Knicker Blogger

Lingerie, love hearts, flowers and chocolates... that's what comes to mind when we think of Valentine's Day!

We are willing to bet many of you have wondered exactly where Valentine's Day originated from but never had the inclination to find out?  So we did some digging on your behalf and came across a number of theories the most popular of which is listed below:

• The name Valentine is thought to have come from a famous Saint believed to have been a priest from Rome in the third century AD. When Emperor Claudius II banned marriage in order to maintain a strong army, Valentine defied him and carried out marriages in secret. When his actions were discovered, Valentine was sentenced to death on February 14. It is said that day, he wrote a farewell note to the jailer's daughter and signed it 'From you Valentine'. This could possibly be the inspiration from which the tradition of Valentine's Day cards originated.

• Valentine's Day is said to have originated from a traditional Roman festival called 'Lupercalia'. This was celebrated every year between February 13-15 in honour of Lupercus, the god of fertility. Men would sacrifice a goat and dog then whip their women with the hides of the animals.  It was believed this would make them fertile.  The Roman Catholic Church eventually decided to Canonise St. Valentine and formalise the legend with a Christian festival dedicated to the romantic legend.

 

Fun Statistics about Valentine's Day

• Over 50% of Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six day run up before the 14th of February.
• Over 70% of people who buy flowers for the occasion are men.
• The average number of wedding proposals made on Valentine's Day is a whopping 220,000.
• Around 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are given each year making it the second largest card giving event of the year.
• Over 30 million heart shaped chocolate boxes will be sold for Valentine's Day. 
• 27% of partners buy each other lingerie for Valentine's Day?! (We think more of this should come from Knicker Locker!)

 

Fun Facts about Valentine's Day

• Italian women often wear red underwear for good luck.
• The popular Valentine's Day flower, the red rose, was the favourite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
• In the 1800's, physicians used to advise their patients to eat chocolate to calm their yearning for a lost love.
• In the middle ages, people who couldn't read or write would sign documents with an 'X' and kiss the 'X' as a sign for sealing the deal.
• In 1868, Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day. He gave it to his beloved in a heart shaped box.
• Every Valentine's Day, the city of Verona receives around 1000 letters addressed to Juliet. This was where Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's epic tale of two lovers is romantically set.
• The phrase 'Wearing your heart on your sleeve' originates from a tradition in the medieval period, where knights on horseback would choose to defend the honour of the woman they loved by tying a handkerchief around the sleeves of their shirts.

 

Top 5 Gifts for Her on Valentine's Day from Knicker Locker

1. B.Sultry from B.Tempt'd

The B.Sultry set is a stunning chic collection that is decorated with beautiful black Chantilly lace over a peach fabric base and topped off with pretty satin bows. The lightly padded balconette bra gives a natural up-lift and great shape for a special occasion or for everyday wear.

2. Jessica from Tutti Rouge

The Jessica set is created with a stunning black lace colour way and downed with a nude trim and red rosebuds. The bra is a non-padded plunge style which features tailor-made additional cookies or 'Tutti Boosters' to gently push the bust up for more cleavage.

3. Aria Camisole Set from Lingadore

The Aria Camisole set is a popular on-trend style for nightwear with black floral lace trim and high quality satin for a sexy, luscious feel.  

4. Susanna Basque from Fantasie

The Susanna Basque is crafted with pure luxury leavers lace over a gold base and black lace trim to create a premium range. It's perfect for making you feel both sexy and supported. 

5. Lace Kiss from B.Tempt'd

      

The stunning new colour way from Lace Kiss is fun and vibrant and decorated with a white polka dot trim for an extra special touch! This bestselling pull-on style is comfortable and stylish to wear anywhere.  

 

Top 5 Gifts for Him on Valentine's Day from Knicker Locker

1. 'Imperial' Boxer Short from Pull-In

The Master Imperial boxer short is quirky and vibrant with a colourful parrot design. The fabric is tantalisingly soft and provides great stretch for a comfortable, supportive fit.

2. 'Equateur' Boxer Short from Pull-In

The Master Equator boxer short is exotic and fruity with a fun tropical print all over. The waistband features the Pull-In logo and is made from high quality Jacquard elastic for pure luxury.

3. 'Silver' Boxer Short from Blackspade

The Silver boxer short is a comfy, sporty style specially crafted with a soft Modal fabric. It has a fashionable jacquard waistband and heat transfer labels to prevent irritation. Perfect for a slim, sleek look. 

