Couples That Play Together Stay Together.......

Some people love surprises, some don’t. Some surprises live up to expectations, some don’t. Valentine’s Day has become a “holiday” with a lot of expectations. Once, my partner brought me marshmallows covered with coconut for Valentine’s Day and said, “I know you don’t like chocolate, so…” Turns out coconut marshmallows are his favorite candy. NOT MINE! That was not a good beginning to the night. How many times have we heard this story at g: “My husband really wanted me to wear this on Valentine’s Day but it’s a small and I’m a size 10. I didn’t want to disappoint him but I felt horrible when I put this on.” Broken dreams, unreal expectations, embarrassment, awkwardness…..Let’s avoid all of this on Valentine’s Day by making the planning part of the day.

Shop together, it’s the greatest foreplay. Watch her try on lingerie but don’t touch. All day on Valentine’s Day you will have the image in your mind. Bet you can’t wait to come home. Plan the meal, plan the massage, plan the movie but plan it together. In the last 5 years we have seen a huge growth in couple’s shopping together for Valentine’s Day. Try it and see how it works for you. How about this for a plan:

1.        Meet after work at one of your favorite Bucktown restaurants for an appetizer and a cocktail.

2.        Stroll over to g boutique together and pick out some new lingerie and a new toy.

3.        Have dinner at another hot Bucktown spot or at home.

4.        Hide the g bags until February 14^th.

5.        Get into bed and whisper about how excited you are to try your new toy together in a few weeks.

6.        Next….hmmmmm.

See you at g.

2012: The Year of Enjoyment

Well, we made it. It’s 2012. The Iowa caucuses are over, Obama’s still the president, the economy is……..(I’ll let you fill in the blank), and everyone is still having sex. Right? So, what’s on the horizon for 2012? Seems like a lot of us have taken stock and made some hard decisions in the past 3 years, now it is time to enjoy what’s really important to us.

I see women and men returning to quality. If it touches your body, it should make you feel good. We see a renewed commitment to supporting local businesses and recognizing customer service as a major reason for doing business. When we opened g boutique 10 years ago, Kari and I searched everywhere to find a place where we felt good about shopping for lingerie and erotica. A place that made us feel good about having questions and seeking new adventures with our partners. We started speaking to friends and realized there were many women who wanted to talk more about sex but did not know where to go. Our idea was to create a like-minded community. This is the essence of g.  

We want you to know that we are always on the lookout for softer, sexier, better fitting lingerie, something new in toys and the greatest lube in the whole wide world. We are committed to letting you know what’s safe for you. We never sell something we do not believe in, even if so many other stores are selling it. We stand by our products and our vendors.

In 2012 we will see new fabric blends like modal/cashmere from Cosabella, more printed lace and organic fabrics and a continued commitment to sustainable manufacturing and better information for the public. Colors are trending towards contentment colors like soft, muted lavenders, corals and jades.  The last 3 years have focused on function and realism. We will soon see a trend towards unique, individualism, a celebration of our artistic sensibility. The daring will be unmatched. They will be guided by emotion and whimsy. Brands like Fleur’t, Eberjey and Irely are creating new silhouettes every season that celebrate femininity. The French continue to offer bras with the highest quality and attention to detail but global manufacturing practices are bringing quality up and price down in several lines like Blush and Elle MacphersonIntimates.

The toy industry has changed drastically since we opened 10 years ago. Quality has increased and finally companies are manufacturing toys with women in mind. Our friends at Tantus, Fun Factory, and Vibratex have been setting the standards for years and people are listening. We sing praises for these companies everyday. Standard Innovation turned the industry around with the invention of the We-Vibe. Now on its third rendition, with remote control, it just keeps getting better. Lelo is another company that continues to please women and couples with their attention to quality design and craftsmanship. JimmyJane, Toy Friends, Tenga, N’Joy and more are among the industry leaders, with new designs appearing each season.

 

In 2012 we look forward to discovering the Ola by M!nna and more musical discoveries from Oh Mi Bod. The trend is towards more responsive toys that are programmable and respond to music and touch. Customizable, multi-sensuality is the path we are heading down. If we had a wish for our toy manufactures it would be to work with the lube.

New Year, New You, New Lingerie!

There is nothing better to aid you in your ultimate makeover for 2012 then treating yourself to an edgy but classic bra and panty set from Maison Close. Before 2012 pokes it’s face out from around the corner, make sure you give yourself the key piece to start your spicy year off right. This year indulge in your hidden desires that will not only embrace your womanhood but have your partner swooning over you. Maison Close is the perfect combo of pairing erotic, chic and elegant all in one beautiful collection. The high fashion line offers sexy underwear, striking hosiery, tasty bras, and additional bold intimate accessories.

As women we often forget about spoiling ourselves and tend to get buried under everyone else’s needs. This year while you’re carefully crafting your NYE resolution list of how to conquer  2012, remember that first on your list is to embrace your femininity and give your body a special treat. This year do not abandon your needs and put yourself last on the list. Giving the gift of new and saucy lingerie is not only for your partner’s pleasure  but for you to feel risqué  and desirable on your own as well.

 Maison Close  allows you to tap into sensuality while still making you feel comfortable in your intimates.

Elisa Purls Joins G Boutique for our Annual SANTA BABY Burlesque Workshop

Hi everybody,

Happy to be back this year at G Boutique for another round of Santa Baby Burlesque!

If you're not familiar with who I am, my name is Elisa Purls and I am a burlesque performer.  Nice to meet you.  I have been around for 5 years and am a coquette at the Kiss Kiss Cabaret, a weekly burlesque show playing at the Greenhouse Theater. 

