An Evening with Panache

After several issues with Blogger, I'm so happy to finally be publishing this post! I took these photos on a different camera and after editing Blogger just would not load them. I'm thinking of moving my blog over to WordPress because of these issues, if anybody has any advice, leave me a comment!

I have to thank Holly from Tea and Blush for inviting me to this blogger evening at Panache Lingerie which is based right here in Sheffield. It was such a great evening and it was so cool to learn about the evolution of a collection, from mood-boarding to shooting editorial for the finished garment. 

Panache was established in 1982 by Anthony Power, a former Playtext employee. He began by selling 'end of line' lingerie and noticed the most popular styles were the larger cup sizes; and so Panache was born. By 1989 Panache had become a global brand, hiring an in-house design team and opening an office in Hong Kong. Panache is now sold in 53 countries worldwide and their New York office has just relocated to larger premises to include a showroom. The head office for the brand remains in Sheffield, keeping to it's UK heritage.

Each designer at Panache works on two seasons at a time, talk about fast-fashion! Panache focus their energy on ensuring customers can trust the brand: season after season the bras fit exactly the same. As well as the 'Core Collection' (pictured below), Panache creates lingerie each season in trend focused colourways, for women who like to follow fashion. The design process takes around five months, beginning with collecting feedback from the previous season before mood-boarding begins for the next season. I loved seeing the inspiration behind the garments on the mood boards and how that translated to a finished collection. I've never really seen fashion behind-the-scenes like this before.   

Within the Panache brand are several other brands, including Panache Sport, swimwear and also Cleo. While at the Head Office we had the chance to meet Debbie, one of the Panache designers and she described Cleo as the brand they could really have fun with in terms of colour and print and that is definitely evident in the above pieces. How gorgeous is the print on this longline bra! The Panache office is so pretty, it's literally filled with beautiful lingerie, I loved it.

What's special about Panache they actually have a sewing room within the Head Offices where they manufacture product. We were all obsessed with the thread wall! Above is the lovely Alesha modelling the Panache Sport bra and all it's component parts. The sports bra took three years to develop and underwent incredibly rigorous testing to ensure it was comfortable and supportive. What I didn't know is that this sports bra actually has a wire within it, so that you get the same level of support whatever you wear.  

When it comes to shooting the editorial adverts for the collection, Jennie explained to us the campaigns are 'women sexy' and not 'man sexy'. Panache lingerie is about women buying for themselves and making women feel good in their own skin. For this reason the brand only retouches the colour in their adverts and not the models natural body. I think this is so important in promoting a healthy body image, rather than creating aspiration to an unachievable ideal. How amazing does this model look? 

Not only does Panache promote a positive body image in their adverts, they also want to inspire women in all areas of life. Shockingly, 75% of women believe there are no aspirational female role models for them to look up to and that is why their campaign Modelled by Role Models is so important. It shines a light on six inspirational women, including Paralympian Hannah Cockroft, marrying their success and contributions to society with their healthy approach to body image. You can find out more about the Role Models here.  

My evening with Panache was really amazing, I learnt so much about fashion and manufacturing and met some lovely people. It's great that Sheffield is still the home to a global brand like Panache. You can find stockist information here. Check back this week for a little look inside our goody bags, and how I styled my 'Made in Sheffield' scarf!

Race for Life, Sweaty Selfies and The Bralet of Dreams

Today I ran the Race for Life again and it was a beautiful start to my Sunday! This year I completed it in 30 minutes and 46 seconds. I've ran for the past three years for many reasons: my mum was diagnosed three years ago and she has beaten it now, but there are too many people who don't. 
I'm not going to dwell on this however... The Race for Life is always a very happy and energetic event, there's a certain unity among all the women running, jogging and walking together all dressed in pink. It's a really fun day and I'd recommend taking part to anybody :) 

I don't usually love running, but when you see the finish line after 5k in the hot sun, something inside you switches. You must get there as fast as you possibly can! Safe to say I definitely got my runners high today, followed by a shiny medal and a charity flower from my step-dad. It may seem a pain to some to keep sponsoring me year after year, but giving money to a good cause should never get old! I'm going to do it again next year, and probably the year after that too.

After sprinting over the finish line at 10am, I was starving! So my day got even better when we all went for a carvery! Enter the Bralet of Dreams.

It's safe to say this Topshop bralet may change my Summer; outfit crisis wise anyway! It's got everything: pastel pink, tropical print and it fits great. I loved it for a while before I decided yes, I really did need it, and I am so glad I bought it! I've got sooo many outfit ideas for it from holiday wear to party wear. I have been desperate to wear it for a while but it doesn't look like a practical item does it? 

 That is what this Primark tee is for. Covers your modesty, but shows just enough. I have so many crop tops and this top means I can wear them all the time without looking slightly under-dressed... Admittedly I was slightly nervous about my outfit choice, but even my Nannan liked it! Nobody is immune to the power of this bralet.  

I got this leather skirt from H&M a few weeks ago and I've literally barely taken it off, it goes with anything and everything! I love the details on it, it looks less plain and less tacky than some leather skirts I've seen lately. 

All in all I've had a really good day and I  hope everyone has enjoyed their Sunday as much as I have! 

What did you get up to today? Leave me a comment!

Mad about Mad Men

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I am a known procrastinator and lately I have well and truly lived up to this name. I have discovered Mad Men! I know I am incredibly late to the party here, since the seventh season is gracing our TV screens right now and the first season aired originally back in 2007, but after hearing more and more about it I thought I'd give it a try... And now I'm hooked! I'm only on the sixth episode of season one, but I simply cannot get enough! 

