Lingerie Archives - Corporette.com

How to Buy a Bra

02/12/2018 by Kate Antoniades 16 Comments

Sizing for women’s clothing can be incredibly frustrating in general (meaningless numbers! vanity sizing! different sizing among brands!), but figuring out how to buy a bra that fits can be even worse. It’s pretty easy to tell if, say, a shirt fits you, but so many of us are wearing the wrong size of bra every day (which we’ve been told ad nauseum). Maybe you’ve lost or gained weight without buying a new one, maybe you feel like your bra fits well enough because you don’t realize you’ve never worn the appropriate size, or maybe you’ve simply given up on buying a size that feels just right.

We haven’t specifically talked about how to buy a bra before, although we recently had an open thread about readers’ favorite lingerie for office looks, we’ve discussed bra care (including washing, rotating, etc.), and a couple of years ago we specifically gave workwear style tips for busty women.

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Here are some tips on how to buy a bra that fits well, feels comfortable, and makes you look even better in your clothes:

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Filed Under: Fashion, Lingerie, Shopping, Special Sizes Tagged With: bras, posts

Coffee Break: Hosiery Mate

11/06/2017 by Kat 108 Comments

I was updating an old post on how to wear stockings to work (fun story: we occasionally get flagged by Google as a NSFW site because of posts like that, in part because posts like that attract some… interesting… commenters, and in part, as best I can guess, because we’re featuring images of pantyhose packages.) ANYHOO: I was intrigued to note that a number of readers had recommended this particular brand of soap for washing your pantyhose and, lo and behold, it was still available and well-reviewed almost ten years later. Awesome. The brand promises to be a “rinse-free wash with no soapy residue,” strengthens fibers to extend the wear life of pantyhose, and to soften and eliminate static cling. Oh, and you can use it in your machine or if you do your wash by hand. From the Q&A section on Amazon, one answerer notes that she uses it regularly on vintage stockings “over 50 years old,” and another notes that Hosiery Mate is great for bras as well because you don’t need to rinse. A 16-oz bottle is $14.99 at Amazon. Hosiery Mate

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Filed Under: Coffee Break, Lingerie Tagged With: pantyhose, stockings

Open Thread: What’s YOUR Favorite Lingerie for Office Looks?

07/06/2017 by Kat 59 Comments

2018 Update: We still stand by this advice on lingerie for office looks, but you may also want to check out our most recent discussion on how to buy a bra!

Here’s something we haven’t talked about in far too long: what’s your favorite lingerie for office looks? Which are your favorite bras, panties, slips, and other unmentionables to wear with work outfits? What’s your go-to lingerie for work? How much does your office lingerie differ from your weekend lingerie? (And, does anyone organize them as neatly as this lingerie drawer organizer, pictured, available at Amazon for $13?)

For my $.02, these are general guidelines for the best lingerie for office looks:

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Filed Under: Lingerie Tagged With: posts

10 Workwear Style Tips for Busty Women

05/17/2016 by Kat

2018 Update: We still stand by this advice on workwear style tips for busty women, but you may also want to check out our most recent discussion on how to buy a bra!

One of our top posts of all time is one a friend suggested I write, back in the early days of the blog: how to dress professionally if you’re busty. We haven’t offered busty women style tips in a while, so I thought we’d discuss. But let me be clear at the outset: there’s nothing inherently unprofessional about being busty — women come in all shapes and sizes. I’m not about to suggest you go buy a minimizer and try to pretend that you’re a 34B. But: dressing well while busty can be a challenge because so many clothes are made with other body shapes in mind — and for work it can be particularly trying since so many conservative styles are rooted in menswear. Furthermore, if you wear something that obviously does not fit or has fit issues (gaping, pulling) it reflects a judgement call. So — here are some new tips and guidelines on how to dress for work if you’re busty, from someone who’s been everything from a 30F to a 38G over the years…

(Pictured: If you’re petite and busty this is yet another reason to watch Crazy Ex Girlfriend — her work outfits are mostly hits for me. The video this screenshot is from is hilarious (“Heavy Boobs”), but it is probably NSFW.)

