Shades of Grey...

Comments (23)

• Danielle Porter: October 02, 2012 10:12

  Hi Lovehoney. I'm a fan of both your site and the book, BUT, I'm not sure why you are bringing this out now? The hype has kind of 'left the building' and although the idea is cool, it looks kind of cheap and everything about the story and the characters is expensive, rich and decadent. I'm just not sure that a feather tickler with a tag on it is all that sophisticated. Dani

• Lovehoney - Alice: October 02, 2012 10:23

  Hi Dani - while the hype in the UK was focussed in July and August, it does take a while to produce the range of course! The book is still being translated (into 44 languages so far) and the range will be available globally by next month so there's lots of people for whom this will be all new territory. Then of course the film will be coming in 2013.

  For many, many people Fifty Shades of Grey was their first introduction into the world of toys and bondage (sometimes difficult to believe for some of us who have known about it for a long time) and the fact they can buy products they know that E L James has approved will give them the confidence to explore.

• Nymeria: October 02, 2012 11:11

  I can see how this collection will appeal to the influx in people who found Lovehoney via 50 Shades. Would be nice for people to have an easy selection to choose from after reading it and wanting to experiment.

  Even though I'm not a fan or a beginner- I like it, looks elegant and classy. Can't wait to see how they look in colour although that monochrome colour scheme is fitting.

• Lovehoney - Alice: October 02, 2012 11:23

  Hey Nymeria, here's a photo in full colour (though, of course, we've keep the grey theme!) www.lovehoney.co.uk/fiftyshadesofgrey/

• Nymeria: October 02, 2012 11:47

  Oh wow, that looks amazing.

  I would be very interested in trying some of those products out! The grey theme really adds to the appeal of mystery and sensuality.

  I'm very impressed. Didn't think I would be this much. =) Great job Lovehoney!

  Will this only be available on Lovehoney? I think it will generate a lot more interest.

• Jeremy: October 02, 2012 13:03

  If I wanted to buy bondage items, I wouldn't get them with a silly little fifty shades tag! I would want something a little classier looking. Good idea but i just see no need for these

• Ricky Bateman Jnr: October 02, 2012 14:29

  Tacky!!! It's like when the Spice Girls were on every product in the supermarket or when Twilight images were put on everything in sight including the foreheads of people at bus stops! Don't like! Sorry.

• Ork: October 03, 2012 12:19

  :O Oh my well it would appear Love honey has sold they're soul to the devil lol, as someone long in to all this stuff the book make's me laugh but this is just a terrible idea lol, of all the place's I hoped not to jump on the band wagon and what not :(

  But I suppose you are a business and you will make a lot from it, even if you lose some respect in the process.

• Sophie: October 03, 2012 12:35

  It looks like some really lovely (and not tacky!) stuff.

• Laura: October 03, 2012 13:36

  Wow, this looks great!! I'm a massive fan of the book so I can't wait to try these!!!!

• Lovehoney Hella Walkington: October 03, 2012 13:39

  Hmmm. I for one am pleased that Lovehoney have the contract for the Fifty Shades sex toys. 1. It's a great merchandise contract and one that makes sense. 2. It means that the toys produced will do what they're supposed to instead of being novelties.

  I don't understand why there's such an anti-Fifty-Shades attitude among seasoned bondage players. Lord knows that enough people have spent substantial time campaigning for BDSM to be normalised in society. A book comes along that makes kink acceptable and accessible to the masses and folk kick off.

  Bondage does not have to be about leathersex and lockable discomfort, it's nice to have this range that's made especially for those wanting to experiment with restraint and sex toys. This merchandise does that while taking any guess work out of it for those wanting to try what they've read about in the books.

  If you're an intellectual master of the lexicon and prefer a more complex writing style in your erofic, there's a wealth of literature out there for you. Likewise if you like heavy steel shackles and anal hooks, there are plenty of products for you too. Fifty is aimed at the every woman without any preconceptions about their experience levels - reading or otherwise. If you're already au fait with the ins and outs of heavy bondage and strict discipline and like books like Story of O, Fifty isn't for you. But it's not nice to slate those who have different tastes though. Live and let live, whatever floats your boat.

• Jeremy: October 03, 2012 14:55

  I don't think a book that implies that somebody gets into BDSM through child abuse and that they can be 'cured' of BDSM is necessarily one to be looking up to or condoning personally. And I totally think its like the whole twilight thing all over again- I really don't want 50 shades emblazened underwear or Christian Grey shaped spaghetti hoops. I am not saying that is what LoveHoney is doing but it certainly getting that way with everything nowadays! I personally wouldn't mind buying the new bondage set, the black and white looks fab but the tags and labels ruin it for me.

