"Sir, I have an addiction."

Even though I'm careful not to stuff anything else into Chez Melina these days, for both monetary and anti-clutter reasons, I still find myself occasionally cyber-shopping for lingerie.

This doesn't make a lot of sense. I already have a collection of unmentionables carefully stashed in my Georgian dresser. There is a pleasant amount of variety represented, from elegant to retro to downright slutty. There are plenty of black lace items, which are still my favorites even though I suppose one could say they're a bit cliched. I have Lise Charmel, La Perla, Valentino, Simone Perele, Elixir, Kiss Me Deadlly, and even a couple of classic boned corsets. But sometimes I'm tempted to buy even more, and I don't know why.

Perhaps it's because I keep discovering new labels. For example, there is a newish French label, Maison Close, which is on my current wish list. It's what you could describe as inventively retro-brothel, I guess. (The original Maison Close was a brothel - guess that's why.) And thankfully it's not priced like most French lingerie.

This is actually a two-piece outfit currently offered by Maison Close, which I am trying very hard not to purchase.