Basics: Textile Champion

I spent this past weekend in a real dream of a cabin up in the Shenandoah Mountains. With my six day workweek life, I was much looking forward to a weekend away, and it being my partner's birthday, I found him a cabin, planned out all the good eats, and whisked him and the pup away to a quiet little shack on the mountain tops with the most gorgeous view. (Is it my butt? Is my butt the mountain? Is my butt the gorgeous view?)(Clearly, nah)(My butt is as flat and dimply as the walls of lil Grand View)(But still a glorious view) Take these undies from Textile Champion as proof that I will literally use any occasion to buy underwear.

First off, I am a huge fan of wood panel walls. I've (sadly) never lived in a house with them, but do find they conjure up a sense of warmth, of nostalgia, of comfort. Also: so much more interesting to look at than any eggshell, matte, or satin wall paint, no matter how many stripes or accent walls. Naturally, this solid image is what drew me to these undies. They are simple cotton printed undies with no flashy elastic or waistband; just some black stitching around the openings to tuck in the edges. Minimalist construction works for me. I've only worn these twice so far, but have had no issues with any loss of shape. I'll update if that happens. In the meantime tho, I can confirm that these stay comfy on my "ladybits" all day long, and stay in place.

Anything without elastic means more flattering for my gummy bear body (speaking of which: gimme). Though I obviously can do elastic, I always prefer to not, usually erring on the side of stretch lace waistband or if it must be elastic, either thick or a size too big. If I could, I would have all my underwear like these. As for sizing? The guide says sizes run similar to Victoria's Secret, which I found true. I got these in a Large, which is my usual size in VS. I am most-likely right in between Medium and Large, as these can get yanked by my sliding jeans a little bit. I doubt I would enjoy the fit of a Medium as much tho.

~makin bday pancakes~showin off my pancake~

 I'd probably call these a basic because
>so comfy
>so simple
>no bells, whistles, frills, ribbons, etc.
>so cute
>I secretly hate plain undies
I'll be back for more.

Bitter Valentine: Dita Von Teese Black Dahlia Set

Valentine's wasn't much of anything this year. I worked all day and came home. My love had rearranged the house, and went to pick up a pizza while I showered. I managed to sneak into this little number before he got back in the door. Surprise! What followed was whole lot of eating pizza and watching Bob's Burgers and butchering brownies out of the box, followed by passing out at midnight. I took off my lingerie myself and slept for the next eleven hours.

One thing I, and many lingerie fans love, is the mood and feeling that wearing a matching set can give you. I tell my customers that coordination under the clothes gives a boost, like a secret superpower. And it's true! When I know I look good, I feel good. And maybe that's why my Valentine's fell flat: This set feels like a big, scratchy wet blanket, and I feel like a little piggy inside it.

I picked this set up on sale off of Journelle in December. It looked so elegant, and the texture very unique. It harked back to the Puffin set by Mimi Holliday, a set I lusted over but knew I could never buy since I don't buy silk. I had wanted to try out a strappy bra for a while, and this one felt like a good introduction: lots of bra structure, with only decorative straps. And a cute suspender belt that, with six straps, was probably also practical? Hoo-ra.

I've worn this bra through the day once (luckily it was an 11 hour workday), and it was the worst. Let's preface that with how often I'll sacrifice a good fit for something that looks pretty, how often I'll deal with cutting wires, with double boobs...etc: o f t e n.  This bra was something else. I purchased this in a 32F, which I can usually do depending on how wide the wires are, especially now that I've quit the Pill. The cups are lightly padded, almost like a molded bra, but with three parts to it (which don't do much for shaping). I suspect this is a bra that works well for smaller busts, since it does little besides cup around the tissue. The floral lace is then overlaid on top, from a little over the cup to about half and inch below the band. The decorative aspects of the straps are elastic with velvet on one side, a lovely decadent texture. In the back, where things are more practical, it's plain elastic.  One end of the strap is sewn around the inside of the band, which tends to irritate me through the day, since the edges aren't even sewn down. I also found the bottom of the boning on the sides to be incredibly uncomfortable as the day went on. And today, my third day wearing this, I've noticed the lace is beginning to unravel right underneath the cage. How quaint.

I honestly only got the briefs to have a complete set, and I think we can all agree when I say this isn't a flattering cut for me. I don't particularly enjoy low-rise briefs with a hard elastic top, because they tend to cut in right beneath my widest part: right above my hips. I almost never buy matching underwear for this reason specifically.  No decorative straps were going to take away from that. I purchased these in a Large, and like many, these sag in the butt (even with a rouched backseam) and accentuate my muffin top beautifully. I don't have much to say about them otherwise. They were comfortable enough. Due to my shape I could not get the straps to stay up. They're anchored below the waist of the brief, and don't seem to be sewn down in a way that allows them to lay flat easily. They twist a lot. They're also made of that decorative velour.

 I was arguably most excited about the garter belt for this set. I only have one or two practical use garter belts, both of which are on the plain side, and since this set boasted metal clips and six straps it seemed like a safe bet. I always order my garter belts in a size or two smaller than my panty, since my waist is very tiny underneath its soft shell, and my hips are meager and narrow. I ordered this in a Small, and still can't keep it up on even the middle hook of three. It constantly slides to my pelvic bones. The majority of the belt is mesh, with floral lace on the front sewn in underneath. It isn't anchored to the mesh besides a four tiny stitches, two at the top, and two at the bottom, so it can rumple a bit during wear. The two cross straps on the front are anchored right in the middle with a tiny stitch, and the ends of that stitch, like many, hangs loose, staring at me. I honestly found it to look a bit cheap. The garters are adjustable, with metal clamps, and give a good range of lengths to accommodate any height.  Around the clasps on the garters there are ribbons. Or, there were ribbons. Upon my second wearing, I've already lost two, and neither time has it been worn for more than three hours. With minimal movement.

The dying aloe plant is a good description of how I feel about this set. I'm honestly very disappointed. I'd always heard good things about Dita Von Teese's lingerie, often about how good the quality is for the price point. This set definitely hits the checkpoints for sex appeal, and triggered a satisfactory response from my partner, but personally, it fell flat for me.  Because of all the positive buzz, I won't rule out trying another set from her line; however, next time it will be one that is more tried and true tested.