Back to Basics, Pt. 2: Gathered Bras

Happy Friday girls! We’re back with part two of back to basics series and we’re going to talk to about.. well, your girls. It’s bra talk fashionistas, and it’s a key foundational element to a gathered look. There is pretty much nothing more ruinous to a cute bodice, blouse, or top, then to have erratic, lumpy, floppy, or - excuse the made up expression - nipply lines created by a bad bra choice (or no bra at all). As I said in Back to Basics, Pt. 1, “to put it simply, your underwear supports your outerwear. The wrong undergarments will ruin an outfit.”  Applying excellent knowledge of the basics makes the line and flow of your clothes a cinch to perfect, and that’s all there is to it. Let’s get started, shall we?

The pic above shows just a glimpse of the diversity within the category of the brassiere. (For more basic and helpful walkthrough of bra styles click here.) I’ve heard lots of jokes about taking a swing at the evil man who invented them, but they actually date back to ancient Greece or even farther, so they’ve been with us a long time. Currently, statistics show that 75 - 90% of women wear bras daily. It’s important to get this right! Here are some helpful tips to pair bras with clothes perfectly every time. You’ll be so delightfully gathered!

Step 1: Consider your boobs.

 Here is where we stop to take a look at ourselves. All nakey. In the mirror. (Hopefully you do this all the time. I do. It’s good for your self-esteem and self-acceptance. And you will be hotter because of it.) Now.... look at your boobs. What kind of bra will suppport, lift, and separate your girls? Are you small and round? Large and ripe? Medium-sized and conical? Your bras should fit your breasts themselves, and not every bra style is a win for every breast type. In other words, a smaller less round breast might benefit from a plunge or demi-cup style with padding (which will shape the breast and add a bit of volume while creating cleavage) , whereas a larger, fuller breast would benefit from a full coverage bra with less padding and fuller straps (which will support the breast and not add volume and not overflow the bra because larger breasts tend to need no cleavage help).

Note: if looking at your breasts fills you with confusion about what styles to buy and what looks good, seek professional help at your nearest quality boutique that sells a variety of brands and styles and does bra fittings. It’s not something easily explained in this format, and experts are experts for a reason.

Now that you have good bras styles that work well with your breasts and your closet is stocked with the right things...

Step 2: Consider your bodice

A bodice is the upper part of a woman’s dress, but for our purposes this will stand in for whatever clothing you’ve decided to wear to cover your top half, whether a tee, halter, blouse, button down, crop top, etc. You must look at this piece of clothing every day and decide which bra will work well underneath to support and enable that bodice to get its best look. That means paying attention to these factors :

• Neckline. (i.e. is it scooped, vee, boatneck) 

  • Pair any neckline with a bra that a) does not show above the neckline, b) does not show above the rise in the back, and c) does not created too much cleavage or bulging. This also applies to when sitting down and leaning over. Test this to be sure. Nothing worse than giving the pimply-face barista at starbucks a cheap thrill when leaning over to sign your receipt (<--- real life example!)

• Straps or Sleeves. (i.e. is it cap sleeved, off the shoulder, tank top, racerback, strapless)

  • This is the most common and easily identifiable issue with a bad bra choice. Visible, distracting bra straps. Endeavor to hide your bra straps completely by choosing a bra with the same strap configuration as your top. There are many bras that have changeable strap configurations for this reason. If all else fails, wear a strapless bra.

• Fabric type. (i.e. heavy cotton, drapey jersey, transparent chiffon)

  • When your bodice lays against you, can the impression of the bra or your nipples be seen? Take action against this! Try seamless bras or t-shirt bras to calm this effect under most generic tops. Use a camisole underneath a transparent top unless you are intentionally baring your bra. Don’t wear a textured lace pattern underneath a clingy fabric - it will show through.

• Color

  • There's nothing worse than getting everything else right and then the bra color or pattern shows through your clothes. Try again if this happens. It never looks good!

 

Use these tips to ensure that you’re always supported, lifted and separated under those lovely gathered clothes ladies!

Back to Basics, Pt. 1: Gathered Panties

Gathered ladies everywhere love to look great, and dress both to express and to impress. But did you know that every great outfit is built on a great foundation? I mean this literally. It’s very, very important to be gathered under your clothes. To put it simply, your underwear supports your outerwear. The wrong undergarments will ruin an outfit.  With that in mind, welcome to part one of our Gathered Lady Back to Basics series. We’re starting by focusing on the most basic of the basics: panties! (Yes, we’re going there...but we promise you’ll learn something.)

