At Enelra, Flirt With V-Day Gifts Beyond Lingerie

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, lovers’ thoughts are likely drifting beyond sweet nothings to sweet somethings: bonbons, flowers, and, of course, lingerie.

In addition to the obvious, packs a few V-Day worthy items along romantic lines.

Sure, the racks are stuffed with underwired, cantilevered, beribboned and boned undergarments. But there is also a wide selection of patterned hosiery, delicate sleepwear and boudoir accessories that might make for slightly more surprising gifts (and without trying to guess your loved one's size).

Patterned hosiery is a fun and frivolous choice, with styles that include sparkling, back-seamed, fishnet and flowered. Leg Avenue’s “Fence Net Lace”  stockings incorporate both suspenders and garterbelt ($14.95) — not quite as classic as separates, perhaps, but an inexpensive and fuss-free alternative.

Soft and pretty sleepwear is a gift more likely to please a woman than her partner, so it can seem more thoughtful than underwear. The thigh-skimming Eberjey nightdresses ($68) or pajama sets ($130) in heathered blue or violet are super-soft with a broad lace trim, both comfortable and flattering.

Still in the realm of comfort but slightly sexier is the Fleur’t nightdress in slate gray with slippery satin straps and lace edging ($82).

Sylwya Dabrowska, store manager, has worked in Enelra’s Park Slope location since the store moved here five years ago from the East Village.

In Park Slope, Enelra sells more sleepwear than it did in Manhattan, Dabrowska said, “but it’s a family neighborhood, so that’s expected.”

For families to be made, though, at some point the sleepwear’s got to end up on the floor. At that stage, the racy accessories tucked away on the shelf at the back of the store might come in handy. Kama Sutra chocolate mint oil ($18.95) or the Booty Parlor “Don’t Stop” massage candle in sandalwood vanilla ($36.95) will help stoke the romance long after Valentine's Day has passed.