Blue EnChantment

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm beginning to turn into a Chantelle advertisement. It's not my fault, though. It was never my intention to profile this particular brand three times in the matter of two weeks. Sure, I feel strongly about how good of a brand it is, and I'm often quite partial to their styles, fabrics, and colors of choice, but there are plenty of great designers coming up with some fabulous things right now. But then, of course, there's the price. Strictly looking at their designs, their use of lace, the high end retailers that carry their product, I'd assume I was looking at La Perla prices.

That's the thing. You can buy a bra and panty set for less than most of the panties that La Perla carries. I almost want to think of this brand as a poor man's (woman's?) La Perla, but I don't think that does Chantelle enough justice. Their styles and quality stands up every bit to what La Perla has to offer. They don't have to imitate anyone. In fact, I could just shut up and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Of course...I didn't start a blog so I could shut up, so I'll go on. My obsession du jour is Rive Gauche collection. It includes two kinds of bras (demi and t-shirt) as well as three kinds of panties (shorty, tanga, and bikini). They're all gorgeous pieces, but pictured here, is the demi and bikini. I like the demi because it's lace detail is stunning and I like the bikini because, to me, it's a perfect blend of nylon and lace.

The whole collection is made in France from various blends of nylon, spandex, and (sometimes) cotton. All pieces within the set will run you from $30-$80, which isn't bad considering what quality bras can often cost. The set pictured here would cost you $118 total ($80 for the bra and $38 for the bikini), not bad when I consider the fact that I once paid more for a single pair of La Perla panties, and now I'm afraid to wear them!

Finally, though, the thing that jumped out to me, once again, was color. As I pointed out last week, fine lingerie doesn't always have to be black or white. In this case it can be "bluejean", and look incredibly stunning. If lingerie is designed to catch the eye, and I would say this set certainly is, than shouldn't the color be eye-catching too? In this case, Chantelle took that extra step and that's a big part of what sets them apart from many others...and why I have so much trouble shutting up about them.