Finding the Right Bra is Half the Battle

Invest in a great bra that fits you. The right bra will lift you up and support you. It will not give you quadboob. It may have an odd size that you’ve never even heard of before (28FF, for example). The right bra will not make you worry about falling out of it when you bend over. It will not cut into your shoulders (that’s a sign your band size is too big) or fall off your shoulders. (Note that your straps can be shortened at the tailor — and that you can check out lingerie brands just for petites, like The Little Bra Company, Lula Lu, or even the Bare Necessities special section for petites). A good bra will take work to find and may cost you some money, but it will be worth it in spades. I highly recommend going to a bra shop and getting fitted — think Nordstrom, not Victoria’s Secret (link goes to to one woman’s fitting experience at VS with lots of pictures; probably NSFW). In NYC I’ve used Bratenders over the years and La Petite Coquette — I’ve also heard great things about Linda’s Bra Shop — and in London I’ve been fitted at Rigby & Peller. Ladies who have a favorite shop in your city, please shout it out in the comments. Once you know your size you can watch for sales; I tend to get new bras at Nordstrom’s sales, Bare Necessities sales, or even sometimes Amazon.

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Filed Under: Basics, Body Shapes, Fashion, Fashion Gaffes, Lingerie, Special Sizes, Style, Wear to Work Tagged With: busty, posts

Weekend Open Thread

03/11/2016 by Kat

Something on your mind? Chat about it here.

I’ll admit, I clutched my pearls a bit when I first started seeing leggings with mesh insets. Mesh? On my upper thigh? Oh no no no. But I honestly really like them now. They seem far, far more acceptable than short shorts, and as someone who isn’t super fit I feel comfortable wearing them while I work on, you know, getting more fit. This pair comes in sizes XS-XL, and is $64; if mesh isn’t your thing this popular legging comes in a zillion other colors in regular and plus sizes. Pictured: Zella ‘Live In – Spectrum’ Leggings

Are you guys looking forward to any outdoor workouts this weekend?

Psst: here’s a more affordable option for fun mesh-inset leggings (they also come in petite and tall sizes). Another shoutout: if you happen to be large of bust and on the hunt for a good workout bra, give this Freya one a try — it’s so much more flattering/pretty than my old favorite, the Enell, but is functionally great as a sports bra. The trick (suggested by a fitter during my last trip to Bratenders) is to size way down in the band, and accordingly go up in the cup — I normally wear a 36 band but went down to a 32 in the sports bra.

Filed Under: Lingerie, Weekend Open Thread

Camisoles Beneath Blouses: White or “Nude”?

07/30/2015 by Kat

Which are the best camisoles to layer beneath blouses? Is a seamless camisole important, or a nude-for-you camisole? Or is a white camisole the best thing under a white blouse? Reader S has a question, and I thought it might be a fun topic because I’ve said before: I am a fan of plain, non-lacy white or black camisoles (with a nude-for-you bra) beneath sheer blouses, rather than “nude” camisoles. They make it clear to the non-fashion people you work with that it’s safe to look at your blouse — a solid camisole avoids that weird Barbie look of “it’s sheer and I think I see skin but there’s no bra or nipple and I’m so confused…” I also think it streamlines things in your closet, because if you need a camisole to raise the neckline of a dress, you’d want a white or black one anyway. But maybe I’m in the minority. Here’s S’s question:

I recently got several lovely silk button up blouses. I love the feel and look, and the step-up in fabric. However, they are kind of sheer. I have been searching high and low, and can’t find a good nude camisole that doesn’t show all the straps and seams and edges under the silk, making it look cheap and not well put together. Not the look I’m going for. Why can’t they make the camisole equivalent of these panties?

In addition, most of the “nude” camisoles I have found look like they’re nude on a banana cream pie, but not on me. like this one (pictured at right).