The right wedding day unmentionables offer comfort, fit and a little sizzle
Your wedding day should be a day of love, celebration, and feeling good. But how can you feel good if you’re uncomfortable in your choice of wedding undergarments? Pressures and little worries are part of wedding planning; choosing your gorgeous wedding under-things should not be one of them.
Lingerie is there to make you look and feel your best, and if you can’t feel perfect at your wedding, where can you? To keep those little weights off of your shoulders, here are a few tips to help you de-stress and present a lump-free and fabulous silhouette on the Big Day.
Candice Gwinn, owner and designer of Trashy Diva, offers up her tips and advice about wedding day and honeymoon lingerie:
Trashy Diva Lingerie started as a vintage clothing store in New Orleans in 1996, and has grown to wholesale to 75 boutiques worldwide. Find locations in the French Quarter and on Magazine Street, as well as a plentiful online catalogue. Corsets and vintage style lingerie sets and singles are the company’s specialty.
“Foundations of classic, well-made shapewear, are key to a perfect fitting gown,” says Gwinn, who recommends “thin or removable straps, flat seams and a beautiful pattern in white, ivory, blush or nude.”
Trashy Diva’s Heidi Klum Odette Bustier will do the trick, and don’t forget the matching garter.
A waist cincher that “will hug and flatter the curve. Along with shaping the waist, hips and tummy, it will help with the flow of your wedding dress,” says Gwinn
To tuck that tummy, see the “Lise Charmel Romantique Desure Cincher.”
For support, Gwinn recommends bras that have “non-stretch lining and underwire [that] offers extra support” and suggests leaving the more relaxed (but still sexy) unlined lace bras for the honeymoon.
Chantelle Paris, the famed French brand, has a wider range of specified shape wear options for everyday and for special occasions in the mid to high price range. The French are of course the masters of lingerie and Chantelle Paris, founded in 1876, reflects that pedigree. In New Orleans, peruse a small selection of Chantelle at Saks Fifth Avenue on Canal Street, downtown. From full briefs to bodysuits, Chantelle offers more conservative bridal options that are still beautiful and flattering. If you’re on a budget, these “Basic Shaping High Waist Briefs” are perfect for both wedding day and under your daily dresses.
Those with a larger lingerie budget and a saucy side may want to consider the popular online purveyor Agent Provocateur. Founded in 1994, with physical stores only in the UK and Europe. The company’s mission is to be “provocative, but always leaving something to the imagination.” This line is on the steamier side of wedding lingerie choices, but has a selection of more subtle items as well. White and nude corsets, stockings, wedding garters and matching sets in delicate colors are all available in a variety of elegant and sizzling options.
While Agent Provocateur does have corsets available, the company specializes more in basques (a type of torso-hugging lace camisole) such as the “Gloria Basque.”
Whatever you choose for your wedding day shapewear needs, remember: Keep your lines flat, your colors neutral and most of all, remember to keep your calm.
In additional to the fine lingerie boutiques mentioned, here are a few additional local stores for you to check out before the Big Day:
Bonjour Lingierie, 4214 Magazine St., 309-8014
Basics Underneath Fine Lingerie, 5513 Magazine St., 894-1000
Oh! Fine Lingerie, 829 Royal St., 524-8807