lingerie advice for guy

nomorebadtown

no not for me haha. i wanna get the gf some nice lingerie for xmas so i'm lookin for ppl to recommend places in dublin where i can buy some nice non-tacky stuff thats not crazy expensive>(probably just gonna be ripped to shreds on the first night anyway ) i'm not embarrassed about going in or anything and i have her stats so is there any general advice or pointers that you could give me on things to watchout for? shops or items to be avoided? i'm not quite sure what type of stuff she'd like really.all comments welcome. dont really wanna buy online as i'd like to feel the material in my hands first ( )

thanks, ste.

Dinxminx

Non-tacky stuff that's not crazy expensive....

Hmmm. So does that rule out Agent Provocateur? I guess so...

I don't really know what your price range is..

nomorebadtown

around 80€ maybe? i dunno maybe thats way too little. i have no clue how much this stuff is.

Cathmandooo

La Senza on Grafton St, I'd go in sooner than later tho, it gets very full nearer to xmas! They have all sorts in there, you could get a nice rig out They're also in Debenhams I think!

Kintarō Hattori

Seconded on La Senza, some quite nice stuff in there and it's not horrifically priced.

microgirl

I'd generally say La Senza as well, although it does depend on what size she is. La Senza don't seem to do anything bigger than a C cup

If she's bigger than that, M&S (don't laugh ) can have some lovely stuff, and are one of the few places in Dublin that do stuff for the more well-endowed lady.

nomorebadtown

so la senza seems to be where its at then.ok thanks.

fits

We had this discussion here recently and we came to the conclusion that its not-a-good-idea...

I'll go digging, Mines a Jack Daniels contributed an excellent post. Hope she doesnt mind my pasting it here

Majd's five point plan on buying lingerie for your missus.

One: What does your missus wear at the moment?

If your missus wears plain cotton bras with the sort of multicoloured pants you buy in bulk-packs from Dunnes for a tenner, she might not be comfortable with your choice in 'sexy' underwear. A black balconette plunge bra with purple trim and a matching barely-there black g-string with a purple fluff pouffe on the crotch may not be her cup of tea. There are also a number of bra camps: Team Underwire, Team No Underwire, Team Padding, Team No Padding, Team Seamless, Team Lace Trim, Team That's Itchy and Team I'm Wearing Something That Would Look Appropriate On A Pre-Teen. Which team is your missus on?

Two: The Clown Factor

Never underestimate the potential for your missus to feel ridiculous in what you have bought for her. That, and nobody I know gets up in the morning and says to themselves "Oh I think I'll put a basque and stockings on to go to the supermarket". A basque is a very specific item of underwear. And incidentally, they're nearly never bloody comfortable. And if you're one of those fumble-fingereds who can't take a bra off, you'll have **** all chance at a basque.

Three: Where the Hell am I Supposed to Wear This Then?

What do your missus's outer clothes look like? As another poster has already said, he spent €150 on his missus and the underwear's never been out of the box. If you're buying underwear for the bedroom, while Ann Summers is tacky, it'll be less of a waste of money than something she can't physically wear under her day clothes. Plus she won't give a monkey's if you tear if off with your teeth.

Four: The Rapidly Accelerating Arse

Ah, pantalooons... Again as a guide, what does your missus wear already? Full briefs, shorties, thongs, bikini briefs, control pants, Bridget Jones granny pants, low rise knickers, high rise knickers, things like look like cycling shorts or sports knickers? Whatever she wears, she picks them for a reason. Chances are it's comfort. I know the fact that women wear high heels is misleading, but much as they'll take blisters they won't spend the day surreptitiously backing up against walls to unobtrusively pick an uncomfortable pair of knickers out of their arse. Not more than once anyway. Or at least not with the same pair.

Five: How Would You Feel...

How would you feel if your missus came home one day with a bunch of clothes that weren't like the stuff you normally wear and told you she'd like to see you in them? Buying underwear for your missus is a minefield of emotional subtext - "Does he want me to look like a whore", "Does he think I should wear this stuff all the time", "Am I not sexy enough already", "I feel really uncomfortable in this", "Why does he want me to change", "Who the hell does he think he's kidding expecting me to trot about in this get up like McGuire's ****ing pony on show day" etc. etc.

Your taste is almost guaranteed not to be her taste if you let your inner caveman do the choosing. (You know, him who's all about the tits and the lapdancing.)

The upshot

Unless you are 100% sure you have an idea of the sort of taste your missus has in underwear, don't buy her some. It's virtually always a bloody disaster.

If you really want to buy her something, an alternative could be a single, classic item in a nice fabric, or an item of nightwear. Three words for you: 100% silk chemise.

Alternatively, if you're not looking to buy her the sort of underwear you'd be happy for her to trot off to work every day wearing, buy her a pair of silk panties. And make sure you call them panties. That's underwear language for 'I didn't buy you these because I thought they'd be comfortable'.

nomorebadtown

interesting post but i dont think any of that is an issue for us.that poster sounds troubled and seems to be overthinking on trivial matters way too much.

eth0_

Marks and Spencers have lovely stuff. I find la senza stuff tacky and they often use horrible material.
I don't know if you should buy bras for her, even if you know her bra size, sizes actually differ from manufacturer to manufacturer.

nomorebadtown

eth0_ wrote: »

Marks and Spencers have lovely stuff. I find la senza stuff tacky and they often use horrible material.
I don't know if you should buy bras for her, even if you know her bra size, sizes actually differ from manufacturer to manufacturer.

ah here, i want to get her a nice top n' bottom set:(
i have exact mesurments, it cant go that wrong can it?
what would you class as tacky? i'd be against pink thongs with bells and whistles hanging out of them but there is nothing wrong with being a little provocative (while not slutty) surly?

fits

nomorebadtown wrote: »

interesting post but i dont think any of that is an issue for us.that poster sounds troubled and seems to be overthinking on trivial matters way too much.

