United States Shipping Changes

We have now been in business for a little over nine years.  During that time we have had the same shipping costs around the world.  We have been fortunate that business growth combined with a favorable exchange rate has enabled us to retain the same reasonable rates for so long.

However times have finally caught up with us and we need to increase our shipping costs to the United States from $7 USD to $9 USD effective from August 10.   All other rates remain the same.

In the meantime we are offering a free shipping deal until the increased cost comes into effect.  Just use the coupon code ‘shipit’ when going through the checkout to take advantage.  Minimum order size is $30 USD.

Please contact us if you have any questions!

Buy HommeMystere Locally

 

It has taken some time, but HommeMystere now has an entirely separate store dedicated to wholesale sales direct to retailers.

Located at www.hommemysterewholesale.com, the store allows approved businesses to purchase our garments at wholesale prices for their own stores.

One of the reasons many visitors choose not to purchase direct from us is the tyranny of distance and the import taxes they are liable to pay as an order enters their respective country.

Allowing stores to purchase the stock at a wholesale price reduces the tax obligation for the retailer and provides a local point of contact for the customer.

So if own a store and think HommeMystere might be a nice addition to your range, please get in touch via the application form.

If you’re a current customer and would like to purchase from your local shop, please pass on our details!

Visiting our manufacturer in China

Did I miss doing a blog post in March?  This year seems to be flying by so it’s about time I updated our visitors on what we’re up to here at HommeMystere.

Firstly, I have completed my annual visit to see our manufacturer and plan the next 12 months or so.  Although it was a quick trip with just one night in Hong Kong and two in China before returning home, it’s always an experience making the trip.

Many visitors will be familiar with awesome public transport services, but for myself who seldom jumps on a train, I always find the systems in Hong Kong and China incredibly efficient.  The MTR network in Hong Kong is ridiculously easy to use and a 300kmh+ (200mph) bullet train in China is crazy fast and I was on a ‘slow’ leg!

Catching a Bullet Train. We could do with a few of those here in Australia

Traffic in a car is pretty scary but travelling in the Chinese version of Uber is fine with good cars and friendly drivers.  Didn’t see any bottles of water or packets of mints though!

Visiting the company always begins with a quick tour of the factory floor followed by a meal, and I have to admit some of the dishes are certainly an acquired taste.  I was fortunate enough this trip to stumble across some Australian Wagyu beef cooked in the Middle Kingdom way and it was perfect.  It’s a good time to catch up on how their business and family has been going over the previous year and gain a new perspective on the challenges they face.

Awesome meal at Yung Kee Restaurant in Hong Kong.

I was the very first client of the family run business and it has been amazing to see how they have grown over the years.  They have started from scratch and the warehouse space now covers over 4,000 square metres which I think is about 43,000 square feet!  The sample room alone has over a thousand different pieces of lingerie in various styles, colours and sizes.  We are just minnows in the lingerie world where some labels order more pieces in a week than we order in a year!

Just setting up in the Boardroom to begin work on the 2018 range

The staff now have quite a good feel for what us guys like in lingerie and they are not shy about making suggestions either!  While we sit around the boardroom table, comments such as ‘you need more pink lace’ and ‘this design is not sexy enough’ is embarrassingly common.  There are also a couple of guys in management that I’m told have been convinced to model a few samples prior to them being sent to Australia.  They certainly like to get the patterns correct before shipping!

This Teddy would have made a great gift but I was only travelling with carry on luggage.

Overall it was a very successful trip and based on our conversations, we will be providing the opportunity for other retailers to purchase our garments for their own store.  So if you prefer to purchase from a local store, we will be offering limited styles at wholesale prices soon.  Stay tuned for more or email us at info@hommemystere.com if you are a store owner and would like further information.

The Tea is great in China but a Flat White from Starbucks is more my style.  I love those lights too!

 

Reward Yourself this Valentines Day

With the new year upon us we have spent the past few days cleaning up our warehouse and looking at how many ‘seconds’ we have sitting around.

