Scandale Dédicace is French lingerie with a sense of humour. Embroidered satin, suggestive phrases, film references, French wordplay and a few things that are definitely better left untranslated.
I’d been looking at Scandale’s new Dédicace pieces for a while before I properly understood what the knickers were saying.
Kiss Me, Stupid.
Held in custody.
Your desires cause disorder.
Naturally, I started translating everything, from French to English, word for word.
I should probably say here that I don’t really speak French. I understand quite a lot after years of working with French lingerie houses, but that is absolutely not the same thing. Usually I know enough to get the gist.
With Dédicace, the gist turned out not to be enough.
What started as me checking a few translations became a succession of rabbit holes involving a Billy Wilder film, French police terminology, expressions that sound almost identical to entirely different expressions, and jokes that simply stop being jokes once you translate them into English.
Which, it turns out, is half the fun of the collection.
First, Amuse Bouche
Amuse Bouche has become a bit of a phenomenon for us.
Scandale, formerly Maison Close, is one of the few houses we always tend to buy very deeply, and Amuse Bouche has only reinforced that. What began as a relatively small collection has now grown to more than 60 pieces, and somehow I still find myself excited for the next one.
Our customers seem to feel the same way. Some discover one piece and come back for another. Others buy four or five at once.
I think that says something important about Amuse Bouche. Beneath all the provocation, the pieces are incredibly easy to wear.
Dédicace takes that simplicity and gives it a voice.
Dédicace Tanga Red | Dédicace High Hips Thong Black
A Little French Lesson (for me too!)
At first glance, Dédicace is beautifully simple.
Black satin. Lipstick-red satin. High-cut legs, slender straps, softly gathered edges and fluid little shorts with more than a hint of the retro tap pant about them.
There isn’t masses going on, and that is rather the point. Until you notice the embroidery.
Suddenly I wasn’t choosing favourites according to shape or colour anymore. I was choosing them according to what I wanted my knickers to say... And some required considerably more investigation than others.
Embrasse-moi, idiot - Kiss Me, Stupid.
Possibly my favourite.
I initially read Embrasse-moi, idiot and thought, fine. Kiss me, idiot. Except it isn’t quite that simple.
A little digging later and I discovered that Embrasse-moi, idiot was the French title given to Billy Wilder’s 1964 film Kiss Me, Stupid.
So the proper cultural reference in English is Kiss Me, Stupid, which also happens to be much better.
On the black Dédicace Shorty, it is embroidered in lipstick red across the back. The shape is loose and fluid, taking its cue from the classic tap pant. Until you turn around.
In red, the same message appears on the much skimpier Strap Brief.
It doesn’t feel much like a film reference by that point. It feels like an instruction.
Dédicace Shorty BlackLèche-moi tranquille - Lick me in peace.
This was the one that made me realise literal translation was not going to get me very far.
Lèche-moi tranquille plays on the familiar laisse-moi tranquille, meaning leave me alone.
Swap laisse for lèche, however, and leave becomes lick.
Hence: Lick me in peace.
Which is technically correct and nowhere near as funny in English.
The phrase appears on two of the black Dédicace shapes. On the classic Brief, it is saved for the back. From the front, there is nothing particularly alarming going on. Turn around, and there it is. The wonderfully fluttery Tanga puts the same line at the front.
Some things really are better left in French.
Dédicace Tanga BlackGarde à vue - Held in custody.
This one sent me in a completely different direction.
For some reason, I initially translated garde à vue as held for questioning.
Close, but not quite! Garde à vue is the French legal term for being held in police custody, usually while being questioned as part of an investigation.
Perfectly ordinary in the right circumstances.
Embroidered across a black Strap Brief or a red High Hips Thong, considerably less so.
We’ll let you decide what for.
Dédicace High Hips Thong RedRendez-vous - A meeting. An appointment. A date.
Finally, one I actually understood straight away.
After the rabbit holes of the other phrases, rendez-vous felt almost reassuringly obvious.
On the red Dédicace Brief, it appears discreetly across the back in contrasting black embroidery.
I like this one because there is so little to it. Red satin, a softly gathered waist, a classic shape, then one small word at the back changes the entire mood.
An appointment? Perhaps.
A date feels rather more likely!
Dédicace Brief RedVos désirs font désordre - Your desires cause disorder.
This may actually be the cleverest phrase in the collection.
And yes, I had to look this one up properly too.
It plays on the familiar French expression vos désirs sont des ordres, meaning your wishes are my command.
Except Scandale changes sont des ordres to font désordre.
Your desires are no longer orders. They create disorder. Once you know that, the phrase becomes much better.
It is embroidered in tiny black lettering across the front of the red Shorty, which is otherwise one of the softest, most relaxed pieces in the collection.
It sounds like something that should have been scribbled in the margin of a French novel.
Instead, Scandale put it on a pair of red satin shorts.
Quite right, too.
Dédicace Shorty RedNo Translation Required
Some simply carry SCANDALE embroidered across the back. A signature rather than a message.
Interestingly, the embroidery immediately gave me vintage Scandale vibes. I actually went back through old Scandale branding to check whether it was based on a historic logo.
It isn’t. But perhaps that is why I noticed it. The Scandale name comes with a history of its own, and now that Maison Close has taken on that name, there is a heritage to carry forward as well as a new chapter to write.
Against all the jokes, instructions and double meanings elsewhere in Dédicace, simply embroidering SCANDALE across the satin suddenly feels rather deliberate.
Dédicace 'Scandale' Brief Black
And then there is the long red satin Dédicace Ribbon.
It carries the Scandale name and can be tied over the eyes, around the wrists or even around the ankles.
We’ll provide the ribbon.
What you do with it is entirely up to you.
The Final Word
What I thought was going to be a very quick look at some suggestive French embroidery turned out to be rather more interesting.
There was a film reference I nearly mistranslated, a joke I would have completely missed, police custody, an appointment of questionable nature, a logo that sent me back through Scandale’s history, and a very elegant way of saying that desire tends to create chaos.
Which is perhaps why I like Dédicace so much. The lingerie itself is simple. The French is doing something else entirely.
There are some things the French simply say better.
And some things, apparently, are better said on your knickers.
DISCOVER THE FULL SCANDALE DÉDICACE COLLECTION
Sarah Northey, Founder of Naughty Knickers
Sarah has spent over 15 years buying and curating luxury European lingerie, with a particular interest in French craftsmanship, independent houses and collection design.