4. 'Black Jones' Boxer Short from Waxx

The Black Jones boxer short exhibits a fun and fashionable criss-cross print. The soft, stretch Modal fabric is unique for it's comfort and the clarity of the prints holds extremely well through washing. Be daring with Waxx. 

 5. Red 'Colour' Boxer Short from Blackspade 

The red Colour boxer short is fun and colourful for a great everyday style. With a hight Cotton content it offers ultimate comfort and support. Feel alive with Red.  

 

Top Tips for Men when buying her Lingerie this Valentine's Day 

Shopping for lingerie can be a difficult task even for those well versed at it, but for men it can be even harder. Our top tips can help men get it right and pick up that perfect lingerie gift for her.

• Bra Size - A woman's bra size is the hardest to guess, so don't even try! Look in her laundry basket and lingerie drawer and check the tags on her favourite items. A woman's bra size can vary so don't forget to check a few different styles as well as her recent bras, not her old ones. 

• Dress Size - As well as her bra size, it is always important to know her dress size too. Take a peek at her favourite items of clothing or her knickers to find out her dress size.

• What Style? - There is lots of choice when it comes to style. If you have decided on a bra set, make sure you know whether she wears padded or unpadded bras and what style of knicker she prefers. It could be a brief, short or thong or she may like all three. Women tend to buy practical underwear for themselves so buy something you know will look gorgeous on her! Take a look at our Bra Style Guide to help you. 

• Colour - Pay attention to the colours she wears for clothing or lingerie. Pick a colour you know she can wear with her outfits or possibly her favourite shade! Black is always a safe option and can also mean 'classy' and 'sophisticated', where as the colour Red is 'festive' and 'sexy'. Not all women have a desire for Red so remember to pick carefully!

• Something Extra? - You may want to finish off your gift by adding an extra special touch. This could be our special Lingerie Soak Wash, for all ladies who love to take care of their delicates. Or choose from our beautiful selection of stockings and hold-ups from Cette. It's the least she deserves!

• Gift Wrapping - Don't forget presentation is key! That's why we want to make sure it is easier for you with our fantastic gift wrapping service. We ensure your gift is beautifully wrapped and packaged when it arrives. 

 

Valentine's Day Offer at Knicker Locker

As well as a selection of great Valentine's Day gifts, we have a special offer on our Number 1 'Top Gift for Her' 

Between Monday 1st February - Sunday 14th February we have 20% off the complete B.Sultry set. This includes the bra, knickers (thong or brief) and suspender belt!

Receive your discount at the shopping bag page and don't forget to add on our Valentine's Day gift wrapping for that extra special touch. 

Shop our Valentine's Day collection

 

               

We had the pleasure of talking to Paulene Leese, a Retail Sales Executive for Wacoal Europe about the B.Tempt'd collection and her best bits about Valentine's Day.  

• How long have you worked with Wacoal Europe?

I've been with Wacoal Europe since October 2014, but in the Lingerie industry since 1979. 

• Is Valentine's Day a busy time of the year for you?

Valentine's Day is not necessarily such a busy time for us, as we sell in so far ahead, so February orders are sold from July/August the previous year. However, i do sometimes help with fitting days in stores to help customers choose the perfect set for Valentine's Day.

• What makes B.Tempt'd stand out in the crowd? 

B.Tempt'd stands out from the other brands as it is fashion that fits at affordable prices.

• What is your favourite B.Tempt'd range? 

My favourite B.Tempt'd range is B.Sultry - great shape with beautiful eyelash detail, appealing to all ages. 

• What would be your ideal Valentine's Day evening? 

My ideal Valentine's day would be spent indoors, cooking our favourite food with great music on in the background and lots of laughter. 

• What is your favourite Valentine's Day memory? 

Favourite Valentine's Day memory? A bit random, but i had a major operation on 8th February and was still in hospital. Luckily I was being treated in a private hospital. I had not long been seeing my partner. We were allowed to order dinner for visitors, so i ordered a delicious meal for two. He turned up with a beautiful card and an MP3 player that he had spent ages downloading all my favourite songs - oh and of course chocolate - this proved to me that he was a stayer, kind and thoughtful - and 8 years later, we are still together! 

