The transformation begins with an assessment of your current inventory of intimates. Are your underwear drawers overflowing, yet you often find yourself with nothing to wear? A drawer stuffed with things—full of possibility, or so you think—can easily trick you into thinking you have everything you need. You might ask yourself, “How can I justify buying more when I already have so much?” Or, “Why buy another demy bra when I don’t wear the one I have?” Not to get too philosophical, but the answer is in the question. Maybe you don’t wear the things you have because something is wrong with them. Simply put, quantity does not equal quality. Do not be deceived by an excess of surplus goods.
Your First Task
Take all your lingerie and spread it out on the bed. Why? Because your personal stash probably needs some pruning. Its impossible to evaluate all your goods if you can’t see everything. Separate into categories. Sort bras and panties by style, then by occasion (everyday or fancy), and, finally, by color. Classify every last thing, one thong at a time. Editing lingerie is easier than regular clothing because usually you only have to determine between things to keep and things to toss. There should be no maybes. No save-for-another-seasons. None of those but-it-might-come-back-in-styles.
The 3 Fs
Ask the following three questions of every piece of lingerie you own. If you can’t answer yes to all three, don’t let that bra or parity take up space in your drawer.
Fit: Is it right for my body and my lifestyle?
Flatter: Does it make me look good and enhance what I’ve got?
Feel: Does it feel good on my body and do I feel great wearing it?
Let Go
Time to pare down. Ditch anything you wouldn’t want to be seen wearing. And start inspecting what remains. Say sayonara if:
- It’s discolored or faded. Has bright white become dingy gray? Is a much-loved item past its prime and ready to retire?
- The elastic is going—or gone. Just because something is not seen by others is no reason it should still be worn. If it’s lost its original shape, toss it.
- It’s worn out, frayed, or threadbare. Into the waste bin it goes. Do you think tattered lingerie is like a child’s security blanket? Let it go.
- The under wires are distorted, or even poking dangerously through fabric. No further explanation necessary, I hope.
- It hasn’t been worn in over a year. There must be a reason. Was it buried—out of sight, out of mind? Or is it not an everyday item, something that should go into storage? Anything you haven’t touched in six months should be tried on and reassessed.
- It doesn’t fit properly anymore. Weight fluctuates. Women hang on to bras, especially expensive ones, waiting for their body to return to an earlier incarnation. This happens frequently with women who were recently pregnant. Even if they eventually end up at their former size, their shape sometimes has changed. Stop holding out for the day you lose a lot of weight or dramatically change your body Buy new things when that time actually comes—that’s when you’ll deserve a reward anyway!
- It didn’t fit properly to begin with. We’ve all bought garments out of desperation, like the time you bought a slip in the wrong size because there were no others to go under a sheer dress you were wearing to a wedding that started in five hours! Or, we’ve bought something because we really, really wanted the item and were lured by its siren song, despite the fact that it just didn’t fit. If it’s the wrong size, or wrong for your body type, its got to go.
- It’s uncomfortable. Free yourself of anything that feels bad, even if it looks good. Bras that dig in. Thongs that ride up. Slips that pucker and pull. There is a limit to how much one should suffer for beauty.
- It’s almost the perfect thing. While surveying the situation, you might find you’ve duplicated a lot of items on past shopping trips. Most of us are attracted to certain features or styles and end up buying the same things over and over. You know that friend of yours who dates the “same” person over and over again, who repeats the same dynamic in every relationship, with a template man with characteristics identical to the last? That’s exactly how a lot of us shop. Do you have piles of bikinis, but only one full-coverage brief? Are all your under things in varying shades of white? Do you have fifteen bras, but not one with straps that hide under tank tops? Bras can be like the perfect black pants—you can own countless pairs, but still not have found The One. If you don’t love it, lose it.
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses
I will grant three exceptions to the rules of trash-can death for lingerie that really should go—but don’t try to apply them too frequently.
Giveaways. This is for all you lingerie lovers out there. If you are guilty of possessing items that have lived a long career in the back of your drawer or that you hardly ever wore, you might consider passing your neglected negligee on to charity, a relative, or a friend. While some women might feel there’s a stigma attached to receiving intimate apparel hand-me-downs, others who scan antiques stores and flea markets to pick up such vintage treasures. I’ve shared the wealth of my rarely worns with plenty of friends and family members. At the risk of sounding indelicate, make sure your castoffs are in pristine condition. Send anything that’s not to the trash heap.
Tune-UPS. Some garments may require only a little maintenance to be wearable again. This happens infrequently because lingerie, by its very nature, is delicate. Once it starts to fall apart, it is rarely salvageable. A tailor can, however, recover some items with open seams, loosened hems, or broken clasps. (See “Good Bras Gone Bad,” opposite.)
Sentimental Value. By all means, keep anything to which you have a strong emotional attachment—a slip that belonged to your mother or a present from your husband when he was still your boyfriend. Just make sure your entire stash is not a walk down memory lane, a relic from the past never to be used again. Lingerie is meant to be worn!
Moving On
Now that you’ve said some good-byes, you can move on to making good buys! Stick with me and I guarantee these lessons in lingerie will tap into the little flirt within you.
Tags: body type, girls dress, lingerie, underwear