Few can possibly know more about lingerie, and looking sexy, than burleque star Dita Von Teese.

So who better to call on to design a range of seductive underwear?

The 39-year-old has already worked with Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier and Wonderbra, but Target Australia gave the American beauty her first chance to design a solo range – and she has called it Von Follies.

The new vintage: Dita Von Teese’s range for Target Australia includes these blue and black stretch lace pieces

Leopard print for all shapes: The burlesque star was determined to create a range that would suit all sizes

Von Teese announced the new business venture in April last year and released a single image of herself in November wearing two pieces from the collection.

Now more images have been released showing off the range of sophisticated knickers, stockings, suspenders and bras.

The burlesque queen was determined to make sure that her underwear would suit women of any shape.

Von Follies: Many of the pieces have already sold out online with Von Teese’s suspender belts proving especially popular

Reasonably-priced: This leopard print ‘chemise’ is the most expensive item in the collection, it costs £100`

She said: ‘It was important to me to accomplish the task of making these beautiful things in sizes that can make any woman feel sexy and glamorous, and I’m very proud that we have been able to do that, while keeping prices affordable.’

The items were inspired by Von Teese’s own collection of vintage underwear. She said: ‘There are so many vintage lingerie pieces I love that I haven’t been able to find in all my years of collecting. 

‘I wanted to design pieces that are tributes to my vintage obsessions, to make them beautiful and functional, while modernising them for everyday wear.’

Prices start from around £10 for bras and briefs going up to £100 for a leopard print ‘chemise’.

Selected bra styles are available up to an E-cup while briefs a size 20.

Von Teese said: ‘I wanted to design pieces that are tributes to my vintage obsessions, to make them beautiful and functional, while modernising them for everyday wear’

HEADWEAR

BUY

The cool girl’s answer to the cold-weather cover-up. SNOOD (above right), £16.50, Gap, tel: 0800 427789 (in store mid October)

BIN

Hell’s Kitchen? What the hell! The TURBAN (above left) has had its moment

STORE

A HEADSCARF (above right) is multifunctional —  so it’s always worth hanging on to

JACKETS

BUY

The new season calls for serious va-va-voom. LEATHER JACKET (above right), £215, Kookaï, tel: 020 7239 1070 (in store end of August)

BIN

TWEED (above left) is a bit too twee for now

STORE 

Give him back his BOYFRIEND BLAZER (above right)

 
TROUSERS

BUY

Distressed? You will be soon. JEANS (above right), £189, Met In, from House of Fraser, tel: 020 7003 4000 (in store now)

BIN

It’s bedtime for summer’s PYJAMA SUITS (above left)

STORE

HAREM PANTS (above right) were a tricky trend that few of us got to grips with
PRINT

BUY

GRAPHICS are on line to be autumn’s hottest print. DRESS (above right), £45, Warehouse, tel: 0870 122 8813 (in store now)

BIN

PYTHON PRINT? (above left) Enough to give a girl a hissy fit

STORE

PAINTERLY PRINTS (above right) may make another splash — so hang on to them for now

SILHOUETTE

BUY

EXAGGERATED SHOULDERS define a new silhouette for autumn. DRESS (above right), £39.99, H&M, tel: 020 7323 2211 (in store beginning of August)

BIN

TUNIC OVER TROUSERS (above left) don’t fit the new streamlined shape

STORE

The PEPLUM (above right) may pop back, so don’t ditch just yet

COLOUR

BUY

It’s back to BLACK, yet again. BOOTS (above right), £95, Aldo, tel: 020 7836 7692 (in store now)

BIN

The setting is no longer right for JEWEL COLOURS (above left)

STORE

Put the CLASH course on hold (above right)
TRENDS

BUY

Say now to the FUTURISTIC. DRESS (above right), £49.99, River Island, tel: 020 8991 4904 (in store now)

BIN
Or confine anything MILITARY (above left) to barracks

STORE

NAUTICAL (above right) is a fair-weather trend, so it’s sure to sail back in a season or two
JEWELLRY

BUY

The neck’s where it’s at this autumn. NECKLACE (above right), £50, Oasis, tel: 01865 881986 (in store August)

BIN
The COCKTAIL RING (above left) is suddenly way too bling

STORE

BANGLES (above right) are best kept for the sleeveless months

Zalando’s activities, coming from one of it’s investors, Stockholm based Kinnevik. An investment firm with investments in Groupon, Metro newspaper, Tele2, Zalando and many others.

