The Desvalido Styles

Hello again, I am blogging again. 

Tonight I'm going to scribble a little something about DESIGN. My goal with Desvalido feels pretty simple, easy styles that make you feel amazing in your own skin. Nothing on trend, after all, what goes up must come down. What becomes cool must become uncool. I am terrified of both of those things. 

Let's start with The Classic French Knicker. They were almost bloomers, & when I tried them on for the first time in my fashion school storeroom, I hadn't put the elastic on the other leg yet. I asked one of my classmates which side they thought was better, they said "hmm without" ya know what? Who needs bloomers. French knickers it is! I was so impressed with my first finished pair of these babies that I literally started a business based on them & did not think for a second it wouldn't work! The Classic is everything. It's more a mid rise, wear them on your hipbones or pull them up to reveal as much cheek as you like. They don't go all the way to the waist but they're still so so versatile. The crotch length of the classic allows them to ride up when you're asleep without giving you a wedgie. Ruffle up top, elastic on the inside. Simple but perfect. I first fell in love with this style because it hid my hip dips, before I understood that my hip dips didn't need hiding.  

I messed around with a few other one-off collections but the patternmaking & grading work involved in completely new pieces is A LOT considering I was selling 0-2 pieces of each per collection. Maybe we'll try another French knicker style instead...

Introducing: The Tall French Knicker. I made this one out of jersey so it's nice & stretchy. Unlike the Classic, it has a gusset & elastic waistband instead of a ruffle. I always make the waistbands black because I'm obsessed with the contrast personally, aaand if you add a little black, you can add a lot more! Suddenly they go with your black stockings, black suspender belts, black bras, black gloves, you name it, it'll somehow work. They're super high waisted & cut like a circle skirt, so when you twirl, it's extra fun.

Next came The Cropped Cami. I wanted a top but I'd failed at bralettes too many times (so annoying). This one was the perfect match to the Tall frenchie. Black elastic around the armholes & neck, the shoulders are nice & wide so a bra can be worn underneath & be completely hidden. It's flared & loose fitting so when you shimmy sans bra, you just might reveal a little underboob. This set is very loungewear yet still very hot. Hotness for others isn't a priority but it is certainly a bonus. 

Quickly after, The Jersey Bralette. I still haven't worked out how to make this style in the desired size range so it comes & goes, even though for my 10C self it's so absurdly comfy. I also effing hate making them so they stay out of the store until I forget how difficult they are.

Finally: The Ruffle Bralette! A matching bralette to the Classic frenchie, easily the most requested thing I ever created & after years of testing, a style I was really happy with. It ruffles at the top like the Classic frenchie, & is double layered all round so it ended up being surprisingly supportive for a wireless bra. For the silk version I added covered straps & a silk bow, the extra details take annoyingly long but the end result is so beautiful, I never regret it. I worked out how to make it in so many different sizes, both ends of the spectrum. 8A to 18F, 10E to 22B. Every time I do a new custom size I panic for a few hours but it usually pays off, because I give a shit about the fit of my end product (I am always so afraid that they don't fit & still think about this one person in Canada who ordered 7 custom sized bralettes & never told me if they fit or not lol no news is good news or do they know I'll cry? Who cares, I cry all the time! You can tell me if I suck) (as long as you word it differently obviously, never straight up tell me I suck, I beg of you)

After that one, I went a little top-crazy & created The Ruffle Camisole. A silk top with ruffled straps, I added some cute little pleats where the ruffles attach so there's room for boobies. It flares out a little & is also annoying to make though finally after 6 years (!!!) I am less intimidated by it. I think it always starts off like that, I get scared of messing up & I don't feel like I've done it enough times for it to be perfect - the simple solution is to do it slower. If I have to stay back a little late to finish it off, so be it. If it isn't good enough, redo what needs redoing, then we're done.

