Lady Friday has the key to making this Valentine’s Day one that neither of you will ever forget.
Ladies, I have a confession to make. Valentine’s Day means less to me than the current account deficit of Madagascar. If you ask me, love and sexiness are for every day, not just for one hyper-emphasised, morbidly non-spontaneous day a year. If you want to make your partner feel special and loved, surely it’s better when it’s unexpected?
However, most of the Western world seems to disagree with me, so here’s the compromise. This is a gift list – both for your Valentine celebrations, if you choose, and for every other ordinary day of the year.
One of the best things about Valentine’s Day? You can buy sexy gifts for yourself which will satisfy your partner, too. Go looking in the Valentine’s sales of Agent Provocateur, Elle Macpherson Intimates and La Perla. If you’re more a vintage sort of girl, check the Vintage Lingerie items for sale on Etsy.com; if you’re channelling Dita Von Teese, have a peek at the beautiful collections at Kiss Me Deadly UK and the truly astonishing Bibian Blue Barcelona.
Wanting a guide? The online store FGM has links to interesting and beautifully done lingerie.
Besides the obvious advantages, this will last and last, and it’s an investment for both of you (and for those readers who happen to be single on Valentine’s Day – you deserve it too!)
Your man’s more the literary type? Well, then – try The Everyman Book Of Erotic Poetry, which has gems of fantastic naughtiness from even the most straight-laced of poets. If he’s fiction-oriented, go for The Story Of O, Delta of Venus or another literary erotic classic.
If you enjoy looking too, the fantastically camp Gil Elvgren’s Collected Pin-Ups is pure heaven, as is The New Erotic Photography – or, if you’re into pushing boundaries, Fetish by David Bramwell and Petra Joy.
Musically, ‘set-the-mood’ musical gifts are personal, so I can’t guide you much here. Try for something a little more subtle than heavy-breathing, explicit-lyrics tracks, though. The consensus among music journalists is that Dot Allison’s Afterglow, Goldfrapp’s Black Cherry and Lewis Taylor‘s self-titled soul album work utter bedroom magic.
Finally, one for those who are feeling a little edgy. If you’re in Sydney, take your partner along to the Hellfire Club on the 19th of February – but dress appropriately and be prepared to experiment…
