Indulge in an Extra Suitcase

              Before Victoria ever whispered her Secret, Frederick’s gave women plenty of ideas, but the catalog store was too flamboyant for a precious little Southern girl with a good silver pattern. I oooh-la-la’d in day-dreams about possibilities for pretty, sexy lingerie.  Mix-n-match colors and patterns for “unmentionables” resulting in absolute feminine sexiness has always been part of my fashion couture. 

            During my pre-teen years, Barbie owned all the lingerie ensembles possible plus accessories, including the pink hair brush and mirror. She dressed in her blue or pink high-heeled bedroom slippers with the pompoms and pranced around in  baby-doll pajamas or gown and robe sets. She had a pink stuffed dog to take to her 4-poster bed, matching her "nighty-nite" set. The thing was, though:  the high-fashion outfits would not fit over the underwear.  I dressed her in the panties, bra, and straight slip and then the brocade, gold strapless sheath dress.  No chance that would work. It all bunched up, most unglamorously.  So….Barbie (whisper this) never wore any underwear under those designer outfits.  I don’t think Ken knew about that!
                Barbie’s fashion faux pas did not change my mind about underwear! I love lingerie, love choosing it, deciding with which outfits to wear which pieces. Just to give you a clue, I needed an additional suitcase to pack lingerie for my honeymoon in 1970. Baby-doll pjs, fancy nighties, pretty gowns with matching robes in sheer, pastel colors, white and cream peignoir sets- all were folded and placed in “night-by-night” order.  My short sets and sundresses were complimented with matching bras and panties and also arranged by day and activity.  I was all about dressing well, with no thoughts as to undressing.  In fact, I dressed and undressed in the privacy of the bathroom every night of my life, until….I didn’t.
              Nothing screams “pretty woman” like sexy angel-ware. It’s not a man telling us we are pretty, it’s us knowing we are pretty, especially as we treat ourselves to something that is not cotton, flannel, or discards from Hanes clearance rack.  Women selectively cover curves with a starched man’s white shirt or a long t-shirt, but under it all will be sexy lingerie, or a hint of it. It’s not so much providing a visual for the men in our lives, but it’s expressing our special feminine indulgences, even under jeans and sweater, or men’s shirts (a la Shania Twain).

                 If you have not listened to Victoria as she whispers to you, I’ll share my secret: enjoy your femininity, wiggle with a smile knowing the approval we’ve given ourselves as we dress for the day, indulging in soft and silky all day long.  Indulge, dazzle and, if necessary, pack an extra suitcase!