An elevating story

After decades teaching Transcendental Meditation, just for fun I volunteered to write a short article for some friends to publicize their new pet supply store. I sent it off to our local newspaper and to my great surprise, they published it. And to my greater surprise, the editors asked me to write another piece: a 400 word article…about lingerie. When it was published, one of my friends commented, “…but I thought you were a spiritual person!”

Well, even spiritual people need underwear.

The thing about what goes on under our clothes is that it has an impact on how we feel about ourselves and how we move. We feel sexier and more confident knowing at least part of our outfit works. And, they do make everything we wear over them look better.

But here’s the deal: they MUST be comfortable. For five years now I’ve listened to you, my dear readers, and here’s what you’ve told me: you want comfort. A$200 bra and panty set that make you feel like you’ve been wrapped by a boa constrictor, or with lace or seaming that itches or digs into your skin is not sexy. So, comfort first and foremost. But you also told me you want things that are affordable and you prefer natural fibers. That’s a tall order for underwear. Almost all of it has some synthetic material, by necessity. And the lower end ones don’t hold up as well. But I have a couple of options that I have personally tried and can recommend that check many – if not all – of the boxes.

A Great Underwire

I’ve always hated underwire bras. Poorly made ones cut off your lymph nodes and circulation. But, frankly, they just make your clothes look better if you’re larger than a 32C. So after years of searching I found one that I like. Actually, I love it. Actually, sometimes I even forget I am wearing it, which says a lot, since I am the Princess and the Pea when it comes to clothing comfort.

The brand is called Third Love and was started by an MIT grad who searched, unsuccessfully, for a great, comfortable bra, so she designed her own. Here’s why these bras, and the company, work: 1) they have a great quiz that shows multiple kinds of breast shapes and then match you to a bra that works best for yours; 2) they have half cup sizes!!! Yes! If you’re a 34 D 1/2, and not a 34 DD, they have your size! What a concept! 3) they give you a 30 day trial period before ever charging your card, so if the item doesn’t work, you can send it back before the charge appears on your account. That’s customer service; 4) they use real women in their Facebook ads – lumps and bumps and all.

Now, at $68 these are not super cheap, but they really hold up well. They look very natural under clothing, and come in multi-ethnic skin colors as well as some pretty fashion shades too. The most popular style is their t-shirt bra, which is what I bought. But they have some lacy things, a strapless, some nursing bras, and a wireless, seamless “lounging” bra that I might try just because it looks pretty cool. Here is my link for Third Love. You get $15 off if you order two and $15 off your second order.

Guy’s wear t-shirts, so we wear…

Camisoles. I wear them without a bra when I’m lazing around the house. But what I do wear, very frequently is shelf bra tank tops.

About ten years ago JJill had them in the most wonderful colors and, they were really well made. For some reason they just stopped making them. Probably there weren’t enough people like me who ordered one in every color. It was a sad turn of events. I have searched high and low for any that could compare, but to no avail. Express still makes them but some are so tight around the chest band that I often find myself ripping them off when I get home.

And then…along came PACT. Not only do they make extremely well-made tank tops in colors (mostly neutrals – black, gray, tan, navy, white, pink, blue, red, and a couple of patterns) but their clothing is all made from (drumroll) ORGANIC cotton!! They have adjustable straps, are long enough to fit under blouses and sweaters or tuck into skirts or jeans, and are extremely comfortable. I am once again in tank top heaven. They are $18 each, which is about on par for what JJill sold theirs for, actually about $1 less. And, they advertise as being “sweatshop free.” What’s not to love? Here’s the link.

So those are my recommendations. I know there are a lot of new, really comfortable bras out there without wires but if you’re over a C cup you end up with a “uniboob.” If you have one that you love, let me know about it and why you like it. I love to do a little digging and see if I can get some specials for you.