In a job ad which Zalando posted in Asia last month it stated about the 2012 sales: “We have built an e-commerce website in Europe which sells more than 30.000 pairs of shoes per day and generates 100 million Euros per month in revenue”. Kinnevik´s statement support´s the thought that the company´s growth rate is at 300% on annual basis and is most likely on track to hit the 1.3 billion Euro mark this year.

Everyone in the fashion industry has been wondering how, what and how much they are doing, and that they seem to grow fast. But a 250%+ annual sales growth over a 3 year period most likely makes Zalando the fastest growing 50 million plus turnover apparel company in the world.

Due to the strong growth, huge advertising campaigns and geographical expansion of Zalando, the company reported an operating loss.

In 2011, Zalando launched its own logistic centerand opened the first warehouse operated by the company. A new warehouse construction project was initiated in the city of Erfurt in Germany to start operations in 2012.

Earlier this month Zalando successfully completed talks regarding an equity investment with international firm, DST Global. The investment firm has announced that it is acquiring 4 per cent of Zalando, an investment aimed at supporting the future growth of the retailer in Europe.

The Berlin-based e-commerce company was founded in 2008 by Robert Gentz and David Schneider offering fashion and lifestyle products to the German market. Following its success it expanded to its neighbouring European countries, starting with Austria in 2009, and the Netherlands and France in 2010. In 2011, the retailer expanded to Italy, the UK and Switzerland.

Image: Zalando Collection

London Fashion Week has kicked off and usually manages to cause some controversy. But that’s only to be expected – style has been scandalising for centuries.

Last year it was a dress made from 3,000 cow and yak nipples – this year it’s anyone’s guess what will cause a storm at London Fashion Week (LFW).

Modern shocks

• Alexander McQueen’s 10-inch “hooves” in 2010
• Lady Gaga’s meat dress at 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
• Hussein Chalayan’s table skirt in 2000
• Jean Paul Gaultier’s man skirts in 1985

High fashion often seems to translate into some rather strange looks: shower cap shoes, Pac-Man helmets and table skirts to name just a few.

But LFW is lightweight compared with some of the shocking styles of the past. Trends from centuries gone by have caused public outcry, been branded indecent, decadent – even unpatriotic. Others have played their part in shaping history.

Fashion sometimes clashes with the prevailing social mores, says US fashion historian Katy Werlin.

“Change happens so quickly and often in our modern world that we don’t really think twice about it.

“So a radical new fashion trend probably would not have the same shock value as it did 100 years ago.”

So step aside Lady Gaga, here are styles from history that have startled and even outraged.

Macaronis

• Hat: Tiny, finely styled and perched on top of a wig
• Wig: Expensive, oversized and always intricately styled
• Coat: Worn tight and decorated with lace, ribbons and very large buttons
• Waistcoats: Brightly coloured and patterned, often dotted
• Stockings: Also brightly coloured and patterned, often striped
• Shoes: Had to be very narrow with big, decorative buckles

They would laugh in the face of today’s metrosexual man and what he considers to be looking after his appearance. They’d scoff at David Beckham in his sarong. When it comes to male preening and blurring the gender divide, it was a group of young British aristocrats who led the way in the mid-1700s. Known as the Macaronis, they shocked and scandalised – and revelled in doing so.

The style was started by a group of rich young men who took the Grand Tour around Europe after finishing their formal education. Think of it as a very expensive and very exclusive 18th Century gap year.

They adopted the flamboyant continental styles of the French and Italians, but taking every detail to the very extreme. Supposedly, the name Macaroni came about because they also developed a taste for the food in Italy.

Reaction at the time

“There is indeed a kind of animal, neither male or female, a thing of neuter gender, lately started up among us. It is called a Macaroni”

Oxford Magazine, 1770

“Maccaronies [are] our spindle-snaked Gentry, who make the grand tour but to bring back the vices of our neighbours”

The Public Ledger, 1770

Towering, elaborate wigs were worn with tiny hats perched on top. Garishly patterned waistcoats clashed with brightly coloured stockings. Every detail, down to the buckles on their shoes, was over the top. They even developed their own form of language, mixing French and Italian words with English and using different pronunciation.

It was in stark contrast to well-to-do men’s fashion at the time. It had toned down from the start of the century and was all about careful tailoring and simple, plain garments, says Werlin. It had developed out of the countrywear worn by the English gentleman. Heavily embroidered and jewelled silk coats were not practical for running a country estate.

But what also scandalised was the fact that Macaronis were so obsessed with fashion in the first place, regardless of their outlandish taste, says Werlin. The 18th Century was the period when fashion became gendered and they were ripping up the rules.

“For a variety of reasons, fashion became known as a woman’s thing. So for a man to engage in such frippery was seen as silly and effeminate. In engaging with high fashion, they were taking on a woman’s role, which was of course highly scandalous in this age of gender inequality.”