Now, I’m not trying to get all up in your business or anything, but... what kind of panties are you wearing under that dress? Those pants? That jumpsuit? That skirt? It totally matters!

 

 Exhibit  A.  Most common panty styles... pick carefully from this arsenal

They come in every color and pattern under the rainbow and we all wear them. But the most important thing to understand is that panties come in the common types listed below and many variations, all of which have an appropriate use. They’re tools, ladies. To support, control, protect, enhance and seduce. Let your purpose guide your panty. Ooh, let’s discuss! Use these tips to pair panties with clothes and build that perfect gathered outfit every time.

Bikini Briefs

Bikini briefs are the most common type of panty and come in an infinite array of colors, patterns, and materials from cotton to lace to velvet! On average, they are medium coverage, medium rise panties.

• Variations include: high-cut or french cut bikinis, string bikinis, tangas (see exhibit A above).
• Comfy, versatile, bikinis pair well with jeans, pants, shorts, skirts, and even dresses. Won’t show under heavier fabrics like denim and wool.  
• Some bikinis can be low rise. This can equal rolling or bunching for ladies with more in the middle or junk in the trunk! Look for thicker waistbands, higher rise, and anti-roll technology such as additional clear elastic in the leg and waist in these cases.
• Warning: thick seams, elastic, or heavy cotton in the panties will create visible panic panty lines (VPLs)  in any form-fitting outfit of a lighter fabric.  
• If you want to wear this style but are worried about VPLs, you can counteract this with: a) seamless, laser-cut, or microfiber bikini or b) a thong or g-string.

Boyshorts & Hipsters

• Boyshorts and hipsters are pretty much the modern replacements of the classic “Granny panty”. The boyshort offers full coverage at a higher rise, while the hipster offers mid coverage at a lower rise.  

• Both boyshorts and hipsters are super comfy, and can be sexy as well -- nothing that you need to be embarrassed to be seen in. Both pair well under medium weight fabrics. The boyshort tends to do well with clothing that clings to your butt but drops away at the thigh because the low cut leg seam doesn’t show as often.

• Because hipsters are lower rise, they are amazing under any mid-rise pant.

• Warning: these panties offer little to no control for those of us needing that. The good news is that there are control panties and foundation garments sold in boyshort and hipster silhouettes (look for a discussion of that in an upcoming post).

  
   

Thongs & G-strings

• Thongs and g-strings are more than perma-wedgies or (effective) tools of seduction! They have a function and can be quite useful in your arsenal, mainly in the fight against VPLs. (It’s the visible ones we fight. The invisible ones are our friends, since they tend to sculpt and shape our derrieres into works of art).

• Both thongs and g-strings are a no show under most clothes. Warning: there are exceptions, mostly around wrong color choice (see below). Always do a spot check before leaving the house!

• The fit on these panties can be tricky. They shouldn’t be loose, but should you choose a too-exact fit, or they shrink in the wash... you will find out that the “g” in g-string stands for goddamn! your sensitive parts will be flossy, in the worst way.

  
   

Classic & Control Panties

• Classic panties aka Granny panties aka period panties. Ah, how we love to hate to love them! These are traditional, full coverage panties, totally resistant to modernization outside of fun colors and patterns and an update to microfiber and other seamless fabrics.

• It’s smart to have a few classic panties on hand in your gathered lingerie drawer. Sometimes nothing but a pair of bloomers will do, and these count. Follow the same fabric rules as bikini panties.

• DO NOT wear classic panties with low rise anything. They will show above the waistband. They will bunch up under your clothes. It will be all bad.

• Control panties, on the other hand, will help smooth out your silhouette and tame bulges, rolls, dimples, and other attributes you want to downplay. Great under business attire, structured dresses, formal dresses, etc... These hold you in and, as with stronger control underwear, can even improve your posture. I’m a great fan. So much so that I will give these and other control undergarments their very own post in this series. Look for it!

  

Well, that’s it for now fashionistas, until we’re back with Back to Basics Pt. 1.5: Panty Pros and Pas -  a guide of panty dos and don’ts for the modern age.

Fashionista Feature: Gathered Lady Danni!

Today, for your reading pleasure, senior contributing writer Danni spills and answers 21 questions!