Every order that’s shipped out is checked over for faults whether it’s a pulled thread, discoloration or anything else.  Of course the occasional one slips through but we do tend to be fairly critical of what we retain as ‘unsaleable’.

So following our tidying up efforts we have plenty of this lingerie to give away.  Although the collection consists mainly of bras and panties, there are several pieces of lingerie there as well.

So from now until Valentines Day, we will be giving away our seconds with each order.  It will be a random giveaway so you won’t be able to request a specific piece.  We will try and match what we provide based on your order and try and get the sizing as accurate as possible.

The larger your order, the more we will give away.

Please keep in mind these garments are free and therefore no exchanges etc are available.  If or when we run out of garments to give away, we will make a note at the bottom of the blog.

Just a few of the 12 containers of free lingerie to give away!

 

To make the offer even sweeter, we will also provide a code so you can obtain a discount up until Valentines Day.  In 2017 the feedback we received during the Valentines Day sale was overwhelmingly positive with plenty of enquiries from women looking for something fun and sexy for their partner.  The only negative was short sale time which made it difficult for gifts to arrive at international destinations in time for the special day.

So from today until February 14,  use the coupon code valentine2018 to receive 20% off your order AND a free garment until stocks run out!

Already ordered this month?  You didn’t entirely miss out as we have been including freebies since January 1st with each order!

UPDATE: Now out of the following seconds

Small Panties, Thongs and Bras

Large Lingerie

XL Bras, XL Lingerie

UPDATE: The promotion is now over.  Please watch for our next release (Violet) which is happening in the week commencing February 19, 2018!

Our Most Popular pieces for 2017

Why did it feel like time dragged forever when I was in my teens and twenties, but as I slipped over the half century mark time seems to be speeding up!

This year has really flown by for us with HommeMystere in the middle of our ninth year, with nine new sets released since January 1.  We began with Tracy, our first swimwear set, followed by Natasha (love the back of the panty) , Krystal (full, sheer, comfortable), Frida (our only cotton set), Lara the high neck Bodysuit and Carmen the gorgeous sleepwear Bodysuit (I have 5 of these in my personal collection!).  We then released Britney (love the high neck bra style), Nadia (best ever nightie!), and finally Victoria with probably our last full cup underwire bra.

Want to know what the top 5 garments were this year?  Based purely on the number of sales, the most popular pieces for 2017 were.

No. 1 – Katie Romper.

And who wouldn’t agree this is a great piece.  The open back means it will fit just about anyone, the fabric is perfect and most importantly the feel of the romper is spot on.  You can feel the shoulder straps moving on your back as you walk, the front slides across the body and the bottom section still allows enough room to sit comfortably.  Love it.

No. 2 – Natasha Panty.

Satin is always going to be winner for those of us into lingerie.  Add the sheer stretch bum, the unusual lace pattern over the front and it was always going to be a popular choice.  For me, the floral pattern and the feel of panty is the best part.  For the most part it looks like a full panty but the lace edge on the bum kind of feels like a thong panty.  Something different.

No. 3 – Krystal Panty

Sometimes the picture I have in my mind of how a set is going to look upon completion and it actually turns out exactly as planned!  I wanted to do something sheer, but add some embroidery that lifted the panty and bra to the next level.  I wanted it to look like the most beautiful high end set any guy (or girl) would want in their collection.  Couldn’t wipe the smile of my face when it arrived.

No. 4 – Frida Panty

It only took eight and a half years but we relented and did something in cotton.  But couldn’t resist adding a chiffon patterned section at the front!  Sorry, but any guy into lingerie is addicted to satin/silk/sheer fabrics well before we get to cotton!  So it’s a bit of a surprise this one is ranked so high up.  Perhaps it’s the color and that it is just a comfortable everyday panty with an awesome bow!

No. 5 – Miranda Panty

No surprise here at all.  Made in the same style as Genevieve and Rachel, the Miranda style in XL was the fastest we have ever sold out of any style/size combination.  It is a crazy popular panty and it was a style that we did a massive (by our standards) production run of knowing it would be popular.  White satin.  Enough said.