Mad Men is set in 1960s New York at the Sterling Cooper advertising agency, where everybody smokes too much, drinks too much and frankly has too much sex. The whole show revolves around Don Draper, creative director at Sterling Cooper and notorious womaniser. We follow him and the other characters through their day to day business lives and their private lives away from the office.

Why do I love it so much I hear you ask? First (and foremost in my opinion) the costumes are simply excellent. 1960s fashion has always sort of interested me, but I'd never really invested in it until now. The big skirts, slim waists and bright colours that Mad Men is full of is really exciting to me and every time I put an episode on, I can't wait to see what they are wearing. 

Also, a lot of my love for this programme lies with one character: Joan Holloway. Played by the gorgeous Christina Hendricks, Joan is fabulous in every sense of the word. Witty, sexy, curvy and outspoken. She knows more about men and sex than most of us will our entire lives and she is not afraid to show it! Her one-liners are hilarious and her lipstick is always flawless: my kind of woman. She runs the office, and the men know about it! 

Most of the male characters are incredibly misogynistic and are constantly making sexual advances to anything in the office wearing a skirt, and although Joan plays along with this, it is clear she is the one with all the power. While the other girls succumb to these advances or even (gasp!) blush, Joan laughs a little and sashays away: they don't have a chance with her. 

I simply cannot write about this series without mentioning the main man himself, Don Draper. Although married to a beautiful blonde it seems he cannot help but play away from home. This may sound like a trait the rest of the male characters possess, but Don is different. He is actually a gentleman - despite his cheating - and is actually very respectful to the women surrounding him. Also, he is always incredibly well put together. Who doesn't love an attractive man in a suit?  

So, if you are looking for a fantastic source for procrastination, or if there is a void in your life that only a TV series can fill, you need to go watch Mad Men. Right now.

Fitness Myths Busted

It is a very real fact that many women who frequent the gym are Cardio Bunnies: they go to the gym and spend an hour on the treadmill or the elliptical. You can actually see this in gyms, the cardio equipment is dominated by females. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this as such, cardiovascular health and stamina are important parts of overall fitness, however many of these women are completely disregarding an essential strand of training: weight lifting. There are so many misconceptions surrounding women and lifting weights and I really do not know why. Hopefully by the end of this article I will have provided you all with some basic knowledge and a bit of confidence to try something new and better your body.

Myth 1: Lifting heavy weights makes women bulky.

I should probably clarify what I mean by 'weight lifting' before I begin. I see women lifting weights in the gym yes, but believe me those 2 kg weights they are using to bicep curl will not be doing very much. I fully appreciate we are all on different levels, but 2 kg is the weight of 2 bags of sugar... Most women can definitely lift heavier than that!

Everybody has to start off somewhere, you should ideally be lifting a weight that you are comfortable with, but you should struggle with it by the last two reps (lifts) of your set (group of reps).

.Many women do not attempt to lift any 'heavy' weights because they fear it will make them bulky and mannish. This is  definitely not the case! This is bar far the biggest fitness myth I can think of and it drives me crazy! Full body weight training will sculpt your body, giving you curves in all the right places. We come in all different shapes and sizes, so results will vary, but it is inescapable that weight training will provide your body with tone and shape far more than cardio alone. Lifting heavier weights will make your muscles stronger, not necessarily bigger. And as you get stronger, you can lift heavier. Eating right and lifting the weights will burn the fat that is hiding those muscles and make your body look toned. You will also be able to open that jar without male help, remember the princess doesn't always need saving!

Also, it is actually physically impossible for women to look 'bulky like men' as we do not naturally have enough testosterone in our bodies to achieve that. What about those female body builders I hear you ask? Well, those women eat, train and take supplements specifically so they can look like that. They have also probably been working towards that goal for years.

Myth 2: Weight training doesn't burn calories.

This is another common misconception of weight training. Many women believe that to lose weight or burn calories they need to do cardio. This is not true. There is no reason you can't be healthy and look great without constant cardio. If you aren't a big fan of cardio and just do it because you think its best, this is for you! If you never want to run on a treadmill again in your life, you don't have to. However, if you actually really enjoy cardio, great! Just incorporate some weight training in there too !

When you train with weights, your muscles are broken down and then rebuilt again over the next day or so. While this is going on, your body is using more calories to make this process happen. This essentially means that your metabolism operates faster after your workout, even if you are just sitting studying or watching TV.

I understand that the weights room at the gym looks pretty intimidating with all those boys lifting really heavy and grunting, but I promise you its not that bad! You have every right to be there just as much as they do, you are strong and confident and trying to improve your health. However, if you really don't want to venture in there just yet, you can train your muscles in much the same way with other strength exercises:

·         Kettlebells - technically weights but you don't necessarily need a gym for these

·         Yoga/pilates - Personally, I have been weight training for a year now and I find pilates really difficult! The moves are designed so that you are lifting your own body weight, therefore toning and strengthening your muscles.

There is absolutely no reason women shouldn't train like men! If you are seriously considering trying weight training, I recommend YouTube as a great tool to observe correct form of the lifts and examples of different exercises. Also, you should get a program drawn up by a trainer at the gym, who can correctly demonstrate the different lifts and help you with any specific problems.

Hope to see more ladies in the weights room, mainly because I need a gym buddy! Help me out!