:D:D I actually think its pretty good advice.

Seriously though it should be entered into with a great deal of care. My OH bought me some last Christmas, and it did not fit... It was a fitted silky cami and thong thingy.... and while it was quite tasteful a: cami did not go near my boobs (It was a size 10 but with fitted boobs on it), and b: I dont wear thongs.

I'd much rather have gotten a voucher for agent provocateur to be honest.

thewing

Where is best to go if your woman is 32DD?

i know you can get nice stuff in M+S, she already has....same boat, not looking to spend a fortune(ie 250 yoyo for a la perla/agent provocateur set)....

microgirl

nomorebadtown wrote: »

ah here, i want to get her a nice top n' bottom set:(
i have exact mesurments, it cant go that wrong can it?
what would you class as tacky? i'd be against pink thongs with bells and whistles hanging out of them but there is nothing wrong with being a little provocative (while not slutty) surly?

Actually eth0 has a veeeeery good point. Bras sizes, like most womens' clothes, are a moveable feast. I, for instance, range across 3 different sizes depending on the bra. Now, you can get something that'll broadly fit but it won't be the *best* fit unless she's tried them on herself.

As other posters have said though, the reason you're buying the lingerie does have an effect. If you want this to be something she'll get regular wear out of, it's better to have it well fitting. If it's bedroom-only stuff (even bedroom-only stuff you're hoping to get more than one use out of) it's not so important.

But a silk chemise and panties are a good bet if it's non-tacky bedroom stuff you're looking for, and bra cup size doesn't come into it.

microgirl

thewing wrote: »

Where is best to go if your woman is 32DD?

i know you can get nice stuff in M+S, she already has....same boat, not looking to spend a fortune(ie 250 yoyo for a la perla/agent provocateur set)....

32DD is gonna be pretty specialised. M&S is best bet in Dublin, or there's a shop called Bramora on Earlsfort Terrace, a couple of doors up from the sandwish shop/newsagent there (downstairs, doorway beside Ulster Bank atm) that specialises in D+ sizes. But she'd really need to try them on. Vouchers ftw

fits

microgirl wrote: »

But she'd really need to try them on. Vouchers ftw

yes...Its a difficult size. And as microgirl said, she might be 34D in one manufacturer, and 32 E in another... Its a minefield.. A lot of girls dont even get it right. I think guys should stay away from it altogether.

Why dont you bring your girlfriend Christmas shopping for lingerie with you, and throw in a sexy surprise where fitting isnt an issue.

Pythia

I find with La Senza, I have to go 1 size up, from a 32 to 34, same cup though. 32's are awkward to get in large sizes. La Senza do some, as do M&S, also look in BT's. Dunnes and Penneys won't have 32DD.

La Senza have a really nice premium range, my boyf got me something there for my birthday, but I tried it on before he bought it, so not really a surprise, but it fits which is kinda the point.

fatal

surely that is a present for you if shes going to wear it:D

nomorebadtown

i like to think of it as a present for us.;)
its not for me as she is already everything i could wish for and more in the sexiness dept.
and i know she is totally cool with it

dirtydress

She can always bring back the bra and swap it for a size that fits if it REALLY doesnt. Its not a big deal. Im guessing she's not a very big size so you're grand with going to regular stores, la senza as has been mentioned loads is definitely the best for real pretty and sexy stuff and probably within your price range even their silk range (which is VERY nice btw)

echosound

Many shops have a no return policy on lingerie, even bras. If it's something for the bedroom only, fine, it won't matter if it doesn't fit perfectly, but if it's for wearing "during the day" then bring her with you and let her try them on and whip out the cash to pay for them. I range across a few different sizes myself depending on brand, and even within a brand that I wear, a lot of the different STYLES can vary on fit and comfort and size.

I'd personally go for a nice chemise top and panties set (ie not a fitted bra, rather a sexy little babydoll type top or whatnot ) as you can be pretty sure it will fit her without being uncomfortable, and she'll still get the same thrill out of it (as will you).

If it's just for the bedroom though, I'm sure she won't mind if she's slightly spilling out over or it's not a perfect fit. I have a lovely black and cream basque set that my hubby bought (with my permission ) where the "boob" part doesn't fit perfectly, I spill out over it a bit, making the boobs look even bigger than they are, but sure that adds to the look of it anyway, and it's never on for too long to get uncomfortable

As for what's too tacky or not, crotchless panties are a no-no obviously! If you're going for the basque route, a classy looking one can be spiced up with some suspender stockings if you think she'd like wearing them. Avoid anything overly lacy and frilly as it'd probably itch like mad and distract her, but a few bits of lace or frills are ok. If you want to play it safe, avoid red and black and hot pink, and go for "prettier" colours instead (baby blue, baby pink, pastels in general, or if you want darker colours, dark blue/purpley colours are nice ) but a black set with a hint of colour on the trim can be classy looking without being overly slutty.