inspire – Page 3

inspire – Luxurious Weekends

05.03.2013 by btslingerie // Leave a Comment

So many weeks get gobbled up by a long list of unexpected to-do’s and it’s so easy for the weekend time and work time to blur together. It feels like it gets harder and harder to put down the electronics and un-wind doesn’t it?

Making “me time” is not really a luxury (even though it feels that way sometimes) but a necessary part of recharging for the week’s work ahead. Luxurious weekends don’t just happen naturally, often they require a little bit of planning.

The last couple of weekends we have spent time in the kitchen, reconnecting and “disconnecting” from our weekly selves. Trying new recipes and enjoying the delicious tastes and the end-result of a satisfying meal. But there are so many ways to unwind, that although seemingly small can lead us back to that mental clarity and peace we are seeking.

Read a book

Nothing transports us like our own imagination. Movies are great, but they feed us images that are acted and captured by someone else. The experience of reading a book draws on our own emotions and imagination in an entirely different way. Combined with soothing music and a good cup of tea and this is a luxurious way to unwind. Find some great reads to add to your reading list on our pinterest board of “Books to read Between the Sheets”

Go for a walk!

image via @BTSlingerie instagram

There is no better way to get yourself out of a rut than to get up and get moving. Now that the weather is warming up you can reconnect with nature, but even in the winter months local museums can offer a wonderful way to expand your mind and change your scenery.

Cook or Bake Something New!

rose flavored macarons image via @LingerieLayla instagram

gluten free pumpkin scones
image via @LingerieLayla instagram

green tea crepe mille cake (adapted to be gluten free)
image via @LingerieLayla Instagram

fragrant pho noodle bowl with watercress and shallots
image via @LingerieLayla instagram

Whether you go for something “new-to-you” or “tried and true” depends on how adventurous you are. Our baking journey has prompted us to try gluten free versions of the comfort treats we used to love but can’t find- like gluten-free pumpkin scones. Looking for inspiration for something new? We’ve been “feasting” with our eyes first on our pinterest boards “in the kitchen” and “sweet tooth” you can find some tantalizing new ideas with links to recipes that have made it onto our “must try” list.

Do-it-Yourself

DIY colored mason jars
image via @LingerieLayla instagram

The combination of craft and physical exertion can be rewarding in more ways than one- finishing a long desired project can fill your home with that fresh energy, and the physical energy that some of those projects can take will leave you feeling perhaps a bit sore but in that healthy accomplished way. Perhaps leave the projects that require heavy lifting to the professionals, because the last thing you want is to spend your sunday sore. Tackle something small like painting a table or chair, hanging/framing photos, or re-organizing cluttered closets and pantries. Need some creative push? Check out our pinterest board on DIY for some ways to spice up your home.

Pamper

image via @LingerieLayla instagram

Whether it’s the latest spin class, yoga, or a manicure – find a way to treat yourself to something that makes you feel good. If a trip to the salon or spa is out of the question, transform your space with candles and create your own mini oasis.

Let us know how you unwind and if you have a recharge ritual for your weekend!

inspire – phoenix

08.30.2011 by btslingerie // Leave a Comment

For this most recent collection I wanted to share the travels of my design eye, the thought process and the research that I put into my inspirations and how they are distilled into wearable luxury lingerie for everyday. My inspiration began with something I’ve collected for years, feathers. Ever since I was little I have found and brought home feathers, crow feathers, pigeon feathers, dove feathers… it never mattered to me as long as they were pretty. I thought they were special, and at one point I also thought the birds left them for me for good luck! I started to look into this personal superstition of mine about a year ago, when one day I found a feather cross my path and felt the inexplicable urge to pick it up. I battled my inner censor who warned me about the bird flu and in the end the childhood awe won out. I started to search for feather stories to see if I could trace back where this belief I had found stemmed from, and quickly came to the realization that it was the story of none other than DUMBO. How could I forget?! The thing that struck me was that my takeaway from this story was that feathers are lucky, when truly the moral of the story is about believing in yourself and in the end Dumbo can fly without the feather. But perhaps I fell asleep part way through and never got that, and as an adult its often hard to shake those long held childhood beliefs.

