Have you ever wanted to turn back the clock and get your 20-year-old face back? No? Well, you're not alone; more than half of the 1500 women surveyed said they felt their most beautiful and successful in their thirties and forties. This tells us what we've known for a long time: women can feel their best at every age. Psychologist Dr Sandra Wheatley said,
"It’s a sign that we are valued for who we are and what we are capable of, not just what is on the surface. Feeling beautiful is tied in with confidence and life experience." (italics added)
And here at Secret Drawers Lingerie, we agree. In fact, we take it one step further. We believe that if women are beautiful and successful at 40 because of their life experiences, then their beauty gets even better at 50, 60, and beyond.
Meryl Streep, 60 and breathtaking, by Brigitte Lacomb, Vanity Fair
Beauty isn't about a two-dimensional image shone back at you from a piece of glass. Beauty is about confidence, experience, and knowing who you are and what you want. Vashti and I have proven this by taking some of our biggest steps in our 40's and 50's, and feel great about it.
We encourage any woman to drop by Secret Drawers Lingerie and see how the right undergarment can remind you of your feminine beauty. We know that your beauty is within you, we just aim to give you a daily reminder you can wear on the outside.
This week marks the delivery of a new Lejaby design: the Envie de Cotton. I suspect this is soon to be a favorite of many.
This bra has the unique feature of being mostly cotton, as the name suggests. In Secret Drawers Lingerie's history of 14 years, this is only our fourth bra that has been mostly cotton. Most manufacturers won't make cotton bras because cotton is less forgiving than more modern materials and so requires more skill and care.
But the people at Lejaby don't shy away from more challenging designs. Lejaby makes some of the most exquisite pieces we've ever seen, and this one is no exception. The Envie de Cotton mimics the blue jean in its appearance and it's accented with button details. It's a full-cup bra, meaning that it offers full support, and has coordinating panties or thong available.
Blue jeans are the comfortable, second skin that most of us rely on for weekend comfort. With this bra and panties set, that comfort can be with you everyday.
1. Save your white lingerie for wear under light-colored clothing. If you wear it under dark-colored clothes, those dark colors can rub off making your whites less than pristine.
2. Always wash your whites with other light colors. Dye can come off in the wash, making your whites look dingy.
3. Always hand-wash your lingerie in lukewarm water. You've invested in your beauty and comfort and hand-washing your underthings every two-to-three wearings will keep them looking their best and prolong their life. It also helps keep stretch fabrics fitting you well, and not becoming stretched out.
4. Our favorite detergent is Forever New. You can pick this up at Secret Drawers Lingerie or order it online, if you can't drop by in person. This product is great because it has been designed to be delicate and will not harm the exquisite fabrics found in our lingerie. It also has a lovely scent. If you find yourself without this product, a gentle shampoo can be used in a pinch.
5. If you've found your lingerie stained or discolored, dissolve some detergent in the sink, and let your items soak overnight. Especially with Forever New, it's amazing what will come out using this method.
6. Rinse out lingerie well; leaving soap in your lingerie can harm fabric. Roll your lingerie up in a towel to remove excess water. Don't twist or wring out the garments. Then lay flat to dry.
7. If you must use a washing machine, a front-loading model is more gentle than a top-loading one. Always put items into a mesh bag, and of course, use the gentle cycle.
8. Never - ever - put lingerie in the dryer! It is the sin among sins in the lingerie world.
If you follow these tips your luxurious garments are here to stay, which is important, because underwear matters.
Memorial Day is coming up and while for some this means picnics and fireworks, for us at Secret Drawers Lingerie, it means the official emergence* of white lingerie. Just in case you're not a Miss Mannors follower and want to get into your whites early, we thought we'd provide a few tips on wearing white lingerie.
Who wears white?
Lots of people, actually. White is now officially considered a "color" and not a neutral, so many designers use it to make a fashion statement. White lingerie runs the gamut from traditional panties, like those many of us grew up with, to the devastatingly sexy bra and rio brief set in the Menton line by Prima Donna, seen left.
Isn't white just for brides?
White certainly is a bridal favorite, but we get requests for it from many. Peeling away layers of clothing only to reveal the sweet innocence of white underpinnings is seen as very romantic for many.
So, are there any rules for wearing white?
Well, at Secret Drawers Lingerie we don't believe in rules, but if you'd like a couple of suggestions:
White lingerie will show under light-colored clothes. If you're looking to keep things hidden, try a color that's close to your skin tone. Of course, we believe it's perfectly acceptable to show off exquisite lingerie, but we'll leave that up to you.
If you are choosing white for bridal, try a molded cup with a skinny strap like the Twist line by Prima Donna, seen right. The smooth cups will give your breasts the boost you want under your dress with straps that are easy to hide.
While you should always look for a good fit, for whites it's particularly important not to have too tight a fit. White can show lumps and bumps more easily than other colors.
White looks particularly stunning on people with a darker skin-tone. If you're naturally light-skinned, try some self-tanner.
Just remember, whites are no longer just boring, everyday wear, or to be saved for a wedding day. Whites now come with every purpose in mind from nice to naughty, so indulge in a new crisp, clean piece this summer.
* And yes, of course we carry white lingerie year-round. Beautiful accoutrements simply cannot be dictated by the calendar.
Other than being breathtaking, talented women, of course, they also happen to love Bravado lingerie! Between the three of them, they have ordered at least 16 of Bravado's luxurious and comfortable maternity and nursing bras. And they aren't the only ones.
All three picked up the Essential Nursing Bra Tank (seen right), designed to take a woman from early pregnancy, through to breastfeeding. This popular tank as been featured in lifestyle magazines like American Baby and In Style, and is available in six colors - there's no need to give up fashion when you become a mother. This is the one piece of maternity wear you can throw on, and walk out the door feeling both comfortable and beautiful, safe in the knowledge that when baby is hungry, nursing will be easy to accommodate too.
The cotton/spandex top isn't see-through, even in white, and it slides up to reveal a double-molded, full-support bra - no shelf-bras here! The well-designed clips on each strap allow for full breastfeeding access, but they are so discrete only you'll know that this tank is for nursing.
Looking at the quality of the material and design, it's obvious that Bravado understands that women want to feel stylish and comfortable at all points in their life.
And while at Secret Drawers Lingerie we do sell a lot of the tanks, even more popular is the Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra (seen right). The number one word our customers use to describe this bra is "comfortable". Women come back pregnancy after pregnancy to buy this bra. Moms ourselves, we agree - no woman should have to be uncomfortable just because she's pregnant or nursing.
This bra has simple sizing of S-M-L-XL, accommodating from a 32B to a 46F. This works because the material is specifically designed to melt into your body, and flex and stretch with you throughout pregnancy and nursing. Four hooks on the back band also help adapt to changing sizes.
And just as great, this bra comes with removable foam cups to hide breast pads or nipples, and sturdy, easy-to-use clips allow for one-handed feeding access.
In every detail, Bravado owners, and moms, Kathryn and Shery show they understand what moms and soon-to-be-moms want.
Nena and I have chosen Bravado as our only line of maternity wear at Secret Drawers Lingerie for one simple reason - they're the only bras we would wear if we were pregnant! In pregnancy, underwear definitely matters.
