Nadja Lingerie: Luxurious Silk
In her previous lifetime, Nadja Bandelier studied to be an opera singer, but her personality wasn’t suited for the spotlight. “When you sing, your body is your instrument. It was very personal to me and too personal to me on stage,” Bandelier said. She pursued her next favorite thing, which combines intimateness and her passion for opera’s costume design: a sleepwear line.
Bandelier uses primarily silks (in stretch, charmeuse, chiffon and crepe fabrications) for their luxuriousness but tries to diffuse the delicate, handle-with-care and “fussy” nature of the fabric.
“I wanted to take that [fussiness] out—make it more wearable, stylish and comfortable, above all. … It’s taking the couture qualities for high-end materials and the workmanship and combining them with the modern takes on classics,” she said.
Before launching her Nadja B label, Bandelier was assistant designer at Saffron Rare Threads, a “workday-into-evening” clothing line. Bandelier employs characteristics of ready-to-wear, but her line is grounded in the idea of in-home comfort. A robe was designed with narrow sleeves “so you can do the dishes,” and the harem pajama pants feel “like you have nothing on” but are still substantial enough not to snag out on the streets of San Francisco, the city where Bandelier lives.
As all of the garments are also produced in San Francisco, some of her biggest supporters have been local boutiques, including Toujours Lingerie. Wholesale prices start at $40 for panties and go up to $170 for a long robe. For more information, call (707) 480-8213 or email info@nadjab.com.—Rhea Cortado
