Freya Nina
Y'all know how I LOVE animal print. I have a Freya from years ago (cannot remember the style, long gone now) made of a jewel blue and hot pink animal print. Lord, I love that bra but it's too big in the back so it doesn't get a lot of wear. The string of the matching thong undies is actually made of pink velvet and the back of the thong has an embroidered hot pink heart that's larger than the size of a quarter! Now, that set was surprisingly practical. It had a flat profile so it could be worn under most anything. I wish I could find a stock photo of it.
The Nina, pictured above, is an unpadded (yay) plunge. I love that the straps continue the animal print pattern. And that floral decollete is so pretty, sexy - and weird.
I say the best place to go crazy with fashion is the under layer. Seriously, who's gonna know if you've gone nutty with florals and animal prints? (Of course, one's bras have to fit and be invisible under the shirt she happens to be wearing that day, but you know what I mean. Oh, and you know of my fixation with matching undies to bras. Unless you have style coming out the yin yang and the shape of a twenty-something, mismatched can look so unintentional - so unflattering.)
What do you think? Do you like the Nina? Do you prefer it to the Nieve? Do you enjoy a good plunge bra? Do you wear crazy patterned lingerie? Do you think I'm autocratic about the matching sets? Let's talk.
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I had a college roommate who subscribed to your theory of matched underwear. She had, literally, more bra and panty sets than anyone I have ever met in my entire life. Four drawers full, if memory serves.
ReplyDeleteI have to have practical underwear, so the matchy-matchy thing isn't even possible for me. They don't make panties to match my bras, and everything has to be hypoallergenic so I have the least sexy underwear collection ever. But hey, walking around scratching under your clothes and readjusting yourself probably isn't sexy either.
My biggest issue with online shopping is returns. I don't really buy online because I hate returning things so much (swimwear is an exception because I'd rather try it on in-house than anywhere else).
Well, I don't want to say I have a problem, but I do have a reasonably comprehensive, um, collection :-)
DeleteQuestion: Do you match bottoms to tops in terms of colour? That is, if you're in a black bra, do you wear black undies? I think that's a good alternative in terms of maximizing the flatteringness of matching without having to actually have a set.
I don't mind returning, for some bizarre reason. It's no harder than taking something back to a store (easier, probably) and though it does cost about 8 bucks to return a bra and undies to the UK, I get exactly what I want at a price that's so discounted, it's still way cheaper than local options.
I really dislike the animal print + flower combo, but then, I'm iffy on animal prints at best. However, if there was ever a place for animal print, I definitely think lingerie is it :) For me the mix is a bit much, but I tend to be a bit of a minimalist, fashion-wise.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think the best thing about lingerie is that if you look and feel great in it (fit-wise), what it looks like almost becomes irrelevant, you know? ;-)
OK, my husband has this theory that men only like solid colours in lingerie (as evidenced, says he, by the proliferation of online porn that corroborates the point). I think that's insane, so I bought the Nina set just to prove him wrong :-) I am a nut for animal and floral combos. Or stripe and floral combos. And I get sucked in by pink more often than I would like to admit.
DeleteBTW, tried on the Nieve again and the fit is more or less there. The centre front gores are pulling away from the breastbone slightly, but it is a really sexy bra and there's no pillowing or underwire issues. I don't know what to do! Should I keep it? Talk me off the ledge, Katy.
I don't tend to match bras with undies just because I can never find the exact things I like on same set (if that makes sense). I like a good plunge bra and I like padding (or should I say I need padding).
ReplyDeleteI like animal prints so no problem there but the last few years all the pretty things I bought were also unconfortable so have stuck with plain cotton more recently. I need to splurge on a nice set soon.
Something tells me you're in the minority who looks totally chic, even mismatched :-)
DeleteI just asked my husband about this and his answer was pretty hilarious. (I've never even thought about this before!) He said that like 60-70% of the time he would prefer solid, but that if there was a print involved he would prefer it be in a fun, role-playing kind of way. For example, when I asked him if he would prefer a black bra to a leopard print bra, his response was, "well it depends, would you be wearing a safari hat?" SERIOUSLY. And when I asked if he would prefer something "sexier" like animal print, as opposed to something "girlier" like pink, ruffles, or flowers, he asked, "well, but would there be a picnic basket involved?" So I think his point ultimately was that he'd prefer solid, unless there was something "fun" and naughty about the print/embellishment. (I do wonder, though, how much he would actually care if these hypothetical situations became real. I doubt he's ever put any real thought into this, prior to my inquiring?)
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Nieve... hmm, it depends. Do you think your ambivalence about it is just from it being different than the sort of style/fit you're used to (meaning you might get used to it over time)? Or do you think you've done enough trial-and-error that the likelihood of your ever wearing it is too low to keep it? Something I have to try very hard to remember is that I can easily talk myself in and out of purchases based on superficial things, like the fact that I look damn good in it, when I really should be trusting my gut on the matter. How does it feel to wear it when you're not paying attention to how it looks? Have you worn it for a few hours at a time yet, or just tried it on?
I love your husband's perspective! Totally hilarious.
DeleteYou raise a valid point and I've only just tried it on, not worn it for any length of time. I might put it on for an hour or so this aft, to see how sitting feels and whether the gores bug me. I have a feeling I'll return it. But then I try it on and I'm bamboozled.
I have the most un-stylish undies in the world. Aside from a few sets that are strictly for, er, entertainment, the bottoms are a more-or-less random selection of what I can pick up in my size (mostly at Superstore), and I have one light coloured bra and one dark coloured one, both fairly smooth and heavily padded. I know, you're weeping in horror. There is the purple bra & thong set my first boyfriend bought me, which I keep around mostly for semi-sentimental reasons (and my husband likes purple lingerie...)
ReplyDeleteI do like the pink leopard print... :D
Weeping indeed! You are so gorgeous and your undies should match :-) Of course, I totally agree with purple.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of a sucker for animal print, so I'd say go for it. It looks like it'll be cute. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy hubby pretty much doesn't care what my lingerie looks like--he says it's not going to be on for very long once he can see it anyway, so it's not really relevant. Part of me is wondering if I should really have posted that or not....
Ha! Don't worry, this is a safe zone.
DeleteThat bra is hawt! I usually don't care that much about such things, but if I weren't on a ban you might have sent me out to the internets with plastic in hand with this post.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to throw temptation in your path. Don't worry. I've bought it and taken the hit for the both of us.
DeleteSo cute! I love the way the flowers twist up the animal print colours and outline the decolletage.
ReplyDeleteand I'm cracking up at the safari hat and picnic basket possibilities, thanks to Ms. Modiste, above. . .
I know, isn't that hysterical!
DeleteThat is one crazy bra, and I love it. For someone else. I tend to go for the minimalist, functional stuff. I think my husband must be bored.
ReplyDelete