The Journey Behind Best of Lingerie

The first piece of lingerie I ever chose for myself was a pink lace babydoll from Ann Summers. I was seventeen, with my best friend, on a programme that was supposed to make us more grown – and we had quietly decided that being more grown meant, among other things, buying our first real piece of lingerie.

We spent an afternoon trying on things we had no plan to buy – cosplay outfits, French maid sets, schoolgirl pieces, the costumes that are half lingerie and half theatre. We took photos in the fitting rooms, laughing at how serious we were trying to look. By the end of it we'd talked ourselves down from the louder pieces and each chose one thing we were brave enough to actually take home. Mine was the pink lace babydoll. Soft and serious at once.

I still have it.

I don't wear it anymore, of course; it's been packed away for years. But I know exactly which box it's in, and every now and then I take it out and look at it. Not for sentimentality alone. Because it was the first time I understood two things that have stayed with me ever since. That the right piece of lingerie can change how a woman feels about herself. And that this wasn't going to be a phase – it was going to be something I kept choosing, over and over.

I've come to believe that beautiful, seductive lingerie is one of life's quiet pleasures – and that far too many women miss out on it. Not because they don't want it. Most women, in my experience, want it more than they'll admit. They've stood in a shop fingering a piece of lace and put it back because they weren't sure they had the right to own it. They've looked at a beautiful set online and clicked away because they didn't know which size, which house, which fabric, which silhouette would actually suit them. They've wondered whether something more daring – the strappy bondage-inspired piece, the leather harness, the latex set, the cosplay outfit – was something they could pull off, and decided quietly that it wasn't for them. They've wanted to feel feminine and confident and seen – by themselves, by someone else, sometimes both – and didn't know where to start.

I've been all of those women, at different times. Most of us have. The shame is misplaced. The confusion is fixable. And the pleasure on the other side – of owning beautiful lingerie, of choosing it well, of wearing it and feeling something happen to your posture, your mood, the way you catch your own eye in the mirror – is one of the most underrated joys grown women have access to.

That's what this site is for.

It's for the woman who has always wanted a beautiful lace set but feels silly buying one just for herself. For the one who's curious about something more daring – a corset, a harness, a strappy bondage-inspired piece, a latex set – and isn't sure where to start or whether she could pull it off.

For the one buying her first cosplay outfit and wants help choosing something that's actually well-made instead of falling apart after one wear.

For the one shopping for her honeymoon, her anniversary, a date, or a night she just wants to feel like the most confident version of herself.

For the one whose drawer is full of beige t-shirt bras and suspects there's a more beautiful life waiting in it. For the one curious about silk and French lace and the great European houses, but tired of every introduction to that world being a sales pitch.

And it's for the seventeen-year-old in an Ann Summers fitting room, wherever she is – the one brave enough to want something beautiful and not quite sure yet what to do with the wanting. This site is for her, too.

If you've ever wanted something beautiful and a little daring, and weren't quite sure how to choose it – you're in the right place. I'm glad you found us.

– Best of Lingerie