What Lies Beneath

We've all got them. Those grey, maybe even holey undies we keep at the back of the drawer - for a rainy day. Or worse, for when we've got to that point in our relationship when we no longer feel it's necessary to look like a Victoria's Secret model.

OK, so maybe you don't want to look like a V.S model, or you're single and happily off the market, or you think a relationship should be about more than what you look like in your undies - here's why you should still care:

- Loss of elasticity or bad fitting undies can result in your clothes looking odd/being ill fitting- Correctly fitting underwear can make you look slimmer - its true- Discoloured or greying undies look unhygenic, even if they are clean- And as my mother is fond of saying - if you are in an accident you'll be very embarrassed in the E.R. room. (Yes, yes, I have often told her that the least of your worries in this situation will be the state of your undies, but she sticks by it.)

A simple trick is to chuck out old stuff as soon as you spot it, thereby avoiding any possible scenario where you will be tempted to wear it (no clean laundry days etc). I'm by no means advocating constantly spending a fortune at La Perla, and shops like M&S do some lovely cotton hipsters for a tenner (for 5) and other nice styles, which are great for every-day wear, and even look sexy in a sporty way. The important thing is that your undies fit well, have a discernible hue on the colour spectrum, and don't look as though the moths have got hold of them.

Personally I just get depressed with old and unattractive underwear - and I tend to undertake a inspection of my undies drawer once a year, and do regular turf-outs. I also happen to like lingerie, and have a few nice sets for evening wear. I recently discovered La Senza who have some lovely stuff and they are not over-priced. For bigger breasted ladies, there are also some online sites such as Figleaves and Bravissimo, which are super. So nowadays bigger doesn't have to mean ugly, grannified, thick-strapped hammocks anymore.

I am also a firm believer in getting properly measured for bra's, and there are apparently an astounding number of women who wear the wrong size. That awful duo, Trinny created a cleavage where there wasn't one before, and made very large breasted women look smaller. And Tyra Banks's choice of good bras have famously led people to think she's had a boob job!

Looks like Oprah is also a big supporter (pun intended, I confess) of being fitted for bras, and here's why. A big thanks to Ans for the link.

Image: figleaves.com