My Personal Favorites

So most of you know I’m in this business because I wanted to be in this business.  And I doubt there is a single guy out there not jealous of my ability to make pretty much anything I want because, well because I can!  What you see on HommeMystere is really just my personal wishlist brought to life.  Sometimes they’re awesome and sometimes I miss the mark.  But here are the ones that are my personal favorites.

No. 1 – Katie Romper

See above for the description.  You can easily see how much I love this romper because I have torn apart several of them experimenting to make my second favorite garment below.  When you wear the Katie you just feel damn good!

No. 2 – Nadia Nightie

See what I did there?  Just left the top part of the Katie as it was (because it’s perfect) and decided to do a little dress at the bottom instead of shorts.  Yes it’s a bit longer than we generally prefer but I wanted it to be long enough so you could sit down on the nightie in your Nadia panty.  Silky smooth slippery fabric on silky smooth slippery fabric.  That’s ok, I know most of you understand..

No. 3 – Carmen Bodysuit

This was a surprise.  I had low expectations and was blown away by this Teddy.  So much so that I have A LOT of them on rotation.  Best teddy for sleeping ever.  Seriously.  It’s not a huge seller I have to admit, but I’m going to do another similar style because I have a serious addiction to this style of Teddy.  Doesn’t dig in, wide shoulders are comfy, just a great piece of lingerie.

No. 4 – Katie Panty

I love this panty.  I have so many of these in my personal collection it’s getting a bit out of hand.  It’s the ‘go to’ style each day without a doubt.  I will do another version of this in 2018 but will make a fuller bum, for those of us that need it.  Instead of a romper I’m looking at doing shorts and a singlet style (like the Pinstripe) that could easily be mistaken for men’s underwear but feels fantastic!  Well that’s an idea at the moment.  It could change in a heartbeat!

No. 5 – Lara Bodysuit

Named after my lovely wife of forever, this really should have, and could have been number 1 for me.  It’s just too damn sexy for its own good!  The snap crotch is perfect, the feel is incredible and it magically makes anyone look fantastic!  No kidding!  This Teddy will fit just about any man or woman and they will look awesome.  The high neck feel is exactly what I wanted and while Lara can be worn overnight, but she is best suited for special occasions.  Wear Lara for a few hours at a time and you won’t be disappointed.  She looks and feels gorgeous.

To be fair, styles released later in the year such as Victoria and Nadia will have lower sales volumes than Katie which was released in November 2016.  However I’m sure those ones will rise to the top next year.

 

Welcome Lara, Carmen and Lara!

Time is getting away from us and August has crept up quite fast! This week we have released two new bodysuits, the Lara and Carmen.

These are both beautiful garments designed to make you feel sexy as hell and incredibly comfortable.  The Lara Bodysuit has a snap crotch with five robust buttons for easy access and collar that looks great and feels awesome!  This is figure hugging lingerie that will love you regardless of your shape or size.  It is also a great unisex item that your partner will enjoy too!

 

Lovely Lara.  High Neck, Snap Crotch and Unisex too!
Lovely Lara. High Neck, Snap Crotch and Unisex too!

 

Carmen is the perfect sleepwear garment.  It is the best sleepwear you will ever have.  No exaggeration.  The soft lace shoulders will not move, the front lace is soft and the microfiber bottom is soft, supportive and comfortable.  The front section is cut to support your package while allowing enough room for comfortable expansion and an uninterrupted sleep.

Carmen.  The best sleepwear piece available for our guys!
Carmen. The best sleepwear piece available for our guys!

And of course there is another new Lara too.  After eight years of my constant lingerie addiction, Lara (wife of more than 2 decades!) is going to take on the day to day running so I can concentrate on some other projects.  Maybe our lingerie needs a women’s touch?  Either way, please make Lara welcome!

To mark the arrival of Lara, Lara and Carmen, we are currently doing 30% off across the store.  Just use the coupon code word bodysuit to take advantage of the offer.  Minimum spend is $30.  Ends August 20.

