Kayleigh Peddie

KayleighPeddie-1KayleighPeddie-3
There's a lot of emphasis on architectural or innovative lingerie at the moment, and i myself am guilty of overlooking the basics that shape my everyday comfort. Kayleigh Peddie kind of smashes these two types together by making comfortable, simplistic and very wearable lingerie with little design twists to keep them visually interesting too. 

Something i love about owning pieces from indie brands is how acquainted i can become with the designers and seamstresses behind the brand. That personal touch lends itself to customer loyalty and makes their pieces extra special. I feel a somewhat friendly alliance with Kayleigh Peddie since we've chatted a few times and mutually followed each other on social media and i've been saving up to nab myself something from her for a long time. Unfortunately, as with many international indie brands, it got shunted to the bottom of my list for a whole host of reasons (think customs fees, fit worries, conversion rates not being in my favour, etc).  I was beyond thrilled when Kayleigh contacted me and asked if i'd like to feature one of her sets on Of Lambs and Lace. Real life got in the way for both of us for a while but finally, i can share this amazing little indie brand with you guys (and now i have the confidence to put in a cheeky order myself come payday).

KayleighPeddie-2KayleighPeddie-4
I was sent the Estelle bra, suspender belt and double strap knickers all in a size XS. 
This set boasts a minimalistic white mesh design with a subtle strappy silhouette. I mean first and foremost, i adore white lingerie no matter how impractical it may be. I often have to make the difficult decision between a set in white or black with black winning far too often, so i'm thrilled to add some more white to my collection. I also love mesh so it's a win win in my books. The construction on these pieces is pretty flawless too, without a single seam or thread out of place.

The bra design is unusual for me as i don't think i've had the pleasure of ever trying on a soft bra with such wide straps. When i first saw this i was immediately struck by how the design mirrored that of many full bust bras i'd come across. Thankfully the width of the straps and the relatively high apex of the bra don't affect it's suitability for small busts. The band fits comfortably although not snug unless i fasten it on the 3rd row of hooks, and the cups actually give me a really nice lift and shape. Overall i'd say this bra fits my 28C bust fairly well with only a small amount of fabric buckling at the bottom of the cup occupied by my smallest breast. Which is something i am all to used to so is not an issue for me. 
The suspender belt fits snugly around my 32" hips although i find the circumference is a little too large and the suspender straps are a little too short for me to wear this on my waist, my preferred place for suspender belts due to the strange pear shape of my torso. I can forgive this and my personal resulting perception of unflattery because it has six suspender straps. Six or more straps on a suspender belt should be compulsory, anything less is just highly impractical!
The knickers are exceptionally comfortable and flattering, with the adjustable two strap detailing on the side meaning they can accommodate my sizely arse and soft hips without digging in uncomfortably. Another positive is these being lined with a breathable fabric something that non indie brands can often forget, something that is very important.

I feel pretty comfortable in saying that Kayleigh Peddie has probably just surpassed all others to become my go to brand for comfortable basics that aren't uninspired or dull. I've worn this set complete and the pieces individually quite a few times since it arrived and i've never had any trouble or discomfort. I knew i would be impressed with these pieces but i'm glad my high expectations were met in every way. I now have my eyes set on a couple of other great designs to add to my everyday lingerie arsenal, particularly the Mena and Ollie designs so watch this space.

These items were sent to me free of charge for the purposes of a review. All opinions and conclusions are my own. 

Now We Are Three

birthday-2
The December the 27th marks the birthday of Of Lambs and Lace and now we are three. Unfortunately my home town was hit badly by the floods and i've spent the past three days either in a state of anxiety or shovelling mud and raw sewage out of people's houses and businesses. Hardly glamorous and completely contrary to the lavish values Of Lambs and Lace was originally founded upon.

I didn't mark the occasion of our second birthday together, it didn't feel necessary to reflect on the existence of Of Lambs and Lace in 2014 but this year has been a challenging one, tumultuous to say the least and i'm sure other lingerie bloggers have felt the shift in reader attitudes over these 12 months. I've done a lot of soul searching with regards to maintaining a brick and mortar lingerie blog as with the rise of instagrammers it seems that the value of a photo is now held higher than the written word accompanying a review or article. Many have joined the lingerie blogging community seemingly to flaunt their wealth and their bodies and as a result it has warped, accelerating in popularity and over saturating with strangers who at times can be less than kind to individuals they don't agree with. Having opinions that are anything less than positive in this new community are cause for public dragging and personal criticism. The lingerie blogging community has always been a divided place, with natural rifts forming between people who respectfully don't force faux friendships but aside from one odd altercation, it has never sunk to taking enjoyment out of the mockery of others. It is because of this that i have stepped back from the entire community. Aside from a handful of close friends, i no longer interact within the community in a personal capacity and it's changed the meaning behind this blog. 
I founded Of Lambs and Lace from the idea of having a place to share my passion with lingerie and as a means to meet likeminded people. And recently i've had to battle with myself over how self indulgent i've felt my presence is when i had to detach my personality and emotions from something that was built on my marmite personality and emotions. I've oscillated from insistent my blog wouldn't suffer to resigned to retiring it once and for all for weeks. I've pushed through my anxieties only to be met with sources of more anxiety and it's driven my uncertainty. But i'm resolved to keep going, in part due to the overwhelming support i've received from readers both in the comments section and from personal emails sent to me. One reader wrote:
"I feel compelled to tell you that your blogging has really helped me like my body...reading your blog gives me hope"
Sounds a bit like an extreme humble brag on my behalf but it reminded me that somewhere during these three years i shunned the self indulgence side of my blog, not wanting to flaunt my wealth and subsequent collection nor to be another privileged, slender white girl in world with too many visible privileged, slender white girls. I changed my doctrine to one that was about educating people on small busts, supporting indie brands and fighting against the unnecessary sexualisation of lingerie. I can do all of these things without putting myself out to be judged.
But i don't want to preach. I am never too far away to offer any advice or have a chat (although my new years resolution is to get better at replying to emails before i forget they were sent to me in the first place...my apologies if you've ever felt ignored by me. This year has been so busy in so many other respects too what with me getting my masters degree, being rocketed into the adult world, working many jobs, etc.) and my personality will still sneak into my blog posts, it's also all over my twitter (i'm sorry) but for now i'm focusing on my real friendships instead of trying to find shallow ones based on one faction of my interests online at the expense of my mental stability. 
birthday-5
And just so this post feels useful to me, i'm going to take the time to thank the following people, brands and designers for supporting Of Lambs and Lace through their friendship or collaborations that helped me stay afloat during this teething period (in no particular order):