Burlesque has been around for a long time; it's the art of tease, not just a strip, but a put together act that is solid with choreography and costuming.  I got into burlesque shortly after quitting ballet.  I was tired of fighting with my weight and constantly made to feel inadequate.  It was very unhealthy for me, many of us ex-ballerinas share a similar story.  Burlesque gave me the creative outlet I was missing, without hating my body or needing to change.  It's a woman-positive art, a display of natural body types with no shame or boundaries, which is why I love teaching burlesque!

I feel like a lot of people who sign up for my classes usually don't know what to expect, I think that's part of the allure.  Really, it's just like any other dance class, just sexier!  We start off with sexy warm ups, sexy stretching and ending it by putting our moves together to a song… Voila- we have a sexy routine.  Santa Baby is a actually an act of mine that I've adapted to teach in classes.  It's very different from what I teach at the G private parties, much more tittilating and slow!  So if you want to learn some new moves, check out what burlesque is all about or just want to have a good time with your girlfriends, sign up and I'll see you on Wednesday! 

Don't forget to check out my site www.elisapurls.com for more information about my performances, blog and store.

Fleurt Bella Noche Gown

By the time I was 10 years old, I was only wearing underwear from Marks & Spencer. Nothing else would do. They were the softest, best fitting panties in the world, according to me. Fortunately my mom had a friend who brought them back from London for me on a pretty regular basis. Who knew that my little Marks & Spencer obsession would turn into a lifelong pursuit for the PERFECT panty.

Fast forward many years to the first time I touched a pair of boyshorts from Fleur’t. I was immediately addicted to the fabric and the style. Thank you Nancy Yoo (Designer of Fleur't) After rock & roll, photography and literature, Ms. Yoo saw the need for flirty, feminine lingerie that fits and feels good. She made it happen.

From everyday boyshorts and camis to flirty little chemises, pj’s and comfy bralettes, Fleur’t is all about designing for an audience of women who are bold, creative, active and love to feel good. Lace trimmed boyshorts sit low on the hips with fabric that hugs and stretches in all the right places. Camis all have a shelf bra or a lining for comfort and fit. Chemises are full of whimsy and style that inspires your inner flirt and now a gown that is all about the back. 

Fleur't Top Drawer Boypant

Each delivery of Fleur’t  sends a wave of excitement through g boutique. The boyshorts have quickly become a staff favorite and we seem to touch the chemises and pajamas every time we walk by them.  To purchase our fave Fleur't pieces click here.
 

BLOWING Your Mind

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The Cosabella Story

Cosabella founder, Valeria Campello, was recently featured in a magazine story. I found her story an inspiration for women who value family, business and creativity. Valeria moved to the United States with her family for what was supposed to be a brief work assignment for her husband. Living in America with an Italian law degree and small children at home was frustrating. Instead of complaining, she creatively linked her hometown to her new life by creating this famous Italian brand that is a family business in every way. I love visiting the Cosabella booth at lingerie shows. If you have any questions, there is always a family member on hand to give you answers and support the lifestyle choices that gives Cosabella depth and staying power in this industry.

Here is Valeria's story...

The Cosabella Story

Oct 18, 2011 by Jenifer Mangione
“She is a trailblazer, but the most humble—I think—the most humble woman around. There aren’t many others like her. She has made a brand,” explained Guido Campello, Vice President of Sales, Branding & Innovation for Cosabella, a Made In Italy lifestyle apparel brand, about his mother, Valeria Campello, the company’s founder.

Humble is not a word one normally associates with the fashion industry, especially for a brand that has been embraced by celebrities, but Valeria did not plan to create one of the world’s leading lingerie companies. Speaking with her it’s as though she is somewhat surprised by her success.

“I’m not a designer. I’m not particularly fashion-oriented myself. I had to learn it. But I am a creative person—that definitely,” she shared.

What she planned was to have a family and become a corporate lawyer near her native town of Carpi in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, which now also hosts Cosabella’s global distribution offices. She had graduated from law school and was on her way to achieving that goal when her husband, Ugo, who was working for a glass factory, was given the opportunity to relocate, briefly, to Miami to lead his company’s expansion into that market.

“I graduated got married, had children and when I would’ve started the practice, I never did because I came to America,” she explained.

She and Ugo knew they were taking a risk in leaving their comfortable life in Italy and at that time they already had their three-year old daughter, Silvia, and Campello was pregnant with Guido. But it was a risk they were willing to take—albeit originally with the intention of it being temporary. However, soon after she arrived in Miami, Valeria became restless.

“I was always at home with the children while my husband traveled for work and I began to grow anxious and weary because I’m not one to sit still for long.”

Law school had taught her resourcefulness, and she began to wonder what to do while Ugo worked.

“Law school taught me to find always another answer. You have to find a solution or an answer to work it out,” she explained. “So I thought, ‘OK, I’m in America, what am I going to do?’” she explained.

The answer was Carpi. As it happened, her hometown was known throughout Italy as being a destination for fashion and Campello saw an opportunity to bring Made In Italy products to Miami. Soon, she was importing clothing from “friends and friends-of-friends.”

“My first stock of Made in Italy products included embroidered tops, linen sets and Egyptian cotton t-shirts. The small success of this Italian product showed me that American women take Made In Italy quality seriously,” she explained.

This initial success led to subsequent opportunities, each of which Campello acted upon, and soon her star was on the rise and she was making contacts with buyers and others who would propel her business to the next level. ...more
 
See g boutique's collection of Cosabella here