I think the next thing I made was The Hera Robe. Cue the heart eyes. I loooove this robe! It has luscious circle sleeves & I couldn't decide which of three lengths was best so I let you pick. Mini, Mid, or FLOOR. She's dramatic but still so wearable. It takes a full day to sew a 100% silk Hera robe because of all the French seams. I use French seams in all my silks, it takes forever, it's like sewing it twice & cutting it twice. The results are so worth it, & it's a luxury feature that fast fashion brands will never ever give their customers. The only pieces of clothing I own with French seams are my Age of Intimacy lace skirt, my Woods The Label custom linen pants, & my Desvalido. 

It's time for The Scrunchie. I had so many offcuts, what if I could make scrunchies out of them? I can't tell you too many secrets about this, I'm not sure how I got them right but so many folks say I'm - sorry - my scrunchies are the best they've ever had. I do honestly put my soul into everything I make so maybe it's that? Imagine me selling you a tiny piece of my soul for $12? Anyway this is the most hilarious turn of events because I originally did it to use up my offcuts but when I made scrunchies out of offcuts they looked so scrawny & pathetic I just could not. I can use offcuts for The Mini Scrunchies & occasionally I get pieces big enough for bigger scrunchies. Regardless, I love the thought of wearing a silk scrunchie that matching my lingerie, it's a big sexy joke.

This is when I finally gave the people what they wanted: The High Waisted Classic French Knicker. She's a mouthful I'll tell ya that much. High Waisted Classic or High Waisted Frenchie for short. It's literally the Classic frenchie but high waisted. Almost... To make it work properly, I added fabric to the top of course, but I also had to bring the hem higher at the sides so it still reveals the Desvalido amount of thigh you've come to expect. The crotch length is shortened the tiniest bit also, since they already sit high, they aren't likely to ride up when you sleep in them. I wish it was as easy as adding 8cm to the top & calling it a day, when I did that they looked so ... wrong. The attention to detail I put into my core styles makes them worth keeping around for years instead of giving them 3 months in the spotlight then killing them off in order to release some other forgettable thing. 

Where was I... The Jersey Dress. It's the Cropped Cami but longer, like, way longer. Mid thigh, comfy, cosy, flarey, & generally a dream to wear. This is likely the most modest thing I've ever made, it hardly shows off any boob, however the potential for sexy is there once you cinch it in at the waist. The focus of the Jersey Dress is pretty much the fabric. Cover me in cherry red bamboo or a rainbow gingham print, I want all of it on me right now.

Now for something deliciously tiny, The Mini French Knicker. This one fills a few gaps, one of them being maternity since they sit under the belly so well. The other being the request for a frenchie that can be easily worn under clothes. This is probably the most undieish undie I'll ever release - I do have tested patterns for ruffle briefs but my complete hatred for elastic around my legs & butt cheeks means I don't care to keep them in the store. Back to the Mini frenchie, it has a ruffle at the top like the Classic, but is the only style with a gusset besides the Tall frenchie. The Classic & High Waisted Classic are more like really sexy shorts but the Mini frenchie is like actual underwear. It's also super hot & super assy/bummy/butty/cheeky, ah yes, the word again is cheeky.

The newest Desvalido addition, The Camisole. I do cut it the same at the Ruffle Cami but with different straps. This whole time I didn't have a poly satin or print cami option, though I made so many on request. The Camisole is flowy & absolutely perfect for tucking into High Waisted frenchies as a two piece bodysuit. A bodysuit that moves with you & will fit you perfectly instead of making you feel too tall, too short, or like your waist is in the wrong spot. Your waist is not in the wrong spot. You're perfect as you are.

And that's us! The whole family. Me, & my 12 beloved children. I intentionally design Desvalido styles to be here for a long while, meaning I get to invest time in making them better & the size range more diverse. I honestly think they're worth keeping around too. Every collection will be the same pieces you know & love, in a different colour or print. You know exactly how they'll fit, & most importantly, how they'll make you feel.

"Do I make you Desvalido baby?" -Austin Powers

"That is so Desvalido" -Gretchen Wieners

'Stop trying to make Desvalido happen, it's not going to happen" -Gretchen Wieners shitty friend who thinks frenchies = granny panties