This article originally ran in the October 2013 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see related photo gallery
With a new line of corsets that will be ready in time for the holiday season, Baci Lingerie conducted a photo shoot for the collection that sets a new tone for the company.
“Before this, we have always had backdrops for the lingerie shoots that were castles and had a very European feel,” said Alicia Sinclair, director of sales and operations for Baci Lingerie. “With this new collection, we wanted a different feel, something along the lines of Hollywood glamour.”
On a summer day in a house high in the Hollywood Hills, a photo crew and a bevy of beautiful models settled in to capture on film the newest collection.
The Baci Lingerie Corset Collection came about after several customers and retailers requested the fashion pieces, Sinclair said.
“Our goal for this collection was to have something for everyone,” she said. “We knew there were already several corsets out there that were very high end and others that were made specifically for adult stores, but there didn’t seem to be anything in between. That’s the gap we wanted to fill.”
To do that, Baci Lingerie sought out designers of corsets and found Sonya Raaste.
“She was already making handmade corsets, so she had that experience we were looking for,” Sinclair said. “When we met with her, she was so well organized and had inspiration for this collection early on. It was amazing to work with someone who had that blueprint.”
Raaste said the entire collection—23 pieces—took a few months to design and create.
“Alicia had asked for corsets that could be worn in the bedroom, to the office and on the town,” she said. “Baci wanted to get corsets out there that were for everyone.”
Raaste said before now, corsets made for the bedroom had plastic boning or were designed for hardcore waist training. These corsets—which feature various designs and fabrics, including denim and brocade—are a blend of those styles.
“These could be seen on the catwalk, but also in everyday life,” Raaste said.
And while Baci Lingerie has covered everything from basic bra and panties sets to bedroom costumes, the Baci Lingerie Corset Collection takes the brand in a new direction, Sinclair said.
“We have had that same European look since 2010, so it was time to freshen it up,” she said. “We have amazing stylists and hair and makeup people who are giving us a bit of Hollywood glamour. We were ready to see something new, and I think retailers were too.”
The new look coincides with the fact that the photo shoot was the first since Frank Koretsky, owner of East Coast News, bought the company.
The shoot took place in a private home in the Hollywood Hills that can be best described as a time capsule. The home, constructed in the 1940s, still maintains the charm of that era, and is tastefully decorated to reflect that time period. The views from the backyard showcase the entire Los Angeles skyline and the surrounding areas.
Against that backdrop, models posed in the collection, which includes cinchers and corsets. Many are reversible, and those that aren’t have privacy panels beneath the lacing. The lacing itself is either lace or ribbon and many pieces feature steel boning for a truer and more secure fit.
Sinclair noted some of the pieces come with extra detailing, such as attachments for garters or neck pieces. There are bridal pieces, and some that are inspired by men’s suits for a more tailored look.
In the initial release, which debuted at the International Lingerie Show in September in Las Vegas, sizes range up to 1X.
“We are starting this in sizes small through 1X, since with the lacing they can be worn by a larger size, and then gauging the responses from there,” Sinclair said.
The initial pieces were launched in time for the Christmas and Valentine’s holidays, while the bridal pieces will be released at the April ILS in time for the spring and summer months.
Supplements to the existing Baci Lingerie catalog are being released with the launches of the Baci Lingerie Corset Collection, Sinclair said.
For more information, visit Baci.com.
