What lies beneath!!

No it is not a horror story or reference to the movie, which I still have to watch. It is about what we wear beneath all our amazing outfits and how that has changed over the years. I have to say that our underwear decisions are really important. Not for any reason, except how making the right underwear decisions can make the difference between being comfortable/confident or not.

Has anyone else had the perfect outfit for an evening out, but doesn’t matter what you put on underneath it just doesn’t feel right. That is what I am talking about.

Like many young twenty somethings most of my underwear choices were based on wearing skimpy thongs and lacy bras. I did learn one thing from my mum and that was to get a proper fitting of my bras to make sure they fit properly. We should do this quite regularly, we all change size. I always went to Marks and Spencers in Romford for my fitting. Personally, I felt quite awkward. It was always elderly ladies who were amazing, but it still felt weird. Anyway, in my twenties I was a 36C. 

The first time this changed was when I started putting on weight. After getting married I like many other women let myself go. I was travelling with work and take-aways became a regular fixture and the pounds slowly added, including on my boobs. Therefore, my bra size increased, though I think I stubbornly continued to wear my old bras. Not the best thing to do. It is not good for you to wear the wrong size bras apparently.

The biggest change, of course, came when I was pregnant. My boobs grew to a 44DD. I did at this point get a bra that fit as I felt so uncomfortable. I was getting pains in my neck and shoulders and needed to have the right support. Think this is especially important when pregnant, it is uncomfortable enough as you grow so make sure that you give your boobs the right support.

After having both my daughters I decided that I needed to get myself fit so I can look after my girls and run around with them. I say fit and not thin. But getting fit has a great side affect of losing weight, or it did for me. So after hiring a personal trainer and starting running I found myself heading back to having a 36C bra size. Why am I talking about bras, well if you don’t have good fitting one that is were the discomfort can happen. If you are not completely comfortable with your bra it can ruin the outfit. I also believe that as you get older and your boobs start heading south, having a good fitting bra that provides the lift that is needed can help with providing the necessary support but can also help with your own self-esteem and confidence.

So let’s talk about knickers. As I said in my twenties I spent most of my time in skimpy thongs. As my weight increased and then getting pregnant so my knickers increased in size. I was so pleased when Bridget Jones made big pants fashionable, after Hugh Grants improvised scene. Interestingly as I lost weight so did my knickers. I began turning back to my thongs as they felt comfortable again. The most comfortable pair came from Marks and Spencers I could wear them running. I even at one point got in the habit of going commando when I was wearing trousers or jeans. Something Victoria Beckham said about not having a VPL. Apparently at that time visible panty lines was a no, no. I actually found it quite comfortable.

Breaking my back changed everything again. I turned back to my big pants as they gave me comfort. The hematoma at the top of my left buttock meant that thongs just felt weird, so I went back to my big pants. Now as I am going through menopause the importance of comfortable underwear is key. I did use Modibodi period pants in the final couple of years of having periods. Now I use them as one of the issues I have is that sometimes a little bit of wee escapes when I don’t want it to. I find them great when I am running and if I am going dancing I will wear them. I now know why older women can smell of wee, but we do now have choices so that we can be comfortable.

It doesn’t mean however that your underwear doesn’t have to be sexy. Underwear can be both comfortable and sexy if that is what you want. I found Pour Moi recently that have some great sexy underwear. I also believe in coordinating my underwear with what I am wearing and the most useful colour in my drawers are my skin coloured underwear. Especially good for those light colour outfits.

Though remember that be careful wearing matching underwear as serial killers only choose women who are wearing matching underwear 😱

thanks

Lois

PS, Some of my favourite underwear brands: Marks and Spencers, John Lewis, Stella McCartney, Pour Moi, Victoria Secrets, La Perla.