bare with me: vpl and a-cups

Low Rise Noline Lace Boy Short

Today I'm continuing with more fashion questions. I skipped a week, but I'm going to try and keep doing it even though it's a little more time-consuming, so please bear with me, as opposed to "bare with me" which would be an invitation to undress, although you are also invited to do that today.


Hanky Panky Boy Short

The first question today deals with Visible Panty Lines:
How "visible" do they have to be before it's just tacky? I know that there are legions of women (and a few men) who scan others looking for a VPL violation so that they can mock. (Not that anyone should care, but mockery hurts even when the source is a shallow, insecure starlet with implants the size of watermelons and clearly NO panties on.) Are there any really good, non-bunching boy short options out there for those of us who find a daytime thong impractical?

mj: Great question! Nothing is more uncomfortable than a thong, not to mention, as discussed on Oprah, unhygenic! And yet none of us want to be singled out for VPL--it's humiliating in that high school way that just sucks. Personally, I have found that stretchy lace panties (Only Hearts makes a great selection) are the best way to minimize panty lines. Lace is much less likely to create a VPL than elastic. Hanky Panky has probably gotten the most press on their lace thongs and panties because of the slew of celebs who wear them. Mesh panties can also minimize VPL as long as they're not too tight and I would recommend Eberjey and OnGossamer, both have a nice selection. Honeydew is also another brand that makes stretchy mesh lace-trimmed boyshorts. It's a bit less expensive, but I have found that they ride up, so they're not my favorite.



Just like you can tell when a woman is wearing no panties, you can always tell when a woman is wearing something, whether it's a thong or other. VPL is relative, and if you want to make sure that you have a minimal VPL, be prepared to spend some money on good undies. If it really matters to you, it's a small price to pay.



I should also mention the Spanx phenomena. I haven't tried them yet as I am sort of freaked out by anything that resembles pantyhose, but after seeing Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx on Donny Deutsch's The Big Idea, and how her company makes $150 mil a year and are the only underwear Oprah wears...I may have to try them very soon!

And now from weeone:
While I think it's fabulous you are helping out those larger breasted women of the world with this blog, I've just got to raise my voice for those of us with the opposite problem. I've yet to find a cute bra to fit a cup size smaller than a B. Without padding! (some of us crazy small breasted women dont mind being small, can you spare us the 5lbs of padding???) Most stores start their cute bras at a B cup. Anything smaller than that is either an ugly stretch sports bra, or you're sent to the pre-teen section with pink bows. I've seen the awful "nearly B" bras out there. Too big. Too ugly. Help sil vous plait.


Cute outfits like Jakarta Dots by Hanky Panky cater to A cups

mj: This is also a really good question although at first I was floored by it because for years so many of my friends have loudly complained that only smaller chested women (like myself) get the cute bras. If you don't need a lot of support, the retail world is filled with the most adorable bra and panty sets that just don't exist in larger sizes.


Hanky Panky signature lace set in Chai and Lilac

But I get the part about the 5 lb padded bras! Honestly, they're disgusting and play into the whole pressure for teensy tiny or otherwise small-boned women for whom having such a chest size would be physically impossible, to get huge implants. But back to pretty lingerie--Hanky Panky, is one of the brands I used to sell in my first lingerie store job. I would spend most of my salary on scooping up this stuff, (and sometimes some of my student loan money) however, it's not that expensive.



Check out the Pucci Power bra (above) and matching boy short (near the top of this post). So cute! Fits AA, A, and B cups only!


Aubade: Bahia Demi Cup Bra at www.figleaves.com

This pretty Demi Cup Bra by Aubade comes in 5 different A cup Sizes and is available in Red, Turquoise, Black, and White. It combines the cool comfort of Swiss cotton with a design so intricate it includes a 'corset effect'.


More A cups at Figleaves.com


Tabitha and Eberjey Paisley bralettes at lulalu.com

Lulalu.com is another place to find great AA and A cup bras. Lulalu specializes in petite lingerie as does aalingerie.com, which is based in the UK and ships worldwide.


Karina bra at aalingerie.com

Some other brands I should mention are Wacoal and Only Hearts, which make great lace and mesh bras that have absolutely no padding, and these are the kinds of things that only look good on A cups.

Hope theses fashion Q&As were helpful. I'll be talking about tatoos and khakis next week, so if you're a guy, please don't think I've forgotten you--although hopefully the lingerie stuff wasn't too painful!