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A Guide to Undergarments
One of the areas many women fail to think about when they think “fashion” is their undergarments.
Yet, the undergarments you choose to wear can often make a good-looking outfit outstanding, or make that same outfit a real horror.
The important things to remember are fit and function.
A visit to your local lingerie store is important to make sure you select properly fitting
undergarments. It is also important to be realistic and select the right garments for you. The sales clerks are trained to assist
you in selecting properly fitted garments that meet your specific needs.
Here’s a list of some of the more common undergarments available for women today, descriptions
of their specific functions and purpose and some tips for wearing them well:
Tops:
The types of garment intended for covering the upper portion of the woman’s body falls into two
categories – those for coverage and modesty, and those for support. Camisoles fall into the former category. Camisoles include those
lightweight garments that cover the upper torso of the body and are designed to be worn under other garments. String-strap t-shirts,
shells, shifts, and demi-slips are all types of camisole tops.
For support garments, we have brassieres. These are designed to provide support for women’s
breasts and come in a variety of styles for specific needs. Sports bras are generally snug-fitting, cupless garments that resemble
a cut off athletic tee. They are usually made of lycra or other stretchy fabrics and are meant to hold the breasts close to the body
securely during physical activities such as exercise.
Under-wire bras are those designed with some form of ribbing or “boning” inserted in the base of
the bra’s cups. The purpose of this is to provide defined shape and extra support to the breasts. Under-wire bras are great for women
who have large or oddly-shaped breasts.
Padded bras are exactly what they sound like they would be – bras that have padding added to the
cups. These are great for women who have smaller breasts or are in-between on cup sizes. They are also good for women who have lost
weight and notice some shrinkage in the breasts.
Half-cup/Push-up bras are designed to lift and support the breasts from the underside and are
designed to be worn with low-cut and scoop-necked blouses and dresses to prevent the brassiere from showing. These bras “make the
most” of what a young woman has and in many cases create cleavage and the appearance that the breasts are significantly larger.
Strapless bras are also self-explanatory. These bras are designed with no over-the-shoulder
support straps and are designed for wear with strapless garments. Many strapless bras extend farther down the torso to give added
support, but some new “strapless bra” designs are little more than skin-adhesive silicone cups that are adhered to the breasts and
offer some minor shaping and support.
Bottoms:
The lower half of the body has its own set of garments – everything from hosiery, to panties, to
shapers. Panties are by far the most varied of these, and are available in a wide variety of styles. Basic briefs are the classic
close-legged high-rise panties that are often referred to as “Granny Panties”. These are used mostly for comfort and are good
general purpose undergarments.
Bikini panties are an abbreviated version of the brief, with a lower-rise waist, and usually
slightly higher-rise leg holes. These are also commonly used in general wear situations and are favored by younger women for the fact
that they are considered more fashionable than their full-sized counterparts.
Low-rise panties are bikini panties that have an extra low-cut waist. These are designed to be
worn with low slung jeans, skirts and pants and became a necessity when fashion trends introduced hip-hugger jeans and other low-rise
garments.
French Cut panties are basically bikini panties (and may even be low-rise bikini panties)
whose legs are cut high up on the hip. This style of leg opening often reveals skin at the hip-joint and a portion of the side of
the buttocks as well. These became popular for their esthetic design – making the legs appear longer – more than for their
practicality.
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