I’ve always believed that the best designs come from something personal and unique to the designer, and the same could be said for art or artists. So I decided i would embark upon the task of creating my first textile. I thought about prints, but what I love about Between the Sheets Collection is its simplicity and minimalism, the focus on texture and opacity is what I like to play with in this collection. So my mind immediately jumped to a material I had not considered – lace. I am sure many of my fans/followers know of my affinity for lace. I had a professor who said she could never forget a lace, and I must say I think I’ve picked up that character. So far with Between the Sheets Collection the idea of lace seemed too “ornamental” for the brands minimalistic aesthetic. I love lace for my luxe collection, but the challenge of creating a lace that could be both textured and monochromatic is where my journey began. I’ll document that journey in a future post, because in the full scope of designing a new season it was a fraction of the journey.After my discovery of the symbol of the new season, I delved deeper into the meaning of feathers, different birds and their symbolism. I wanted to find one that spoke to me, and one day I saw an image and one word popped into my head “phoenix” and the idea of a feather as a symbol of a mythical bird took hold. I found the story of the phoenix fit my personal outlook on life, that nothing is final and that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Also the idea of distilling an animate object or creature into its simplest form is a concept I was introduced to in art history studies, and when other teenagers were freaking out over the backstreet boys my friend and I could hardly contain ourselves on a field trip to the Norton Simon in Pasadena when we saw Brancusi’s Bird in Space in the hall next door. Since then I have visited as many museums with a copy of this sculpture- big and small, silver, bronze, gold, or marble I stalk this sculpture! I had Josh stand guard on our trip to LACMA while I took pictures of their not one, but two copies for my personal stash. Yes, I have dared he wrath of many a museum security guard in my hunt for my brancusi-fix.

designer Layla L'obatti at MET - Brancusi bird in space sculpture in white marble

me at the met, I know the way to this one [brancusi’s Bird in space] by heart. It’s not the biggest version I’ve seen or my favorite but t has a home in my heart bc it is nyc’s own and the only white one I’ve seen. bracusi bird in space at the norton simon

bracusi bird in space at the norton simon

this version is by far the largest I have seen in my travels, and I think dislayed the most beautifully under a large skylight and dominating the center of the room so that it takes center stage and looks like it could fly through that skylight at any moment. This was the one me and my friend freaked out about like it was a rock star! Art nerd, right here.

So now I had one fabric – which will equal one new group… which needed a name. For those of you who are loyal fans you know that all of our collections have the word “PLAY” in them. It was an intellectual challenge I chose to set for myself and inevitably each season coming up with a new range of names with play in them is a word game I relish. First two things that popped into my mind were “Birds of a feather” and quickly following that “Birds of Prey”… now this was a stroke of luck and coincidence, prey sounded so similar to play that it just jumped out. The next step is my focus group – family, friends, bloggers, other designer friends and everyone who heard it smiled or laughed – the desired reaction!

So now the challenge was what comes first, the chicken or the egg… the fabric or the collection. I knew I wanted to design two new groups – but now the other had to sit next to and harmonize with Birds of Play. I went through my fabric library and nothing called out to me until I came across a mesh sample I had pulled a while before. I had introduced mesh last fall and it didn’t sell, we dropped the styles before they were produced. I wasn’t sure what exactly it was that kept me from truly loving that previous group… but I decided to take another stab at it. This time I would focus on flirtier sexier styles… and I think that was the key.

Wait… we’re still not done. I needed a name! The previous mesh group was “open to play” so that was retired. I won’t list the thesaurus list of words I went through and or the other options I didn’t choose because I’m holding them in my back pocket for some future groups, but suffice it to say that the words bird and air and flight were batted around, before we settled on “Airplay” It just seemed to fall into place with Phoenix and Birds of Play… and so our fall collection was born from the ashes of all the failed attempts at mesh, from all the not quite right play names, and from the many not quite right fabrics. I think what we have is a complement to the rich and luxurious loungewear styles that we already make, and the result is a merging of the sexy everyday underlayers with the soft and inviting sleep and lounge we are known for.

Stay tuned for some behind the scenes from our photoshoot, and also for the full lookbook coming up!

xo
Layla

Arabesque, new luxe range coming soon…

03.14.2011 by btslingerie //

layla with model elena at all on the line set day of the final presentation to cusp buyers with Joe Zee

Created in part for the new show starring elle magazine creative director Joe Zee called All on the Line, this new luxe range from Layla L’obatti for BTS is sure to turn heads and take the lingerie world by… sand storm? In her own words, designer Layla L’obatti reveals her inspiration behind the new collection:

I wanted to call upon my dueling cultural backgrounds with this latest collection, to play a subtle dance between eastern and western influences, and to tell a story of romance and intrigue that could cross borders and still read as timeless and exquisitely beautiful.

I was captivated by this lace with a lovely dancing black line in it that reminded me of the inside of a Persian palace I visited as a child. I continue to be inspired the drape, movement, and fluidity of silk and it just fits in with the luxury range, so from my western side I continued to delve into the idea of dance and one of the most difficult moves being arabesque, it hit me that this name would be the perfect marriage of the two concepts. Arabesque also happens to describe the types of designs depicting flora in middle eastern architecture. I kept these architectural details in mind with artful miters of lace mimicing the eaves of those palaces and iconic structures on that youthful trip to the middle east. I did branch out with the addition of stretch velvet details as well as a printed microfiber set which adds a totally new and different kind of texture to this collection.

This collection was designed in part for an upcoming reality show, so I can’t reveal all the details and images just yet. So stay tuned for more updates (and possibly a teaser video?) Our episode airs April 19th at 10pm on Sundance Channel and will be available on iTunes if you don’t receive Sundance.

xo
Layla

inspire – Luxurious Weekends

inspire – phoenix

Arabesque, new luxe range coming soon…

About

Archives

Categories