Ok guys, listen up. For some time now, we've been getting the buying of women's
lingerie - for our loved ones, not ourselves - wrong. Here's a fail-safe guide to buying lingerie
for her.
Size
If you don't know the size your girlfriend or wife takes, stop now. Don't guess. If you can, ask subtly or ask their best friend. If you want to be cunning, have a sneaky peek in their lingerie drawer and note down
bra size and
panties size. Resist the temptation to try it on. Bras have one measurement, broken down into two parts - the band size determined by the size of the torso and the cup size - e.g. 34C. Panties have one single measurement, i.e. size 8. Perhaps the best way to get the size right (because sizes vary), is to
borrow a set and take it with you. Armed with this information, time to shop...
Quality
Stay away from nastiness - we're talking novelty underwear - you know the kind.
Union Jack/
Stars and Stripes thongs,
crotchless panties, peep-hole bras,
Ann Summers stuff (read:
slutty). Forget it. Apart from
looking nasty, they're well known to use
sandpaper rather than
cotton, causing a nasty
rash. Euw.
Style
If you've followed previous instructions, this is the hardest part. It's down to your judgement. Like most guys, you'll probably go for some skimpy, hot, see-through, lingerie. Standing there in the lingerie shop, you're getting excited picturing your lover in...
that...wow!
Reality check. Unless you're a very, very,
very lucky guy, your
lover probably isn't going to appreciate
that. While neither of you want a grey
Marks & Spencer's matching set, something that hot probably won't go down too well.
Some general advice - underwear with prints on them don't go down to well. You know, big flowers, blah. Neither do bras with padding - if your lover has anything larger than a B cup, they probably don't need padding and it'll just feel horrible. If your lover is an A or B cup, you run the risk of suggesting her
boobs are too small. So, padding bad.
Underwired? Hmm, this one is really upto you. I prefer it, always have done, some of my friends don't. It really depends how pert your lover's boobs are.
If you followed my advice and had a sneak peek in her lingerie drawer, you'll know whether she wears thongs, panties,
French knickers, whatever. It seems obvious, but needs to be said, if she doesn't wear thongs - don't buy a thong. You need to find something sexy, but something that's similar to what she wears already (put down that
basque!).
Stockings and
suspenders are generally accepted as the lamest attempt at something sexy.
Remember, the aim is to get something
sexy (because everyone wants to feel sexy) and not slutty.
If you can't tell the difference between the two, don't buy lingerie. Ever.
Matching set
There's nothing exciting about a bra or a pair of panties on their own. Do things properly, get the matching set. That means bra
and panties. She'll appreciate it a whole lot more.
So now you know what to buy, you need to know where to buy it. Here's a small list of places that do nice lingerie -
Knickerbox
Agent Provacateur
Bravissimo.com
Figleaves.com
Bras 'n' things, Australia (recommended by La petite mort)
Victoria's Secret (although Jessicapierce and friends say their underwear is for guys and it's too scratchy)
If I've missed anything, or you've got any comments, feel free to /msg me. Thanks to a biscuit-wannabe for her comments.