Your Ultimate Lingerie Guide

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Lingerie Types

Bras, panties, shapewear, teddies, nightgowns, foundations... There is a whole world of beautiful, feminine lingerie to be explored: a world so wide that many are not aware of all the lovely choices you have. I hope you can use the detailed information in this guide to know what kinds of lingerie are available and which pieces you might need in your wardrobe. You can then go about selecting particular styles and use your newfound knowledge to shop with confidence.

Knowing about the types of lingerie available help my clients decide on the right pieces for their needs. A client can make a checklist of their concerns regarding undergarments, body shape, and so on and decide which items will be most useful to them. They can then research the options for each type of item and narrow down their choices to a few styles that they prefers and would like to try. The most crucial aspect of most lingerie buying is getting the proper size, so you should always measure yourself each time you shop, because even a difference of one year or a few pounds can make a difference in body size. Overall, lingerie should be uplifting, both literally and figuratively.

10 Bra Mistakes You're Probably Making (And How To Fix Them)

Bras are not as complicated as you think. Here are 10 tips and tricks to reduce those anxiety thoughts about buying, washing, and just simply taking care of them. Don't fret! We are here to guide you! 

Yeah, I think this is one mistake we are not including in
our top ten. It kind of speaks for itself doncha think!?

 

You would not believe the mistakes you are probably doing yourself when it comes to your bra. All the way from purchasing one (YIKES), to taking care and keeping them healthy ;). We are following from recommendations from Bobbie Smith of Freshpair, from an article here from the Huffington Post. 

Top 10 Do's and Don'ts: (In no particular order)

1. Fastening your bra on the tightest hooks. When measuring your band size, you should go according to the outermost set of hooks, not the innermost. "A bra is going to stretch about three inches in its lifetime," says Bobbie, and when it does, "that's when you go to the next set of hooks." Buy a bra that fits snugly on the last set of hooks, and only later should you need to use the tighter ones.
2. Choosing a bra by cup size. So we shouldn't be choosing bras based on cup size? Nope, says Smith -- instead, start with the numerical band size. "Cup sizes are directly related to a band size," she told us. "So for somebody to say, 'Oh, I'm a D cup' is irrelevant unless you know what band size it's correlated with." Cup sizes are not standard, meaning you may be a D with one band size but a E with another size band. A 32D bra is a cup size smaller than a 34D, for example. Letting go of whatever cup size you think you are will allow you to explore and find the best-fitting bra for you. Which leads us to...
3. Wearing a bra that's too small. Many women's identities are tied up in their cup sizes, Bobbie says, making them resistant to go up a cup size in order to go down a band size. But you may be wearing a 36C when your ribcage measurement is a 32... which would require you to buy a bra that's a 32E. "A lot of women I fit, I bring them down to a smaller back band size and and suddenly their cup sounds huge," says Bobbie, "and they think that it's a character flaw." Own that larger cup size -- it means your bra will actually fit you better.
4. Thinking you can wear one bra with every type of outfit. Yeah, you just can't. Certain dresses are going to require a more perky shape, while some shirts might look better if your breasts sit lower and flatter. Try different bras for each item of clothing you have to ensure you're pairing your outfit with the best bra possible.
5. Wearing a bra two days in a row. You may have that one bra you love, but bras shouldn't be worn two days in a row. "Letting a bra rest at least one day in between wear will help the elastic regain its strength," Bobbie tell us. "When you’re wearing it two days in a row, it's like pulling on a muscle -- it's going to strain it and it won't be able to snap back." One thing that helps keep that elastic fresh? "Washing it in cold water helps it, because the cold water shocks it." Oh, and while you're at it...
6. Washing your bras with Woolite. Your mother might have given you that first bottle of Woolite for your delicates, but Bobbie revealed to us that Woolite is actually terrible for bras: "It was actually designed to soften wool, so you shouldn't use that on elastic, because you want the elastic to stay firm." That actually makes a lot of sense.
7. Keeping a bra for too long. "When worn correctly and taken care of correctly, a bra is going to last you about eight months," Bobbie broke it to us. "After that, the band is stretched out, so it’s not going to support you anymore." That’s why you should have six to seven bras in your wardrobe so you can rotate them, making them last longer.
8. Letting the band ride up on your back. "The back band should never be higher than the underwire," says Bobbie. If it does, it doesn't fit you properly.
9.  Insisting on a contour-style bra instead of a softer seamed, lined bra. Contour bras are the molded ones, the kind that keep their shape even when they're in your drawer (and that you usually find at Victoria's Secret). Seamed bras are the soft ones with floppy fabric cups that mold to the shape of your breast. Which one is right for you, says Bobbie, depends on the texture of your boobs. "If your breasts are firm and they sit up high on their own," Bobbie recommends, "then you can get away with the push-up bras and the contour style." But if, like most women, your breasts are softer and not naturally perky, "they're going to settle at the bottom of the contour cup and you'll going to have space at the top of the strap." Why does this happen? "A breast is naturally cone-shaped, not round," Bobbie explains, "so when you wear a contour with its own shape, you're trying to fit soft tissue into that shape." That's when you get spillage or "quadra-boob." The seams of a seamed bra, on the other hand, function like the support beams of a house, giving structure and shape to the breast. They work with your breasts to mold to them, instead of your breasts having to fit into a pre-determined shape.
10. Settling for a bra that doesn't fit.

Article courtesy of Huffington Post. 

 Be Sure To See Our Online Shop of Vintage Lingerie Here:

The Wizard of Bras At Hollywood-Maxwell’s Intimate Apparel Shop

The September 1955 issue of The Disneyland News included a about Hollywood-Maxwell’s Intimate (CORSET AND BRAS) Apparel Shop on Main Street. Here’s the entire article:

If Hubby Is Shy, Watch Him

At Main Street Corset Shop

Is the modern male embarrassed about walking into a corseteria? No he isn’t—or at least, not as “shocked” as his father would have been, according to the Hollywood Maxwell Company, operators of a corset and bra shop on Disneyland’s Main Street.
Surprising as it may seem to some, it’s the teenagers who are most affected by the exhibit of old and new in corsets, bras, and petticoats. The younger sets’ reaction is usually one of giggles as they look at the small models in various stages of dress.
Through a system of looking glasses in the corseteria on Main Street, the visitor can by slowly turning his head see the models change from the full dress of the turn of the century into their underclothes—corsets and pantaloons. In the modern sequence, the model switches from an evening dress into bra and petticoat.
Many men hesitate to enter the shop—especially older gentlemen accompanied by their wives. It’s the older women who seem to be most anxious to shade their husbands from any “risque” experience.
But it’s the older generation of men who are the most polite—they invariably remove their hats upon entering the store!
The fathers and mothers of recent years seem to take the whole thing in stride—while the older women often are guilty of a bit of giggling, as are the teenagers.
The 10 to 12 year olds, especially the girls, are particularly appreciative and interested in the old time furnishings of the 1900 period in the store.
Hollywood Maxwell’s experience seems to lend credence to the belief that Americans are becoming more “liberal” through the years in their thoughts on such formerly “taboo” subjects.


The Disneyland News, September 1955 image and article © Disney.