, Gok was there and he was on the stage! Microphone in hand, he naturally extolled the virtues of the underwear: ‘It is great. It does work. Which means you can all go out and eat more kebabs and drink more beer!’ Typical Gok! J Then the party really got started. The music was pumping, the cocktails and the conversation were flowing and the entertainment was definitely entertaining! In the next room, glamorous powder puff girls in sexy pink retro outfits and pill-box hats were offering manicures and make-up touch ups, the drag queens were working it and then… the burlesque dancer came on.

I was a little unsure what to expect from a burlesque dancer but it wasn’t at all seedy, although admittedly the men did take quite an interest. With immaculately coiffed forties style hair and fabulous feather fans, ‘Marianne Cheesecake’ performed a classic burlesque striptease, graceful to the very end of her glittery little nipple tassels!

As the night went on I have to confess things got a little blurry. There were definitely lots more cocktails, lots more dancing and a brilliant balloon bursting routine from Ms Cheesecake. Gok even climbed into the DJ booth for a spot of MC’ing. (I think that’s what you call ‘Gokking the mic’?) One thing I do remember quite clearly though was receiving a big smooch on the cheek from Gok Wan himself at the end of the night. Well, what girl could possibly forget that?

It’s finally here! It’s been a long time coming but Gok Wan’s incredible shapewear lingerie range has finally gone live at www.simplygokwan.co.uk and www.simplyyours.co.uk.

We’ve been so excited at Simply Yours about the lingerie collaboration with Gok, and, I think it’s fair to say, more than a little bit stressed along the way but it’s all been worth it. The underwear looks amazing and is set to go down a storm.

We were so thrilled that Gok chose us for his first ever lingerie range. It’s a pretty unique collection – shapewear that not only gives you a great figure but also looks sexy too. I mean, it’s all very well wearing your magic Bridget Jones knickers but when it comes to whipping your clothes off most men would run a mile at the sight of them! (Fortunately for Ms Jones her Hugh Grant was more open-minded than most.) Gok Wan’s lingerie is shapewear you’re not ashamed to be seen in. Proud, in fact. And at Simply Yours, we’re pretty proud to have been a part of it.

See the Gok Wan sexy shapewear range for Simply Yours at www.simplygokwan.co.uk 

Orders will be despatched from the end of August.