How to survive the freezing cold in your underwear.

There i was standing at the bow of the icebreaker with my hands up in the air. Our make-up artist, Kirki, standing behind me with her arms around me. “Dont look down” i kept repeating.

luxury dressing gown

A month before the shoot our photographer Kristel and I were having coffee in a cosy London cafe. I had just booked an icebreaker for our next shoot. “What if the theme is Titanic?” asked Kristel. I jumped on the idea – we have a ship that was built around the same time as Titanic, it’s the Autumn/Winter collection, and I have been the biggest fan of the mystery as far as I can remember.When the movie launched i wanted to see the events of the sunk unfold, not necessarily the jolly dancing and raunchy car scene. Although don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of Leo as well.

Little did we know that our chosen photoshoot week would be the coldest in five years in Estonia. We visited the iceabreaker 3 days before the shoot with -30 degrees celsius outside. The captain didn’t really want us to proceed with our plans and tried to convince us to change dates. But we stuck to our stubborn plan – we had already travelled to Tallinn, the models had been booked and deadlines were approaching.

So there we were standing with Kirki 5 minutes before our Leo & Kate (Siim & Tairica) were to come out to the freezing cold. The whole ship was covered with ice and a snow storm was approaching. We had to give them specific instructions where to step, what to grab and most importantly: not to look down.

But with brave models, warm dressing gowns, a bit of cognac and a great team, anything is possible. Our Kate & Leo survived.

Click here to see the full shoot.

Kriss x

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We love Mischa Barton.

designer lingerie mesh bra and knickers

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Underwear as Outerwear. Why we love our Inventive Customers.

reversible jersey suspender top and bodysuit

As much as I want to make our pieces multi-functional, reversible and wearable both as innerwear and outerwear – I didn´t see this coming! Thank you to our amazing customer Getter who found out that the Bridget Body can also be worn back to front. I immediately tested it with the Kristel Suspender Top and it´s brilliant! The top now has a sexy keyhole detail with a kitten-like square bow in the front. For our new Kristel Monarch Top, the gold signature cat-logo button also adds a piece of jewellery to your outfit.

Photo: Christo Neemre

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Knickers in New York

Beginning of August I travelled to New York to show our brand new Spring/Summer 2013 collection and first ever Swim and Beach range to press and buyers.

The first day I landed in New York, I was honoured to meet with the best US fashion magazines – Elle, Vogue, Allure, Lucky, Style.com, Marie Claire, InStyle, Glamour. From one floor to another, from one building to another, that was probably the highlight of my career so far. I was literally in fashion designers´ paradise! Conclusion? These were the friendliest people you can meet, professional and truly inspiring. They took the time to see the new collection, joke about London Olympics and talk about the most famous Estonian model Carmen Kass (I´m sure there will come a day when she´s the face of Kriss Soonik).

Between the meetings I spent my spare minutes on Times Square taking pictures of some of my favourite Americans. The Smurf knew exactly how to strike a pose. Very en vogue!

Next day the set-up for America´s biggest trade show – Curve – started. Over three days we saw all our existing customers and brand new stores. Comments on our designs being “so different” has always been the biggest compliment. And oh how many of those did we hear this time! But the real highlight? The sushi I got to share every single day with my amazing neighbours Lascivious and Gilda & Pearl. A bento box in a US portion is the best thing ever. Guaranteed.

Last evening in New York we had drinks in The Press Lounge, a roof-top bar in Ink48 Hotel. For a European girl this was a true “Sex & the City” moment. What amazing views on the Hudson and Manhattan. And what fantastic company (on the below image from left) – Alison from one of our favourite boutiques Faire Frou Frou, Lindsay from the fantastic That je ne sais quoi blog, Ari who designs the chicest pyjamas in New York for her label Ari Dein, then there´s me, and Sarah from another wonderful blog Style on the Couch.

Unbelievably we were all dressed in black, leaving the impression of belonging to a weird cult. Yes, we belong to a very secret and chic knickers cult!

Thank you to everyone who made the trip unforgettable! Bring on all new adventures!

Kriss x

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Our love affair with navy continues

Last week ELLEUK.com made a discovery in their lingerie article (which also featured our lace set) : “midnight blue underwear is the most flattering shade you can wear – whether worn against milky white or olive brown skin it is utterly alluring. Not as harsh as black, but richer and sexier than paler shades.” Well, not that I´m bragging here, but we already knew that! That was the exact reason why we added dark blue to our summer collection.

As you know I am trying and testing all styles on myself and this summer I have become hooked on our navy Helen Lace Wrap. I think over the summer I´ve taken it everywhere – to the beaches in Spain, to the London College of Fashion graduates show and a chic wedding in Cyprus. I even tried seducing my boyfriend with it (hint: match it with the Silvia and Maike Lace set). I´ve been literally living in it. The gown is versatile and can be easily taken from a very posh to a much more relaxed setting, while looking glamorous all the way. Of course it´s not missing our typical quirky touch and the patent shoulder and pocket detailing with the tiny bows give it a modern edge.

Navy trend has definitely had its moment this summer but we believe that it´s here to stay longer. We haven´t got enough of the colour and while this summer we´ve showed it in a more playful way then for the AW12 collection we will bring out it´s even more glamorous side. Mixing navy with black and gold. Classic.

Here´s a teaser from the new collection launching in September 2012. Diana Monarch Wrap – Limited Edition and totally worth queueing for.


Photo: Kristel Raesaar, Model: Nelery Rastas, Make-up: Kirki Kubri, Hair: Sille Herma @ Savannah

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