1. Name/Age/City? Danni. 30s are the new 20s and that’s all I have to say about it. New Orleans, Dirty South represent.

2. Describe your fashion style in 5 words. Bohemian, cultured, edgy, fresh, colorful!

3. Who are your favorite style icons? Janelle Monae, Jill Scott, Gwen Stefani, Michelle Obama, Jennifer Hudson

4. Finish this sentence: I can’t help but buy more shoes for no reason whatsoever.

5. Surprise! Interview being featured on Ellen in 2 hours! What do you wear? Polo Ralph Lauren floral ruffled silk dress, white swing jacket, Sam Edelman gold t-strap stilettos and gold accessories.    

6. Most expensive item in your closet? My wedding dress! Closely followed by my Spanish handmade eel skin black boots.

7. If a natural disaster wipes away your entire closet except for 3 pieces, what would you save? I’d save a relative the stress and voluntarily commit myself, seeing as I’ve already been through this! I’d save my Michelle Obama Vogue Cover clutch, my pink glitter Ivanka Trump heels, my indigo leopard Carlos Santana heels.

8. Favorite stores to supply your fashion habit? TJ Maxx, Buffalo Exchange, Macy’s, Eloquii, Goodwill, Asos, Voluptuous Vixen, Forever 21, Dirt Cheap, Hudson’s Treasure Hunt, Target.

9. Best fashion advice you live by: Do not buy anything that does not make you look and feel fabulous at the time you try it on! Bonus: Shop all the time. That way, you can cherry-pick amazing items and build a wardrobe, while cleverly avoiding shoppers panic when you need an outfit for a special occasion. You will also avoid spending too much on clothes at one time.

10. Worst fashion mistake you ever made? Oh there were so many! The worst was probably: overalls. An unfortunate pot-belly creating lapse in judgement that occurred over and over in high school/college. With one strap fastened I might add. Farmersonly.com poster girl!

11. Favorite childhood fashion item: Pink nikes! I was Cheetah of the Thundercats! Zoom zoom!

12. Secret fashion look you wish you could pull off: Babydoll dresses. They morph on me to a feedsack-tent-fatty-bib-thing. It’s supernatural.

13. Fill in the blank: If I were small chested, then I would wear tops and dresses with shelf bras.

14. What traits make up a gathered lady to you? Which do you have? Gathered ladies are empowered women with a defined identity, unapologetically aware of themselves, protective of themselves and their rights and choices, and fearlessly making decisions in pursuit of their goals. Whatever gathered women do or try, they go hard. They also play hard, love to learn, and love to share their experiences and interests with others. Lastly, gathered women have a lot of respect for themselves and whatever fashion they choose, all of these values are apparent. Many women, including myself, have all of these traits.

15. Favorite asset to accentuate? How? I am an *ahem* generous hourglass, and I love to wear anything that defines my shape while showing my “amazing” (I hear this all the time) legs! This means that I am the queen of foundation garments, belts, and other waist-defining and fat-roll-control techniques. Need to put a 187 on some dimples? Holla at your girl. 

16. How do you dress your body concerns? I make sure to cover that cleavage. Boobs as big as mine are always on display. I own a lot of foundation garments in different styles, configurations, and levels of control to pair with different outfits. I also try NEVER to lose my waist in an outfit, or wear billowy, long things with busy patterns. That way lies MADNESS!

17. Best fashion steal you snagged? Donna Rico bubble cocktail dress for 6$... also I have been given some amazing fashion items from a high fashion friend of mine with the same shoe size-- eel-skin Spanish boats, Donald Pliner boots.

18. Which celebrity closet would you love to raid? Jennifer Hudson!! Raiding her closet would make me feel goooooooood! *sings Nina Simone*

19. Lazy day- what are you wearing? Maxi dress and sandals all day... 

20. Fashion trend you want to go away? I’m going to need the leggings as pants trend to end IMMEDIATELY. The 0.4% of the population that could pull it off aren’t even the offenders. Let’s display those lady lumps with some style, please.

21. How has your culture influenced your fashion style? I’m New Orleans born and bred, but I’ve also travelled the world and lived and worked internationally. I love to incorporate patterns and colors from the cultures I’ve experienced. I’m also a Southern girl, so I set great store by dressing up for occasions--church, formals, cultural events, high tea... name it, and I’ve got an outfit for it.