For those who follow me on SOCIAL MEDIA would have seen by now that my workpartment was broken into on Friday March 6th in what appears to be a targeted attack and nearly my entire lingerie collection was stolen. I am completely devastated. I have spent 18 years collecting specialty lingerie pieces and 14 of those were spent buying mainly designer lingerie labels from around the world. These items were ultimately something I wanted to feature in an exhibition further down the track. My collection has been valued at $100K AUD.
People have been shocked to hear the amount I speak of and to be honest so was I when it was all added up. Let me clear up a couple facts. I am in no way a rich girl. In fact I'm poor. I just chose the lifestyle I wanted to lead for a reason. It's my passion AND career. I skimped and saved to purchase the items I owned. I wanted to reinvest into this collection in order to learn from it and share it with the world. And no I wasn't insured.... So I am back to square one.
My lingerie purchases came instead of holidays and new clothing. Just like people who dined out and partied on the weekends, I chose to hit up online lingerie stores overseas instead. Others bought designer hand bags for special occasions, I saved and spent it on limited edition La Perla Black Label. Others put money aside to save up for a house deposit while I reinvested that money into buying more designer pieces that I could use in photo shoots to share beautiful lingerie images with you. I chose lingerie over a house, a wedding and 2.5 kids... So to me, I have lost it all. Including my anonymity.
Lingerie is not just a crazy addiction for me but has also been my career since I was 21. This isn't a hobby I just flirt with, I am in love with this world for deeper reasons than just "Oh that's pretty lace." I am in this industry to not only change it but also introduce it to those who are not enthusiasts, to see lingerie in a very different light. The way I see it to be.
The reason I became addicted to lingerie in the first place was the way it made me feel about myself and my body. Wearing beautiful lingerie made me feel like a woman. No longer the little girl I previously felt I was. When I put on an outfit only for myself, I felt like a strong, independent and body confident WOMAN. I learnt through lingerie to appreciate and respect my body whatever shape it was at the time. I learnt to not change my natural shape with push up bras or control undergarments. I learnt to not conform to trends version of what a beautiful female form was. I learned to embrace the body that I had and enjoy it. THAT is what I really wanted to share with the world about my lingerie addiction. Learning to be comfortable in your own skin.
My aim was to show women that lingerie shouldn't be about anyone but themselves. You could dress how you wanted, as long as you felt good. It shouldn't be about presenting a certain look to the world and that to me is what wearing a basic molded t-shirt bra was all about. Conforming to an eras trend of what a beautiful female form was rather than finding a garment that actually fit YOUR personal shape and positioning. Bra fitting is truly an art form.
I am a professional fitter. I am a personal and photographic lingerie stylist. I help guide companies in the right direction. I train bra fitters and lingerie customer service. I even used to make lingerie full time. But what I do online is just for the love of the industry and must fit around my full time and added part time work life. I don't get paid to blog or post things on Instagram. I do this because I can see how much things need to change and become more visible in order to help this industry grow in Australia. Companies can only push what they do and other lingerie bloggers can only assist with what they know through their love of lingerie. But my background and knowledge comes from behind the fitting room door and sweatshop floor with 15 years of experience. I'm not a fan girl. This is my career.
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| Some of the pieces that were stolen |
I will be trying to share more of my experiences and knowledge on here now. I neglected the blog itself as I didn't realise people were really listening, until after the theft and people spoke up (and I actually checked my stats....). I want to share some of the stories I get to hear and some of the things I take for granted people not in the industry, might not know.
So please, watch this space! I promise I will try to post more.
Till next week.
My Lingerie Addiction
Shiori
