My First Stockist Order For Toronto’s Gigi’s Frills

I used to live in a trendy part of Toronto, on Dovercourt just off of Queen West. While I was there, I found the most charming little vintage-inspired lingerie boutique that was way up the very street I lived on. It was called Gigi’s House of Frills and the lady who runs the shop is the loveliest, friendliest, most helpful person in the GTA. This is indisputable.

*We have rebranded to Of Elizabeth as of 2023. This order was made in 2020.* 

She’s a body-positive, inclusive gal and her in-store practices as well as the sizes she carries (a range that is quite impressive for an independently-owned boutique) demonstrate this very fact. So, when she reached out asking if we’d be interested in a collaboration, I actually shrieked. Like, high-pitched I-just-saw-a-bug-but-not-really shriek.

I’m not proud of it.

What I am proud of, though, is the set we worked on together, set to hit her shop late November (2020). Together, we made the Bettie set.

The Bettie Set for Gigi’s House of Frills

Gigi came to me with some ideas about an existing set that we agreed needed a bit of lustre. Literally. We added silk scrunched straps, a strappy garter belt, and a big double-faced hand-tied satin ribbon bow. The garter belt silhouette was chosen to play into the already-existing vintage aesthetic the bra and panty had and it turned out. 

I loved the satin details; it really brings this set to life. The bra features a gorgeously crisp lace lined in soft tulle in B-DD cups and in a powerful (but still lightweight) tricot in E-FF cups. The silk straps gave me grief, but don’t they always? (Cue laugh track).

The garter belt is bound, like the bra, in elastic and is also fully lined in the same fabric as the bra. The panty features the same lining, a stretch-mesh back, and adjustable straps over the hips so the wearer can choose their fit. With the right care, they’ll last you years to come and they look and feel fabulous.

When we shot the set, we tried to keep it simple with the props. We (my team of two people) made these photos happen in under 3 hours, and I think they look rather nice given it wasn’t at all a professional production. My dear operations manager was a photographer for the day, and I lightly retouched the images in post-production once we’d gotten the shots we wanted, and it was done.

So, if you’re in the city, visit Gigi’s House of Frills at their Dovercourt boutique and let me know what you think! If you’re not, head to her website to shop online.

Thanks for reading, as always.

Megan x