Desirai@Desirai.com 
347-470-DESIWhen I was in my mid teens I had the pleasure of working at a lingerie store called Trouseau. The store was owned by my two females cousins Cary and Michelle. Sometimes they were a few hands short and would ask me to come in on the weekends to answer phones and work the register.
I loved it! It was easy work, good pay and every now and again I got to go home with some new lingerie. I’m ashamed to say I still have a few of the pieces hiding out in my underwear draw on reserve for — well you know.
All of the stuff I got to go home with was pretty cool, and unique for its time. There was this one bra and underwear set that was a print of all vegetables. It sounds strange I know, but it was colorful and very comfortable.
There was one style of underwear I absolutely loved. They were all silk with different patterns and ruffles on each hip. I thought they were magical. Being Hispanic meant I had big hips, something I was ashamed of. These underwear transformed my body and made my hips disappear. Hips who needed them? I had ruffles instead. :Sigh: I have not been able to find underwear even similar to those… well, until recently…
Being older, I’m no longer ashamed of my hips. Now, hiding them is not the goal. Accentuating them is! How better to do that then these cute little knickers by Shulamite? Instead of ruffles I can have a bow on each side!
Shulamite is run by Mandi Apple Collingridge and her mother Pauline Tweedy. Together they are a two-woman SAHM operation. In their shop they carry knickers, nighties, sleepwear/underwear sets, camisoles, shorts and more. Shulamite carries a wide range of accessories as well as lingerie, so there are items for all ages in their shop.
“We just create what we would want to wear ourselves – it’s hard for me to be strict with myself and not to pinch half our stock even before it gets into the shop! Because I have a long-term passion for Asian culture (me and my husband Alex own a fairly well-known Asian cult movie review website, Snowblood Apple, and I also wear gothic lolita clothing on an everyday basis), much of what we produce is made with authentic and traditional Asian fabrics such as chirimen, vintage kimono silks and hand-embroidered sashiko, but we also love rich and decadent fabrics of all kinds – embroidered tulles, fine lace, silks, damask, brocade. My feeling in particular is that everyone nowadays (including us) wears a lot of ‘utility clothing’ and so we want to re-introduce a bit of elegance and finery into our wardrobes.
Pauline has been a talented seamstress since she was a teenager – she has made so many of my clothes throughout my life and they have always been beautifully crafted. I do all of the hand-sewing, textiles and embroidery, that’s my forte, and I’ve come to that fairly recently, only in the last year – my mother-in-law is a retired textiles teacher and has taught me her craft.”
And what a craft it is! Shulamite’s choice of fabrics are absolutely lovely! I can’t wait till I go lingerie shopping again. :Whispers to hips: I know I’ve neglected you, but you’ll be wearing something gorgeous really soon.
Like always these sellers left us with some advice: “Just make what you love! Don’t focus on anything but creating what you would want to have yourself, it’s so satisfying to make something which you truly believe in!”
From what I understand, you can’t find their items anywhere else so be sure to visit them on Etsy. You can find their lovely knickers and more by visiting the following link:
Hello! My name is Desirai. I'm a freelance Digital Media Designer excited to tell you a little about myself in 5 totally random but interesting facts.