• Lovehoney Hella Walkington: October 03, 2012 15:10

  Some people do get into BDSM for those sorts of reasons. Fifty doesn't state that's why *all* people turn to sadism or masochism but it forms part of Christian's story. Resolving his issues certainly didn't lure him away from kink so it stands to reason that he unfairly branded himself for his tastes because he had a horrific past and suffers from disassociation and a fear of emotional intimacy. Equally, there's no hint that kink can be cured as he remains a randy, dominant and sadistic man throughout the trilogy, he just learns to be more emotionally available and trusting.

  Ana is pretty well adjusted and she enjoys a bit of rough and tumble once she tries it out, no childhood spankings required. She's a pretty good example of the 'suck it and see' type that most folks are when they begin experimenting.

  I can see why you don't like the tags, but it is just a little tag. I'm constantly cutting them out of everything from tops to blindfolds, ney bother. :)

• Jeremy: October 03, 2012 15:21

  well i wouldn't spend money on a range just to go and destroy it by cutting the tags off :( could you not have made them more subtle? Say with a number 50 instead of the whole name? I just feel that you would be paying for the brand here and not quality.

• Lovehoney Hella Walkington: October 03, 2012 15:28

  Methinks there will be more takers who will like the label than hate the label, this entire range is geared for new comers to kink who have been inspired by what they've read.

  I definitely wouldn't agree you're paying for the license and not the product, the whole range is wonderfully well made to a standard that Lovehoney are very proud of. Some of the items are tweaks on existing products that already have excellent reviews and therefore a proven track record for being awesome (see our Tease Me range).

  I guess if you hate the labels (or tiny remnants that may be left behind after carefully cutting them out) *that* much, the bondage restraints really won't be for you.

• Ness: October 03, 2012 16:00

  I actually think it's great that Lovehoney have decided to produce these product. Although, I'm not a fan of the books after reading them (they just weren't my thing), I understand that there are women out their who love the books and are now openly talking and trying out things they never did before. This givens them a large selection of safe and functional products to use, which are also easy to get to grips with. Rather than let's say going down to the DIY sort and buying cable ties, leading to cut marks on their wrist and pressure on trigger points, which can be dangerous....

  I like the photo and my eyes are naturally drawn to the bullet and it's quoted phrase 'We aim to please'. Very cleverly positioned. =)

• rynn: October 03, 2012 20:34

  i love the book and was wondering if the picture could be a collection that u could buy all in one or would they have to be purchased seperatley? id like to see it be like a fun pack or something but either way i will be awaiting its release.

• Lovehoney - Alice: October 04, 2012 10:53

  @rynn There will be 20 pieces in the collection - 11 bondage items and 9 sex toys, all sold separately (though there will be a couple of bondage 'kits' which have more than one product in them).

• Connie P: October 04, 2012 11:54

  Methinks someone should re-read what they have written because you did mention cutting off labels?! Am confused, should we keep the tags or cut them off?! lol!

• Lovehoney Hella Walkington: October 04, 2012 12:00

  @Connie P:

  It's up to you. If you don't like labels, cut them out. If you don't care, leave them alone. The fabric tags are sewn in but can be neatly cut out if you're inclined to do so.

  I cut labels out of sheer clothing and off of items that are being used for photoshoots but generally leave the rest alone. Jerermy advised that he likes some of the products but thinks the labels ruin them... so I suggested he could remove the labels if he felt that way.

• HappilyExperimenting: October 08, 2012 01:56

  I am not a fan of the Fifty Shades books, but I'm not going to knock the sex toys and bondage kits that have just come out. I think they look elegant and would like to try some of them out actually :)

  I do agree that a good 80% (or more!!) of women who have read Fifty Shades will want to buy these - if not for enhancing their intimacy with their OH or themselves, then to at least show their friends and collect the range in order to feel more empowered or dominant.

  At least LoveHoney will get more press coverage and members - I really need LH to stay up and running, I depend on them so much! ;)

• Rachel Lovehoney: October 10, 2012 16:49

  I agree with Hella. The Fifty Shades books have sparked an interest in many people who may not feel comfortable buying leather whips and chains for themselves or to use with their partners. Many people still find rabbits and bullet vibes intimidating or think that maybe they are perverted for wanting to try them. The Fifty Shades phenomenon has made people realise that there are lots of people like them and that chaining your boyfriend to the bed and tickling him with a feather (so long as he is willing) is a perfectly normal kink. I suspect that many people will find that the label will make it a more gift-able item for their partners at Christmas too. Whether you think it is tacky or not 50 Shades has done for bondage what Sex and the City did for Rabbits and once the hype has worn off there will be many more people enlightened to the joys of a little tickle and tease.

• LouLou22: October 21, 2012 21:29

  Well im by no means a beginner to bondage but im looking forward to the fifty shades range. Only recently read the books which i thought were ok but i think the toys look great. As i already own stuff like that id be buying it because i think they look good which is important so I'll be interested to see what items are in the kits when they come out :)