 

Top Ten Restaurants for Valentine's Day

• Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, Mayfair 
• Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea
• The Waterside Inn, Bray-on-Thames, Berkshire
• Umu Restaurant, Mayfair 
• Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
• The Ledbury, Kensington
• Michael Wignall at the Latymer, Bagshot, Surrey
• Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel)
• The Hand and Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
• Greenhouse, Mayfair 

 

Valentine's Day Cocktail 

Everyone deserves a special drink on Valentine's Day, whether you are single or in a relationship, so we searched high and low for the perfect Valentine's Day cocktail that is sure to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside! 

Honey Bee Mine

• 3 spoons of runny honey
• 2 shots of white rum 
• 1/8 shot of vanilla extract
• 3/4 shot of Champagne

Stir the honey and the rum in a shaker to dissolve the honey. Add in the vanilla extract and shake it with ice. Strain into a chilled glass and top the glass up with champagne. 

For an extra special touch, garnish with a piece of honeycomb!

          

 

Our Top 5 Champagnes you may never have heard of...

The Knicker Locker team recently visited the Champagne region of France.  Without much thought or proper planning we got in the car, picked up our Relais Chateaux guide (because you can't just stay anywhere) and started driving.  

We decided to take the Eurotunnel across the channel because it's simple, easy, quick and we couldn't recommend it more highly.  It's best to book your tickets in advance to make sure you get the best deal, give yourself plenty of time, ultimately if you arrive early you can always catch an earlier train.  

We decided to spend 5 days in the town of Vinay just outside of Epernay and central to the Champagne region.  There are over 19,000 independent growers throughout the region, which means the selection really is vast!  A small tip we picked up from one of the locals is that its best to visit in the first week of July, the growers hold a small festival with music, processions and tastings where one can sip Champagne to their hearts content.  

We found a romantic 5* hotel called Hostellerie La Briqueterie, the perfect place to relax during your stay, the hotel has a spa and Michelin Star restaurant and looks out over the surrounding vineyards.  As a base, for us, it was perfect.  There are a number of other exceptional hotels and eateries within Epernay which is a short five minute drive away.  As a romantic get away for two it really is a treat.

Some interesting facts about champagne.  Most champagnes are made from a blend of three grapes, the Pinot Noir (a red variety), the Pinot Meunier (a red variety related to Pinot Noir) and Chardonnay (a white variety).  A white champagne is called a Blanc de blanc (white from white), a Blanc de noir (white from black) or Rose champagne which are made either by blending red and white grape varieties or using a combination of black varieties and leaving the skins on to colour and flavour the wines before removing them.

Before our trip we were all lovers of blanc de blanc (white champagne), but after tasting so many varieties, we have all come back as blanc de noir (rose champagne) converts, in fact we can't get enough of them.  You don't have to spend a lot, we ferreted out a few truly out of this world champagnes that cost in the region of €15-30 a bottle, but do yourself a favour and stop buying the supermarket big brand names, all you are paying for is the brand name.  If taking a random trip is not something that takes your fancy but quaffing Champagne is, go online or down to your local wine merchant and try some of the smaller independent growers, you will find the quality to be exceptional and the price to be no more than you would spend on a decent bottle of Prosecco or sparkling wine.

We spent each day on a different wine route stopping in at any vineyard that took our fancy, which really is the best way to do it.  For the larger brands make sure you book in advance for the tours as these get booked up fairly quickly.

We've listed a few of our favourite Rose Champagnes below, the Perfect Valentines Day treat, all of which we have tried, bought, quaffed and recommend highly:

1. Aspasie - Brut Rose

2. Collard Picard - Cuvée des Merveilles - Premier Cru (Rose de saignée)

3. Vollereaux - Brut Rose de Saignée

  

4. Joseph Desruets - Premier Cru Rose

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. G.Tribaut - Rose de Reserve

   

Our Top Ten favourite Love Songs

There are thousands of great love songs, old and current, to get you in the mood for love. We have narrowed it down to 10 of our favourites. 

• All of Me - John Legend
• One Call Away - Charlie Puth
• How Long will I Love You - Ellie Goulding
• Beneath your Beautiful - Labrinth ft. Emili Sande
• Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
• I Won't let you go - James Morrison 
• Love me like you do - Ellie Goulding 
• Only Love - Ben Howard
• Over and Over again - Nathan Sykes
• Wherever you will go - Charlene Soraia 

Make sure whatever you do for Valentine's Day, spend it with your loved ones and remember to have fun!

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