Word of the Macaronis spread to other countries. In the song Yankee Doodle there is a reference to their fashion. The line: “Yankee Doodle went to town a-riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni.” Outcry soon turned to ridicule and they became the target of satirists of the time.

But ultimately it was a fad. Men’s fashion quickly moved on to more simple styles championed by Beau Brummell, the arbiter of men’s fashion in Regency England. He believed good dressing came across in immaculate details, not ostentatious display. His style was a direct reaction to the Macaronis, says fashion historian and trend forecaster Amber Butchart.

Chemise a la reine

It was this portrait that shocked a nation. Marie Antoinette, the queen of France in 1783, had already outraged the French with her opulence; now she managed to scandalise the nation by ditching the glitz and taking a more simple approach to her outfits.

So simple, in fact, that the nation thought she had posed for the portrait in her underwear. Imagine the reaction if the Duchess of Cambridge was thought to have posed in her briefs and you get an idea of the shock it created.

The French queen had adopted the new style of dress to go with the more simple lifestyle she was leading at her private country retreat. The Petit Trianon was situated in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles and while there, a lot of the elaborate ceremony of the French court was dropped – including the fashion.

Marie Antoinette began wearing a light, shapeless dress called a gaulle. It was made of layers of simple muslin, loose-fitting and shaped by a sash tied around the waist. It also didn’t have the usual panniers under the skirt, which were often so extreme that door frames had to be widened to accommodate dresses. It meant the material could mould around the legs, also shocking at the time.

Everything about it was in direct contrast to court fashion, which was incredibly elaborate and all about over-the-top luxury. When Elisabeth Vigee Lebrun painted the queen in her new dress and it went on public display, there was a huge scandal.

“The simplicity and lightness of the dress design looked a lot like the chemise, which was the basic foundation garment worn by everyone at the time,” says Werlin. As a result it gained the moniker “chemise a la reine”.

Even when it was established she was wearing a new style of dress, the public furore did not die down. The simplicity of the garment was seen as an insult to the glory of the monarchy, as French queens were supposed to be a reflection of the greatness of the king.

She was also accused of trying to put French silk merchants out of business. At the time, they were a vital part of the French economy and by wearing imported fabric , the queen was considered to be supporting a rival textile industry.

But despite initially being decried as indecent, by the 1790s French and British women had started to adopt muslin chemise dresses, says Sonnet Stanfill, a fashion curator at the V&A. It was the precursor to the light, simpler styles of the early 19th Century, worn by the likes of Jane Austen.

Bloomer suit

Bloomers eventually made it on to the sports pitch and then on to college girls

Woe betide a woman who showed an ankle in the mid-1800s. In large parts of the world, skirts were long to protect a woman’s modesty, corsetry was tight and restrictive and wearing anything that was remotely masculine would raise the nation’s collective eyebrow – to put it mildly.

Hence the outrage caused by the bloomer suit, even though the long trousers were worn under long skirts and tied at the ankle. Even that smallest flash of the bloomers was enough to work people up into a frenzy of disgust.

Designed by Elizabeth Smith Miller in New York in 1851 and championed by women’s rights activist Amelia Bloomer, the small group of women wearing them regarded them as a healthy and rational alternative to the cumbersome skirts of the time. They made riding a bike and other tasks of daily life a lot easier.

Gender and fashion

Caroline Cox, fashion historian and trend forecaster with Heritage Modern

The blurring of traditional gender styles was often what shocked people the most.

When women adopted a more masculine look – like women in bloomers – they were seen as wanting to be more like men. They were seen as associating themselves with the gender that had more power.

When men were perceived to be wanting to look more like women – like the hippies of the 1960s – people understood even less because they viewed it as wanting to drop down the power scale.

But society was not ready for women in trousers, even if they were almost entirely hidden under a skirt.

“They became a political statement and the wearers were attacked publicly,” says fashion historian Rebecca Tuite. “Bloomers became a derogatory term, a name hurled at women who were involved in the temperance and women’s rights movement.”

Again, satirists of the time jumped on the back of the moral outcry and ridiculed the look. They drew cartoons of women acting like men and dressed in bloomers. Conservative society won out this time and the bloomer suit went back in the wardrobe.

When it returned decades later, it had lost none of its power to scandalise. In the early 1900s, bloomers started to be worn again, but this time without a skirt on top and the trousers were tied at the knee. Most people still thought they robbed women of their femininity.

They were adopted by America’s earliest female college students, but tight restrictions were put in place dictating where and when they were allowed. They were worn by women who played sports and basically only on the sports field.