HommeMystere is Growing

With the Aussie financial year behind us, we recently decided to change the warehouse layout of our lingerie.  Now we have entered our ninth year it’s sometimes difficult to remember where we started and how we have grown over the years.

So when we recently began adding some shelving to assist in the layout of our little warehouse, we decided to have a look back at where we began.

Like any small business, we started off from home with a few plastic boxes to hold the lingerie.  At the time we were making just a few of each size.  Literally.  So if you ever purchased a Taboo garment, they are pretty scarce now!  While we couldn’t find any pics of the first few ranges of lingerie, we did find this one.  Don’t mind the mess.  It was pretty crazy for a while dodging boxes around the house!

It was lingerie in every direction for quite a while.  Our little dog Peppa is going onto 14 years old now!
It was lingerie in every direction for quite a while. Our little dog Peppa is going onto 14 years old now!

Then we made our first step into outside storage.  It had to be somewhere close, gave good access and was secure.  We found a storage company renting single garage space with roller door but no power.  It was pretty cozy but we managed to get things done there for about 18 months before we outgrew the space.

It was a pretty cozy space but did the job and cleared the house out!
It was a pretty cozy space but did the job and cleared the house out!

After getting tired of moving cartons, squeezing in and out of the place and worrying about weather intruding into the shed, we moved on to something bigger.  It was time to move into a double garage space at a different location and it even had a powerpoint!  We could make up orders at night and even have a heater for the winter.  Luxury.

Stepping it up a notch with access to power.
Stepping it up a notch with access to power.

After growing even more we decided to make a leap into a real industrial unit with normal rent, access to the internet, power and phone.  Heady days.  It was a decent size lease and what we would describe as feeling like it was a ‘real’ business.  Not just a fun hobby to do at night and weekends.  There was plenty of space and we set up for the long term.

Large comfortable storage area with a new packing table.  Very fancy
Large comfortable storage area with a new packing table. Very fancy

There was still some spare room at the front of the warehouse so we decided to go crazy and design a showroom any lingerie loving guy (and plenty of women) would be pleased to visit.  It wasn’t pretty at the start but it soon turned out to be something special.

The before pic
The before pic

Some nice carpet, a bit of colour, a chandelier, wallpaper and nice lingerie.  What more could you want.

The nearly finished showroom
The nearly finished showroom

Unfortunately we didn’t get as many visitors as we hoped -although those that did come in certainly enjoyed the experience.  Then we had suffered a hit when our lease was unexpectedly ended early.  All that setup for nought.  And we had to move quickly.  So we moved into our current position and have recently added shelving to enable easier picking of orders and to tidy up the place.

A showroom might still be on the agenda for one day but for the moment we need to regroup, expand our range of lingerie and and build the online business.

Not quite Amazon size but we're pretty proud of our little warehouse
Not quite Amazon size but we’re pretty proud of our little warehouse

We think we can stay here for a few years yet provided our lease continues to be renewed.  Fingers crossed we can outgrow this place too one day!

Looking kind of official now!
Looking kind of official now!

None of this would be possible without the continued support from all our customers.  Makes us wonder where we might be in another 5 or 10 years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Krystal is coming soon!

UPDATE: Now available.  Use coupon code word ‘Krystal‘ when going through the checkout to receive 40% off Krystal and any of the Natasha, Katie, Tracy and Miranda.  Ends Monday April 17th.

Krystal is our next release and we expect her to be available sometime in the first week of April.  The Krystal set is a sheer design with an embroidered panel on the panty and embroidered sheer fabric on the bra cups and wings.

Cute Krystal Embroidered Bra
Cute Krystal Embroidered Bra
Krystal doesn't leave much to the imagination
Krystal doesn’t leave much to the imagination

Krystal Teddy has an open back, sheer front, full bum and overlaid bra cups.

Krystal Teddy with overlaid cups and open back.
Krystal Teddy with overlaid cups.
Krystal low cut back and bra clasp.
Krystal low cut back and bra clasp.

Want to receive a great offer on release?  Scroll down on our homepage and subscribe to our Newsletter.  Join over 5,000 other subscribers and we will let you know when Krystal is available and provide a code for a great offer!

