Florence Morris-Clarke’s Magical, Folklore-Inspired Lingerie

By ESTELLE PULESTON

If you’re on the hunt for lingerie so elaborate and otherworldly it appears crafted by fairies, look no further than English designer-maker Florence Morris-Clarke, who founded her eponymous label in 2022 to help women “feel their most magical, seductive and curious selves”.

A contour design graduate of the London College of Fashion, she stumbled across the course while researching a potential career in costume design and instantly felt it was the perfect fit. “I have always adored the magical feeling lingerie can give you,” says Morris-Clarke, “it can be your own little secret, or shared only with those you grant to share it with – in some ways I feel this makes it your truest form of self-expression.”

After graduating, she honed her skills at other brands for a few years before deciding to launch her own label, inspired by Celtic literature, folkloric art and our connection with the natural world.

Quickly, though, she discovered that the beautiful fabrics she had previously been working with simply weren’t available to an independent designer on a strict budget. That’s when her mother, a jeweler, taught her some wirework techniques, and she began experimenting with how to translate this newfound skill into forms that followed the curves of the body.

It led to the development of a stunning capsule collection of wire and crystal bras, accompanied by sheer coordinates dripping with the same crystal and semi-precious stone adornments. With their dangling gems, almost invisible tulle fabrics, and a hint of shimmering silver satin where required for structure and adjustability, the effect is almost like wearing water itself.

“I adore the detail and visual intricacy of lingerie, that so many individual pieces and layers are often involved to build garments together… The delicacy combined with the contrasting structural elements, the opportunity for ornate abundance – there is so much magic to be made and found in lingerie”, explains the designer, who hand-crafts every piece from start to finish herself. It’s a time-consuming process, but one that allows for bespoke adjustments and means that every piece is a slightly one-of-a-kind creation.

Other currently-available Florence Morris-Clarke designs focus around corsetry, crafted from fabrics such as natural linen, recycled-fiber satin or luxury deadstock lace, and with draped off-shoulder details and hip ties in delicate, airy fabrics or strung together using freshwater pearls.

“In today’s throw-away society, I think it’s important to keep real hands-on forms of craft alive,” she says, “Also, the world simply doesn’t need more ‘stuff’, so if I’m going to add to that, it needs to be something that is really special.”

Every garment is made to order, and any waste fabric is sent off to a local company to be upcycled into pillow stuffing. This is truly slow, artisanal fashion – and the breathtaking results speak for themselves. Only fairies or a lot of very painstaking handiwork could bring these pieces to life!

Florence Morris-Clarke’s wire and crystal pieces – which have detachable elements for easy laundering – are priced from £385 to £1,550 (approx. $520 to $2,100), while the corsets and accompanying thongs range from £175 to £425 (approx. $240 to $575). The brand’s standard size range runs from XXS to XXL in bras, US 2-14 in bottoms and US 2-16 in corsets.