By HOLLY JACKSON

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m turning 33 soon or because living in a historic house with no closets has changed me, but I’ve found myself thinking a lot about how to create a simple and classic wardrobe lately. I recently did a huge clothing clear out, with a built in reward of replacing some items at the end of it. Instead of going for crazy prints and patterns like I would have several years ago, I found myself drawn to simple and chic pieces that would all work well together – essentially the beginnings of a French inspired capsule wardrobe. Ironically, putting together a classic and high quality wardrobe while being plus sized actually felt like more work than putting together a colorful and quirky one!

I was in the middle of my epic downsizing when a beautiful package from Hanky Panky showed up. It … ...Read more

By HOLLY JACKSON

When you’re curvy, buying basic panties can be kind of a trial. All pairs of underwear seem to either roll up, roll down, ride up or just bunch up awkardly at in-opportune times. These factors tend to make many curvy women gravitate towards the lowest common denominator: a pair of panties that sort of fits and that is cheap, knowing they will probably toss them in the trash within six months.

The Knicker, while a new brand, represents true excellence in this category. Several of the Lingerie Briefs staff got samples of this brand. We spanned all ages, sizes and tastes – and all of us fell equally head over heels for these budget friendly panties. Part of this is due to the exhaustive research that the brand did when they developed this new line of basics. They conducted more than 1000 interviews about what women hated … ...Read more

By HOLLY  JACKSON

I’ve always been a skeptic when it comes to the bralette trend. Lots of bralettes have been developed over the years that were aimed at the full bust market, but few made good on their big marketing promises. Until last year, I was fairly sure that some people (like myself) were going to find themselves left out of the bralette trend completely – and I was okay with that. Then, Sugar Candy happened.

Ellen has written about the Sugar Candy Original wireless bra before – and I like them so much that I’ve bought two of them. My only complaint was on the style front, so I was thrilled when the brand recently debuted their new Sugar Candy Crush styles.  All of these leisure bras use smart fabric tech and an inner sling system to provide real lift in larger cup sizes, even without wires. This patent … ...Read more

By HOLLY JACKSON

As a lover of color and kitsch, I spent years hating basic bras. I didn’t own any and I didn’t own any clothes that needed any: I was entirely convinced that anyone could get by without a bra that matched their skin tone. Then I moved to the South. By the time July and August rolls around, you start weighing how important your errand or friend is to you when you contemplate putting clothes on at all. When you are motivated enough to leave air conditioning, you spend all of your time in light fabrics that trap as little heat as possible. Basic bras are now a staple in my lingerie drawer and I’m sort of ashamed that I spent so much time deriding them when I was younger.

Since I’m not a basic bra lover at heart, I’m actually really picky about the basic bras I … ...Read more

By HOLLY JACKSON

Shapewear is a huge part of the lingerie industry, but it’s never something that I’ve really prioritized. Whenever I try it I have that Goldilocks experience: something is always rolling up or down awkwardly and I end up feeling like it’s more trouble than it’s worth. It certainly doesn’t help that I live in a sub-tropical climate, which frequently means that you’re wearing incredibly light fabrics and doing your best to avoid layering anything warm underneath them.

Ellen is a fan of HookedUp Shapewear and was the one who recommended I try it. HookedUp pieces have a built in system of hooks to let you attach your bra to your shapewear. What this means is that your shapewear gives you a totally smooth appearance and you don’t have to rely on your cup size fitting into a shapewear company’s bra sizes. I gave my HookedUp shapewear (size … ...Read more