Miss Bellasis was established at the turn of the century to provide fine nipple tassels and pasties for the discerning residents of south coast twin jewels Brighton and Hove and soon grew to furnish a much wider audience.

Miss Bellasis' original pre-occupation was to produce perfectly finished round satin pasties as, at the turn of the century, there was a distinct lack of nipple tassel variety in the British market place (with the notable exception of Miss Titmore's beautiful crystal designs). After a period of intensive research and development and the production of numerous prototypes, the work you see on these pages came into being. Then, with a head full of textile possibilities and the birthday of a horsey friend approaching, the ribbon rosette style was born.

Inspiration came, and still comes, from many sources - a tempting Chelsea Bun in a baker's window, the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Greta Garbo, grandparents' reminiscences of mid-century high living in London and holidays on the French riviera, Tatlin's Monument to the Third International or tempestuous rain seen through a window made of fine claret bottles. Further inspiration is drawn from the belief that every lady should have a pair of nipple tassels or pasties tucked away in a top draw or displayed proudly on a dressing table close at hand for those moments when they might just be needed. We aim to provide the finest nipple tassels and pasties possible and will not stop until we feel we have fulfilled our mission.

At Verbena House we try to think of everything to make your ownership of our wares as fulfilling as possible. All nipple tassels, pasties and merkins are handmade to order using quality French double satin ribbons, crepe-back satins, German glass beads, hand cut velvet flowers and beautiful vintage trims. Your purchase will arrive in a special Miss Bellasis apparel box, which also contains tape to attach your pasties. Should you so desire we can also make matching collars, cuffs and merkins for most of our styles. If you have any questions, or special requests, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Details of sizes, tips on twirling techniques, an expanded biography and a wealth of other information can be found at Notes & Queries. A fine selection of music can be found at www.myspace.com/missbellasis.