Visit to our Manufacturer

Time flies when you’re loving lingerie!  I hadn’t realised how long it’s been since our last post here on the Blog.  The past month has been quite busy with the release of Natasha plus my very quick trip to visit our manufacturer in China which is always an adventure!

Being in Australia it’s not far for us to travel with a relatively short 9 hour flight to Hong Kong and another couple of hours by train and taxi after an overnight stay.  I did tweet out a pic of the room full of lingerie we utilise to plan samples and possible new releases for the next 12 months or so.

A small sample room.  They have a larger area with several THOUSAND samples!
A small sample room. They have a larger area with several THOUSAND samples!

The company owner is a very lovely lady that is certainly not backward in coming forward if she thinks one of my designs is not ‘pretty enough’ for my customers.  She likes to make suggestions (I think they’re more like instructions) in terms of colors and lace types.  I also met one of the office staff guys this trip that acts as a ‘model’ to test out the fit for the male physique.  I think he likes it a little bit too!

I only had a single full day in China itself but there was enough time to do a little bit of shopping and try some of the local cuisine.  And beer.  And though English will get you by just fine anywhere in Hong Kong, I have an interpreter friend that travels with me each time I’m in China.  If you are venturing outside a major city centre or want to haggle, then you will need someone that speaks the local language.

Don't hold back on the bling for this shoe store!
Don’t hold back on the bling for this shoe store!

I like a good cup of tea and really enjoy the ceremony around going to a tea shop and sitting down at a tea table.  The process is interesting and the flavours vary more than you can imagine.  However I like a good cup of coffee too and they are difficult to come by at times.  Fortunately the hotel next to mine had a Starbucks in the foyer so I could get a fix for the day.  I thought the name written on the side of my cup read ‘handsome westerner’ but my friends think it says ‘prematurely grey headed dude’.  My interpreter said it loosely interprets as ‘foreigner’ which is probably being polite.

I thought it said 'handsome westerner' but my friends think not..
I thought it said ‘handsome westerner’ but my friends think not..

On the work side of things I think the visit went well.  I hope to have a few samples here by the end of next week and will then work out what to order first.  I’m also planning on releasing the new black embroidered style either late this week or early in April.  Fingers crossed they arrive in the next couple of days.

Yes it's a teddy!  Full front with low cut back and bra clasp.
Yes it’s a teddy! Full front with low cut back and bra clasp.

 

 

Facebook Doesn’t ‘Like’ Us

Our Newsletter subscribers will be aware that we finally made an attempt at setting up a Facebook page for the business this week.

And today we deleted the Page.

We did a ‘soft’ release of the Page on Monday morning Aussie time and received quite a good reaction.  Plenty of ‘likes’ and Followers received and many of you also sent us emails to let us know that you liked the page but couldn’t ‘Like’ the page because of the possibility of exposure.

We had anticipated that.  The plan was to see if we could gain some more awareness and therefore some more customers so we can continue to grow the business.

However on Friday we were unable to access the page due to posting ‘inappropriate’ content that contradicted the terms and conditions of FB.  We have no idea what was unacceptable as we had been careful not to post anything sheer or nude with the exception of the back of thongs (which we thought would be ok!).  We had also set the page to only be viewed by those over the age of 18 years.

We believe the post that led to the notice was probably our very first video.  It was constructed by us from photos of lingerie on a mannequin in the first year we established the brand.

It was also marked by YouTube visitors as having ‘inappropriate’ content at the time and can still only be viewed by those of you over the age of eighteen years.

Strangely enough, our videos with ‘live’ models are acceptable!

So rather than fight yet another censorship battle and have to micromanage a part of our business we have decided to delete the Page entirely and forego FaceBook.  We appreciate we are placing information on their site and are therefore subject to FaceBook terms and conditions.  We respect the fact they have the right to review and restrict our content however they wish despite not agreeing with their decision.

So we will look at alternative forums to interact with our customers and subscribers in the future.

Thanks to those of you that supported us over the 6 day period!