When I was 6 or 7, my mother bought a few pair of smooth, satiny panties for me and my little sister. We LOVED them; I remember repeatedly asking her if “the silky ones” were in the laundry and when I could wear them again.
Between 1998 and 2005, I often wore men’s shirts and homemade JNCO-style jeans with a crotch seam halfway to my knees. (An uncle asked, “What, exactly, keeps those pants up?” I told him, “Prayer and prayer alone.”) But under that boyish costume, I wore a whole spectrum of colorful bras and leopard print underwear.
Over the years, I have accumulated a good-sized stash of lacy, frilly, admittedly somewhat impractical lingerie. I don’t use it to impress my boyfriend— it’s truly amazing how much some guys don’t notice—my lingerie is for me, and it always has been.
But as a practical, working woman, I rarely think to wear my prettiest dainties; I reach for the same brown, black, or flesh-colored bra every day. Practical, but dull as tombs.
Judging from recent conversations with friends, a LOT of women (and men!) have nice skivvies gathering dust in a drawer. Your underwear’s already paid for and hogging valuable wardrobe real estate, so why not break it out?
Many of us choose our underwear to suit our outfits: T-shirts call for smooth, seamless bras, thongs go with trousers, and so on. For the 7 days, I’m reversing that routine; I’ll wear the fancy underpinnings shown above, and let the traits of my underwear dictate my outfit choices.
In some ways, winter is the BEST time for lingerie; lace, embroidery, or even seams are unlikely to show through three shirts, long johns, and a coat.
I hereby declare this Fancy Underwear Week. Anyone care to join in?
Woohoo!
I don’t really have super fancy underwear (like, no matched sets because I prefer only cotton down below, TMI) but I will wear my Freya bra with the butterflies one day in your honor.
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I don’t have “fancy” undies, per se (cute things in my bra size are SO expensive and often don’t do the job I need them to), but I did buy some cute, colorful and uber-comfortable undies at Kohl’s today, so wear them this week I shall!
Your story of your satiny panties reminds me of the story my mum tells of how she potty-trained me. She bought pretty undies and had my grandma embroider them. She bribed me into learning to use the toilet by holding those panties out like a carrot on a stick (or panties on a stick).
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Hooray for Fancy Underwear Week!
In the winter I tend to break my pretty stuff out a lot more because like you said, it’s easy to hide lace/seams/frills under bulky sweaters. My problem is summer – when it can be a near-constant parade of boring t-shirt bras. YAWN.
And Katie? Panties on a stick has me in a giggle fit!
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Cynthia – I’ve gotten all my lingerie at Ross or Marshalls— cheap, but the nicer stuff is rarely available in matched sets. RIT dye is a great way to create matching sets; just buy white panties and bras, then dump ‘em in the washer with a bottle of liquid dye. Since we’re TMI-swapping here, I dyed a batch of underwear dark colors for period-time usage. Felt like a genius.
Aside from dye, most of my lingerie are not true sets, just coordinating colors. Close enough for me, and no one but me ever pays attention.
I actually AM honored. Wear that bra and wear it proud!
Katie – I admit that my Ross/Marshalls lingerie is pretty chintzy, and I don’t know how varied their size selection is. Could the above buy-whites-and-dye work in your situation, too?
Yay for new underwear!
Great potty-training story. Did you already love clothes at that age, or was this the beginning of a lifelong affair?
Kelly – My little sister buys printed bras; still seam-free, but a little jazzier than solid colors. I already dread wearing my lone, flesh-colored strapless bra all summer… or worse, having to find a new one. I’ve seriously considered just using an Ace bandage as a tube top and being flat-chested for a few months. =)
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I love Katies bribery britches! Hahaha!
I seem to recall each of us having a pair of baby pink and a pair of lavendar satin underpants? I may be thinking of later satin underpants.
In the spirit of TMI, I wear a size 34AA bra. I can usually find a 32A that does just as well, but all too often my bra choices are limited to VS or the little girls’ section. I find some decent things every once in awhile but I have mixed feelings about the lingerie choices for 12 year olds.
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I only have really boring gotch (straight-up cotton, almost without exception), but I did go wacky and buy a blue bra with polka dots and (gasp!) a ruffle around the bottom. Still cotton, though, so not especially fancy (just a bit frilly). I own no matching pairs of bra + gotch, either, and make no effort to coordinate colours. I just can’t muster enough enthusiasm for bras to bother getting anything fancy!
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Can’t join ya there, I don’t really own any fancy undies, unless you consider the wild assortment of colors and prints that Fruit of The Looms come in, lol – mine are are all durable, functional, and inexpensive. my justification for such? (also in the spirit of TMI) there is nobody but me who is going to see what lies beneath my outer clothes, therefore I see no point in wearing something decorative at that level. LoL Yeah that’s me… hehehe
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Rach – I remember a seafoam green, I think… lavender sounds right.
Little family story— I was in Ann Arbor once, looking for batteries in G&G’s kitchen. I needed AAAs, but could only find AAs. “AURGH!” I said, “AAs ARE COMPLETELY USELESS!”
“Hey,” said Aunt K., “Let’s not get personal.” I didn’t learn about AA bras until years later.
Millie – Frilly = fancy. Nothin’ wrong with cotton. I sense that underwear is not your life’s passion, and I respect that. =) Also, thanks for teaching me the word “gotch!”
Sierra – I think wild colors count. I had a healthy Fruit o’ the Loom collection myself, but many pair were quite elderly and developed holes too big to ignore.
My underwear philosophy is the opposite of yours; I wear frivolous underwear BECAUSE no one will see it. I don’t have the guts to wear splashy OUTERWEAR; I keep my shiny, colorful personality under wraps. I forget to wear my fancy bras, since they have seams that require careful shirt-planning, but I wear lacy underwear at least two thirds of the time. FUN WITH TMI!
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Those are some sweet undies! You should do a boudoir photo session ;D I’ve got the hook-up.
I heart the luxurious unseen, but I can’t stand to wear anything but thongs for layering,–which is why my lingerie drawers are overflowing and I’m still chronically out of undies….
If I WERE able to wear the delightful little snuggies I so enjoy,–I would be with you completely about the “I wear frivolous underwear BECAUSE no one will see it” idea. I went through a kick once where I would turn all my blankets with the colorful side down so they would be just for me to appreciate. Silly, but fun.
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Rebekah Reply:
January 20th, 2011 at 6:35 PM
If I’m ever ready for a boudoir session AND in the same state as you, I know where to turn.
I like lacy thongs for daily wear; fancy enough to be fun, but ‘flat’ enough that they don’t show through my clothes. Also, the wide waistbands fit me better than any plain thongs I’ve found.
I love the colorful-side-down blanket idea. The perfect middle ground for people who like a minimalist decor, but want a little secret prettiness at home— actually, printed drawer-liners would be good for that, too. And those umbrellas that are black on top, sky-printed underneath. Man, this might deserve a post of its own…
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