I’ve been vacationing in Lille for Christmas and was pleasantly surprised to stumble across the Livy store on the rue de la Grande Chaussee. To be completely honest, I hadn’t heard of Livy until my charming shopping experience, so I did some research. Below is a recount of my experience in the store and a bit of background information about the brand.
French lingerie designer Lisa Chavy founded Livy in 2017. Working in the lingerie industry for over fifteen years, Lisa worked five years in luxury for brands such as Christian Lacroix and Galliano. Lisa launched her own ready-to-wear lingerie brand with the idea of wanting to bring affordable luxurious lingerie to women. She partnered with the president of French lingerie label Etam and she now works with the finest French lace manufactures such as Sophie Halette and Noyon, adding a classic lace touch to her contemporary designs. Livy offers lingerie, swimwear and loungewear for a youthful, cosmopolitan woman. The lingerie collections are made of three lines ‘Paris’, ‘New York’ and ‘L.A.’. Inspired by these cities unique lifestyle each line offers a different aesthetic all with the recurring theme of modern luxurious sensuality. Paris is described as sexy and chic, New York as graphic and innovative, and L.A as casual and slow-life.
Contemporary French lingerie Brand Livy
“Today’s women are international. We are multi-faceted and open to new experiences and reinvention – LIVY is a celebration of free-spirited women and we do not restrict ourselves to any particular age group or body shape. A LIVY woman is smart, independent, ambitious and explorative. The name LIVY resonated with me due to its similarity to the word En Vie, which means Alive in French.” - Lisa Chavy”
Lisa Chavy Creative Director of Livy
As I entered the Lille Livy store, I found myself completely taken by the in-store experience and wonderful product range. A charming, modern store layout lit with warm lights and product elegantly presented. Presented was an extensive collection of new and past pieces. I really loved their selection of everyday, modern, practical lingerie merchandised with more special, sexy lingerie. Needless to say, I just had to try on everything and buy a Livy lingerie set irrespective of my modest budget post-Christmas expenses. The store assistant was very helpful, friendly and polite, and after I choose about five sets (yes couldnt help myself!), she kindly put me in the change room.
Trying on various styles in size 32B and bottoms between XS-S, I found the brands sizing both in the fit of the cup and bottom styles to be a bit inconsistent. As I am on the smaller scale of a 32B (my actual size is 30C) I found that non-wired, triangle styles worked best for me. I had a good chance to examine and admire the finer details of the lingerie and was very impressed with the attention to detail and quality of Livy’s lingerie. I am always conscious of the fitting room lighting as many women know lighting is crucial in either making you feel great about your exposed body or not so good. In this case the fitting room lighting was a bit dark in my opinion.
As a lingerie designer myself, I am always on the lookout for innovative lingerie design and sewing finishes. I was pleasantly enthralled to find some very thoughtful design and functions. I especially liked the considerate touch of having a fabric cover for the bra back hook and eye closure, an invitation to uncover your back bra as a styling option. The designers have really thought through the idea of innerwear as outerwear. A lot of their collection felt very ‘fashion’, with trims and fabrics that lend themselves to be purposely revealed. From a design point of view, I have to say am very influenced by Livy’s perfect balance of vintage, innovative and modern designs all coming together seamlessly.
My choice was hard to make, I considered purchasing two sets but practiced a little bit of self-restraint, I could have easily bought at least three had I the budget! I settled on winsome, white and yellow lingerie set part of the L.A. collection titled Monterey. The balcony bra priced £130.00 featured a 70s inspired, eye-catching yellow stripped elastic strap, retro style off-white lace with nude tulle cutouts and silk chiffon binding. On the cup, there is one large white lace floral applique. The front draws you in with a simple piece of nude tulle joining the cups and what looks like a monowire but is actually just the casing extended and joining at center front. This particular piece was made in Tunisia and the attention to detail and fine finishes really have a luxurious feel and look to the set. My only criticism would be that the strap does not allow for resizing, it is a set length. As I am short in the torso, the straps will need customization, at that price point you would expect that practical option. There was only one bottom option for the knickers, a cheeky Brazilian cut priced at £55.00 in silk and lace, featuring matching yellow elastic sides and the same white lace floral applique at front.
Monterey set by Livy
Having worked in retail management for many years, I am always very aware of the service that I receive in any store I shop. I am not a big online shopper, I love to see, touch and try the product before I buy it. I also think that supporting retail stores and boutiques is so important in our ever-changing economic climate, so I always make an effort to go instore. I was very satisfied with the level of customer service I received in the Livy Lille store. The sales assistant was attentive but not overbearing, she suggested styling options and was happy for me to try on as much as I wanted. I spent an hour in the store and could have easily spent more but I was content with my choice. Overall a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend Livy. I am super excited to wear this unique piece of lingerie, I am also excited for the future of this modern brand and look forward to being a returning customer. The magic of the French woman has always captivated me and now I feel I have a little bit of that je ne sais quoi.
Rating:
Product Quality *****
Design ****
Retail experience *****
Online experience ****
Pricing *****