Shaky Foundations

A good friend of mine has a pet peeve….bad underwear on others. Not bad as in naughty, but bad as in "I can see your underwear under your clothes and its not good!"

Underwear (or in Style speak-Foundation Garments) can make or break your look. Many people don't think much more about their underwear other than is it comfortable (and if you ask mom, it should be clean…yep, I just went there?). After that they figure its covered up so who cares?

I'll tell you who, my friend for one, and frankly, anyone who looks at you (I know what you are thinking…seriously? Don't they have anything better to do than stand around looking for my underwear like I'm a living Ispy book?). A weird hobby? Maybe..but I'm willing to bet you've noticed a rogue bra strap or panty line at some point.

A good foundation garment can smooth, shape, lift, separate and take you from looking like a bad Walmart photo to a sleek, refined, effortless chic style icon (or sort of). At the very least, they offer the superpower of shaping invisibility. They do their work quietly, unbeknownst to the world, making you just look awesome.

So here are some basics that I found work well. Ladies: Probably the best thing to happen to panties in the last decade or so is the stretchy lace trim. It does its job in a soft, comfy, pretty way but eliminates the sausage effect (unlike their elastic trim cousin with some companies logo on it.) You will also need more than one style of bra (demi, multi-way, strapless, etc.) Color also matters..so check yourself in a mirror or two in various lights (ever seen a pic of someone with a black top on and you see their white bra? Yeah, bet it looked just fine in their bedroom mirror). And lets make sure bras and panties are the right size, shall we? You are probably not the same size you were 10 years ago.

Men, your choices have increased as well. Paying attention to the width of the pant leg. A boxer brief will stay down in a slimmer cut pant. Step away from the tank top undershirt (guess what we can see that) and have fun with your socks!

They are going to show when you sit, so you might as well like what you see (no gym socks please!).

When things get ripped, dingy and stretched out, its time to replace them.

You put effort into your look, don't sabotage yourself with a shaky foundation.