It’s a nightmare – you want to buy her something sexy for Valentine’s Day but lingerie is SOOO personal and you haven’t got the slightest clue where to start.
If you’ve found yourself in this situation, then don’t worry, we can help. All you need to do is have a read of this, do a few checks before you hit the lingerie shop and Cupid will be firing his arrows in your direction!
- First things first – choose your shop carefully. Your best bet is a specialist lingerie boutique. Here you can be sure that the staff are properly trained and know their product (you’ll more likely than not be talking to the boutique owner) and they are used to dealing with men who need a bit of help! Lingerie departments in large stores may also be OK, but bear in mind that not all staff may be lingerie trained, especially on popular shopping days like Saturdays when extra staff may be roped in to help out.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help – the staff are there to help you and they’d much rather you ask than stand there like a rabbit caught in the headlights! Just be prepared to answer some questions about the sort of thing your loved one likes. Most of these will require you to root around in her underwear drawer when she’s not around, but this will really help get to the bottom (excuse the pun) of what is required.
- Don’t go mad with the colour and style – if she normally wears big knickers she may not be too happy with a thong – and if she normally only wears white, buying her red might be a bit of a shock (although did you know you can wear red under a white top and it won’t show through? But that’s another story…)
Do some research – the sort of things you’ll need to know are as follows:
- What bra size does she wear? – it will be something like 34B, 38FF or 36D. Check the labels on her bras for this, but make sure you only pick favourite items that she wears regularly
- What is her dress size? – this will be 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and so on. It’s important when buying briefs or nightwear. “She’s about your size” is not a good answer to this question!
- Does she prefer wired or non wired? – this relates to the cup of the bra. Have a feel and if the underneath of the cup is made of a soft material then it’s non wired. If it has a curved metal/ plastic band covered in material at the bottom of the cut then it’s wired.
- Does she prefer a moulded or non moulded cup? – in very simple terms this means “Do her bras have padded or see through cups?”. They may have both.
- What colours does she like? – Again the answer is in the underwear drawer. As with all of these questions, have in mind the sort of thing she’d wear for special occasions.
- What type of brief does she wear? – in very simple terms we’re talking G-string, boxer short shape, Speedo swimming trunk shape or Bridget Jones high waist? Again there may be more than one – if so, go for the sort she would wear to go out in.
- Does she have a favourite brand? – Again you’ll need to look at underwear labels – but if she has particularly expensive taste she’s probably told you, so be alert to any subtle hints…
- Is she particularly body conscious about anything? – If your loved one is very self conscious about showing herself off then you might be better buying a pretty nightwear set or a camisole and shorts set instead of the bra and briefs option
If all else fails take along some photos or magazine pics – if you’re still unsure after reading the above you can always take some pictures of her underwear drawer and her favourite bras and show them to the staff in the shop. If she has been good enough to hint at something in a magazine, then take this (or a photo of it) into the shop too. Just make sure that she doesn’t look at your phone……