It still wasn’t until the 1930s that all-female colleges accepted the trousers anywhere else. Despite the struggle to get them accepted in mainstream society, the bloomer suit went on to change what women wore forever.

“The impact of the bloomer suit was an incredibly legacy whereby women could wear clothes that better suited their daily wants and needs,” says Tuite.

The New Look

Nowadays it’s wearing too few clothes that often creates a furore; not so for Christian Dior. In 1947, he showed his first collection since World War II in Paris. It shocked and outraged people and was even branded unpatriotic, simply because of the copious amount of fabric used to make the longer, more voluminous skirts.

The war had finished but a lot of European countries were still undergoing clothes rationing. The UK government’s Making of Civilian Clothing (restriction order) prohibited the wasteful cutting of cloth. It also set a list of restrictions that tailors and dressmakers had to work to which dictated the number of buttons and pockets and amount of trim an outfit could have.

Making of Civilian Clothing (restriction order) 1941

• Dresses to have no more than two pockets
• Five buttons and five buttonholes for any opening
• One button and one buttonhole on each sleeve
• Six seams in skirt of woollen dress or seven seams in skirt of non-woollen dress
• Use no more than 4m of stitching for every item

At the time, women’s fashion had also become very tailored and masculine, with sharp shoulders. It was the influence of military styles and also reflected the work women had been doing during the war, in factories and fields.

In stark contrast, Dior’s New Look featured long hemlines and full skirts that were tightly nipped in at the waist. It created the perfect hourglass silhouette. The fabrics he used were expensive too – satins, fine wools and taffeta.

With many people still hard-up and struggling, the lavish style was considered an insult by many. The designer was also backed by textile manufacturers, and some saw the design as a way to increase their profits.

“The New Look seemed incredibly decadent, even unpatriotic,” says Butchart. “It caused a huge fuss when it was first seen.”

Modern designers still cite Dior’s New Look as a shocking and seminal part of fashion history. Alexander McQueen, famous for his own extreme styles, called it a “radical fashion moment”.

It was also a return to an almost Victorian silhouette, with the nipped-in waist and softer shoulders. This was interpreted as sending a message to women.

“In this way, the Dior New Look really symbolised the ‘return to the home’ ethos that many governments were trying to impose on women since the end of the war,” says Butchart.

It may have scandalised initially, but Dior’s instinct proved right. Fed up with the restrictions imposed by the war, women eventually started to embrace the new style. It went on to influence women’s fashion well into the next decade.

London Fashion Week is kicking off today and we’re going to celebrate by raiding the rails at one of Britain’s most-loved high street fashion stores, Topshop. Well, It would be rude not too, especially when they’ve got so many super-hot things going on.

If you haven’t checked out the fab new fashion buys, then there’s no better time to do so, as the virtual rails have never looked better! If you missed the Mary Katrantzou frenzy and didn’t manage to get your hands on one of the amazing designer pieces, then don’t worry as there’s plenty more gorgeous SS12 fashion hits. Shop the best Topshop buys in our edit below…SD

It’s one of the most awkward situations a female celebrity can find herself in – another famous face arriving at the same event in the same dress.

And that’s exactly what happened to Amy Childs last night, as she arrived at the Pia Michi fashion show wearing the same daring leopard-print cutaway dress as former Heartbeat actress Tricia Penrose.

However, while Tricia was apparently urged to change her outfit, it was Amy who was eventually forced to swap, after the 41-year-old actress was allegedly overheard saying that she had ‘been around longer than Amy’.

Whoops! Amy Childs and Tricia Penrose arrived at the Pia Michi fashion show last night wearing the same leopard-print cutaway dress

A source told MailOnline: ‘Everyone told Tricia to take it off but she said, “I’ve been around longer than Amy. I was in Heartbeat for 18 years so she can take hers off!”

‘So in the end Amy had to take hers off.’

After the embarrassing faux pas on the red carpet, Amy, 21, later emerged wearing a chic purple gown – a drastically different choice from Tricia’s animal-print gown.

Happy enough: Amy looked in relatively good spirits on the red carpet with cousin Harry Derbidge before realising the fashion clash

Making a dash for it: After realising the error, Amy dashed off to change into a long purple gown

Amy was joined by her former TOWIE co-star, and cousin, Harry Derbidge at the Pia Michi launch party and catwalk show held at The Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square.

Earlier in the day, the pair had been rehearsing ahead of their Let’s Dance For Comic Relief performance, which will kick off on Saturday night.

