(Filed Under wholesale Lingerie News). Shell Belle, the luxury swim and lingerie line from the UK, offers certain high end retailers in the U.S. the opportunity to make some real money. Okay, so you couldn’t call the prices low (the designs we liked at CurveNY wholesale for between $34 and $128). But designer Michelle Blenkinsopp packs more in the way of silks, tulles, French leavers lace, antique veils, shell edging, ladder inserts and unique and unusual styling than many famous brands wholesaling for twice as much.

Blenkinsopp, who launched the label in 2010, spent “23 years working in couture” both as a designer (for such companies as Janet Reger, Debenhams, By Caprice among others) as well as an illustrator for a leading fashion trend service. She was at the most recent CurveNY for the first time, but has been to the Paris shows three times and has received much attention from the European press and specialty blogs.

The label is produced in Mauritius, and has a “vintage inspired” look which transports her customers, according to the designer, from “beach to boudoir.” And then some, since many of the pieces can “cross over into outerwear.”

One of our favorite designs at the show was a silk cotton gown with a lace back (made from a vintage veil) that wholesales for $128. We also liked a one-piece black bathing suit with a delicate pink ribbon bow stitched on the front wholesaling for $61. Other suits wholesale from $40.

A cotton silk under wire bra (in a dusty rose with a print featuring migrating swans) that we admired was $56; the matching lace back panty, $34. A metallic French leavers lace slip from the “Great Gatsby collection,” wholesales for $128. A beautiful (and complicated) camisole in silk crepe de chine with a second layer of lever’s lace on top, features a dramatic ladder insert down the front and cutaway applique. Yes, it wholesales for $69, but it would look like a bargain in a shop at $199.

In England the line already sells in such stores as Fortnum & Mason, Fenwick Bond Street and top boutiques. In the U.S. Shell Belle is sold in such stores as Nancy Meyer in Seattle, Jane’s Vanity in Portland, Trousseau in Dallas and Sirens at the Beach in Florida.

The goal of this American trip: “Really just to find some outlets that want to stock beautiful lingerie and understand the concept of beautiful slip dressing,” said Blenkinsopp. “People buy these as heirloom pieces. They are going to pass them down and treasure them.”

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Published 08-14-2012 by Nick Monjo