Date: c. 1990s
Origin: Belgium
Fabric: French chantilly lace, stretch silk satin
Brand: Carine Gilson
This underwired bra and high leg brief set are a relatively early design Carine Gilson, who initially designed under the label ‘C. Gilson’. Both garments are crafted from a chantilly French lace lined with tulle, with a rear of stretch silk satin. The scallop edge of the lace trims the bra neckline, and a silk rose embellishes the centre front of both pieces. Contrast hand stitching embellishes the seam and leg lines, reminiscent of the basting stitch technique used in couture sewing (a type of contrast stitch used to hold fabric in place temporarily). The knicker is cut with a very rise high leg and a thong back.
Carine Gilson is an eponymous couture lingerie brand, founded by the designer in 1993 in Belgium after graduating from the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts. The label specialises in true couture, luxury lingerie, creating its garments in Brussels-based workshops by couturiers with a minimum of two years of specialist training. Many of the garments can take two full days to create, with eight different artisans working on them. The brand uses exclusively Lyon-made silk and Caudry leavers lace in its designs. According to the brand, 484 pins are used to hand apply the lace appliqué to a single robe design, and the workshop gets through 18,000m of lace flowers per year.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
