Disclosure: This item was purchased for me to review by The Lingerie Addict. All opinions are my own. Do you believe in love at first sight? If you don’t, you’re wrong. It absolutely exists. I know because it happened to me the first time I saw one of these feather-covered, sheer dressing gowns by Boudoir by D’Lish. Sigh. The designer behind these robes, Catherine D’Lish, is somewhat of a jane-of-all-trades in […]
One of my first lingerie shopping experiences was at Kaori’s Closet Tokyo in NYC. A sweet little boutique on Houston, Kaori’s Closet offered fancifully-decorated Japanese lingerie, otherwise unavailable in the US, and pretty loungewear from international indie lines. With bras covered in engineered floral embroidery, 3D lace appliques, textured elastics, and perfectly-placed rhinestones, the shop was overtly girly and definitely over the top.
The pearl thong is a notorious piece of lingerie. Designed primarily for stimulation, rather than comfort or style, it seemingly represents the more sex-focused side of the lingerie industry. People (always men, in my experience) would call the lingerie store I used to work at asking if we carried pearl thongs. They’re mostly marketed as gifts, rather than something a lingerie-wearer would purchase for themselves. In my opinion, it’s the epitome of the male gaze in lingerie: overtly sexual marketing and designed entirely for sexual purposes – without the wearer’s comfort in mind.
Trusst Lingerie launched on Kickstarter in the Spring of 2015 and met its goal in 5 days. The bra was designed to “actually support” full-bust women by using an alternative to the underwire: a 3D-printed bra core called the BAST, which stands for Breast Advanced Support Technology. Trusst says their BAST is more supportive and more comfortable than a traditional underwire by reducing shoulder strain and, according to their website, “eliminating the pinching, poking, and discomfort commonly associated with underwires.” Their goal was to create a bra for women who hate underwire bras and find them uncomfortable. I was super excited for the opportunity to review it as I have a lot of varied thoughts on this concept.
Helena Stuart, founder, owner, and designer of Only Hearts, does as much work as you’d expect from a woman who has led a company for almost 40 years. Every hour is filled with effortless flitting between fabric choices, retail delivery dates, cost and margin management, color development and more. There is no visible anxiety or stressed-out vibes here. Helena does it all, and makes it look easy.
