Monday, January 28, 2008

Man Fashion: Men's Guide to Fashion Lingerie Part II

So guys, if you are still have doubts about lingerie and need to know more before you walk into any lingerie shop! That's right, here come the in depth men guide on women's fashion lingerie.

Generally, there are 6 different categories of lingerie in the market: Sporty, Natural, Elegant, Designer, Sexy and special occasion, or Bridal Lingerie. Of course, these categories can overlap, Bridal or sexy lingerie can be made by a designer. Sport lingerie can also be natural. Natural can be sexy. But understanding these six categories will help one to determine which lingerie to select.

Fashion Natural Lingerie
Natural Lingerie, in general tends to be functional and less obvious. Simplicity, quality and comfort tend to be the major criteria for use. Darjeeling lingerie brand is for women who prefer the natural look.

Sporty Lingerie
The purpose of sporty lingerie is that the lingerie should support but not hinder the lifestyle of the woman. They should not be obvious under tight clothing and yet not give up anything in the way of functionality. Prada is well known for their sport lingerie. Sloggi developed a strong image in this area as well.

Elegant Lingerie
Elegant lingerie is designed to give the woman a look of subtle sensuality without being too obviously erotic. Many types and styles of elegant lingerie cross over with designers. Chantelle’s Riviera lingerie is one example of elegant lingerie.

Designer Lingerie
Designer lingerie gives a woman the feeling of being special. As few people will ever know she is wearing lingerie made by a designer, the woman who spends the money on designer lingerie is spending it mostly for herself. The focus is on style over comfort or quality. Dolce and Gabana, Versace and recently popular Agent Provocateur are a few important designers of lingerie.

Sexy Lingerie
Sexy lingerie combines a wide range of styles and look. Many different types of lingerie can be included here, such as thongs or G-strings, teddy, corsets, garters, body stockings, sheer lingerie etc. To be sure, any of these can be included in other categories. For example a thong can be sporty or elegant. A corset can be sexy, provocative or elegant. Any of them can be made by a designer. But the overall look of these types of lingerie gives the woman a sexy feel. Victoria’s Secret has a focus on sexy lingerie. Fredericks is their fading competitor. Lola Luna specializes
in G-Strings or thongs. Lady Marlene focuses on Bustiers. Lise Charmel of France combines seduction with fashion.

Bridal Lingerie
Bridal Lingerie is made especially for that one day for which a woman waits all of
her life, her wedding night. Usually it combines a white, creamy color with elegant
and sexy style. Comfort or durability is hardly an issue here, but sensuality and
style are essential. It seems that every lingerie designer markets a line of bridal lingerie.

So do you have any brands in mind? No clue? No worry, depends on where you live, most lingerie are either be national or regional. Here are some of the famous brands you can find either near you or in the net.
  • Chantelle Lingerie is one of the top brands of French lingerie, exporting to more than 50 countries. Passioneta and Darjeeling are Chantelle brands. However, Chantelle sales are still quite small in the USA.
  • La Perla began as a small Italian manufacturer of corsets and is now becoming well known internationally as a manufacturer of lingerie
  • Fantasie is a UK lingerie designer that focuses on lingerie in larger cup sizes. The UK represents, by far, the major sales for Fantasie.
  • Triumph is a German lingerie manufacturer that like La Perla had its beginnings as a small local manufacturer of corsets and has grown to an international corporation. Sloggi is a brand which is owned by Triumph. Triumph is barely existent in North America.
  • Victoria’s Secret was started in the 1977 by Roy Raymond who wanted a European style shop that was accessible to males as well as females. Raymond sold his company in 1982 to The Limited Inc and it has grown up to be the top US manufacturer of lingerie. However, Victoria’s Secret is almost unknown in Europe.
Remember all these, so next time when you walk into any lingerie shop, yous should at least know how to ask a few simple questions.

One final question for today, what is your favorite lingerie and brands? Do share your opinions here.

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