‘She can change hers!’ Former Heartbeat star Tricia is said to have refused to change her gown

She tweeted: ‘Busy day today , rehearsing with @MrHarryDerbidge for #letsdancecomicrelief , then tonight @Piamichi party …… ’

Also making an appearance at last night’s event was former Celebrity Big Brother contestant Nicola McLean, who would have stolen the show in her daring low-cut gown if not for Amy and Tricia’s fashion face-off.

Two ways to get noticed! Nicola McLean wore a plunging gown to the fashion show, held at the Millennium Hotel in London

One too many? Nicola larked about in trainers after spending hours inside the party

Posing with her hands on her hips, it was difficult to focus anywhere else other than her cleavage. 

While Nicola’s dress, a floor-length gown speckled with Dalmatian spots and peacock feathers, had a lot of colourful detail, all eyes were undoubtedly drawn to her chest where her pendant nuzzled.

After the party, Nicola tweeted: ‘Great night thanks for having me loved loved loved the dress x’

Whatever Amy can do, we can do! Jessica Wright and Harry Derbidge were seen leaving the event

Katie Price’s protégée Amy Willerton, 19, also put in an appearance, busy on her quest to take over the reigns from her infamous mentor as red carpet queen.

Sky Sports presenter Charlotte Jackson showed her fellow female specimens that it’s possible to look sexy, while still appearing demure.

Grecian goddess: Sky Sports presenter Charlotte Jackson looked graceful in floor-length white gown, while Lizzie Cundy wore a black and silver plunging dress

Blondes have more fun: Vanessa Feltz and her daughter are all full of beans with wide beams

Playing it safe: Designer Pia Michi and Daniella Westbrook stepped away from the limelight by opting for black

Flying the flag for the boys: Katie Price’s good friends Phil Turner and Gary Cockerill posed arm in arm

She has the kind of body that women envy and men desire. Kelly Brook’s voluptuous figure achieves that aesthetic Holy Grail of being both slim and curvaceous – without the aid of cosmetic surgery.

And just in time for Valentines’s day, Kelly has poured her passion for lingerie – and her enviable curves – into her latest lingerie line for high street store New Look.

The vintage-inspired collection features delicate lace-trimmed bras, high-waisted knickers and suspender belts, all in baby soft pastel tones of the palest blush or floral pinks. 

Knock-out: Kelly Brook models her latest collection for high street store New Look

And according to Kelly’s Twitter feed, the collection is selling well. ‘New Look Lingerie Sales up 18% Great news thank you everyone,’ she wrote earlier today.

Kelly explains that all the lingerie from her collection enhances girls’ curves, rather than attempting to slim them down.

‘I don’t like minimiser bras,’ she said in an interview with Now magazine. ‘I think girls should embrace their curves – push ‘em up! Lacy French knickers that accentuate your waist flatter us curvy girls.’

‘I have the whole collection I’ve designed for New Look too – it’s so comfortable to wear and looks super-sexy.’

Clearly something of an enthusiast, Kelly, who has just returned from a beach holiday in Brazil where she showcased many of her bikini designs for New Look, also revealed that she has collected Agent Provocateur underwear since she was 19, wears Victoria Secret bras, and boasts a colourful array of Costella thongs.

The 34E model, who has previously posed for Michelle Mone’s lingerie brand Ultimo, confessed that like screen siren Marilyn Monroe, she prefers to sleep without pyjamas, wearing only a spritz of her own signature scent, Fracas.

Retro: The 32-year-old model and presenter looked back to bygone eras for inspiration for the line

In the winter, she says she she might sneak on a pair of her boyfriend Thom Evans’ socks, but for lounging Jack Wills pyjamas are hard to beat.

As for how she maintains that knock-out figure, Kelly says it’s simple. She explained: ‘My regime is: walk everywhere, have regular steam room sessions to get rid of toxins and find a good water. And plenty of sex – it’s a great cardio workout!’

‘My secret to instant sex appeal is confidence and being with someone who makes you feel like you’re the only girl in the world,’ she added.

‘I can’t bear the fact that girls these days think you have to be thin to be beautiful and successful,’ she says.

‘I’m not thin. I don’t starve myself. I don’t look at my face and body and think I need surgery or a boob job or a bum lift.

‘It makes me very angry when women in the public eye talk about what work they’ve had done, because it makes other women feel devalued.

Kelly Brook: ‘lingerie should flatter girls’ curves, not try to minimise them’

Delicate: The colour palette is made up of soft pinks and floral tones, trimmed with pretty lace

Feminine: Bras feature delicate bow detailing, while briefs and French knickers complement curves

Beach babe: Kelly Brook recently holidayed in Bahia, Brazil, where she showcased plenty of bikinis from her New Look range

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