Silk, Vinyl, and Leather Lingerie Cleaning Guide

Silk Lingerie

When it comes to silk, satins and synthetic lingerie, you should always dry clean them if possible, as this lingerie is very delicate material. Dry cleaning also protects the material from shredding or loosing its color. If you are courageous or daring enough to risk washing your silks at home then you should be very careful and please use only mild detergents. Silk lingerie should be soaked in cold detergent water for about 20 to 30 minutes, to remove any stains or dirt particles. Only cold water should be used, as it protects the color of the garment. If there are any stains or marks on the lingerie, you should rub it very gently, to remove them. Silk should be dried flat and then ironed very gently on minimum heat.

Cleaning Leather Lingerie:

Cleaning and conditioning leather lingerie is very simple. Leather can be thought of as a type of skin. The way you need to clean and moisturize your own skin, leather needs to be maintained in the same way to stay beautiful, supple, pliable, and resilient.

-Cleaning Leather Lingerie at home

In most cases all that is necessary to clean leather lingerie is a damp cloth or a store bought leather cleaner. There a variety of leather cleaners you can find at the store to choose from that will do a reasonably good job. This will remove any surface dust or dirt. Always follow the manufacturers instructions when using a cleaner specifically for leather lingerie.

-Hand Washing Leather Lingerie

Prepare, treat, and remove any stains on the leather before washing it. Using warm soapy water made with an gentle cleanser like baby shampoo, Dove or Ivory (unscented), or soap flakes rub the leather with a soft cloth to produce a lather in any area you want to clean. Wipe away excess lather with a clean cloth. Rinse leather lingerie thoroughly either by running through warm water or wiping several times with a damp cloth. Pat leather dry with a clean towel to remove excess water and moisture. Allow leather to dry flat in a warm place out of direct sunlight and away from any strong heat source (oven, fireplace, heater, stove, etc.)

-Professional Leather Lingerie Cleaning

Very special or very delicate leather lingerie items may require professional cleaning, or if you do not want to take any chances with cleaning it yourself, there are a variety of professional leather cleaners that can do it for you. Many dry cleaners offer leather cleaning services through which your leather lingerie is sent off site to a professional cleaning company and then returned to the dry cleaners. Although this process is done by professionals, slight variations in color, hue, texture, feel, and shape may result; so make certain to clean all matching lingerie items together even if only one piece requires cleaning.

-Washing Leather in a Washing Machine

It's been mentioned that leather can be washed using a washing machine set on a very gentle (wool or delicate cycle) setting with warm or cool water. However, this does come with some risk. The preferred method if you choose to do it yourself is hand washing.

Vinyl Lingerie

Vinyl Lingerie is perhaps the easiest to clean as this is a very strong and resilient fabric. You can use mild soap and warm water, but you'll want to hand wash it. You may not want to trust your vinyl lingerie to a machine, even though the material is strong and does not absorb water at the same rate as the other garments. To get the most wear out of your lingerie, washing by hand is best. Vinyl is not very porous, though, so it will be much easier to handle it on your own with just the soap and water. Let it air dry unless the instructions on the label tell you otherwise.

Panties - Getting the Perfect Fit For Your Body Type

You might think off hand that getting underwear that fit was just a matter of picking your size, the style you like and checking out. In truth, getting a panty that fits perfectly is often much more challenging than that.

Is there one piece of clothing more critical than your panties? If you get the wrong fit, you are going to be an uncomfortable grump until you can find an alternative. In one of the all time stupid moves, I purchased a tiny g-string for the first time one summer. I slipped it on under some jeans and went out to run errands all day. It started out feeling a bit odd and quickly deteriorated until I was squirming around about as uncomfortable as possible. It made for a long day.

So, what is involved in finding the perfect underwear? The goal should be to find something that is comfortable and will not move about. To do this, there are two measurements you should focus on - your waistline and your hips. A panty that fits perfectly around the waist is useless if it rides up in an unwanted manner on your hips.

The perfect panty has some common characteristics. The waist band should fit snugly, but not be binding. If it leaves a hot red line around your waist, you need to go up a size. Your waistline, by the way, is where the natural crease occurs on your body. Many women pick a spot lower down on their hips. A trick to finding the waistline is to bend to your side. The crease line created is your waistline.

From the back, a good panty should fit snugly against the buttocks. This can be a bit tricky to determine since there are so many different styles of panties out there, but you are generally looking for a cupping action similar to what you get with bra cups. In many cases, this is a comfort fit. Your panties are not going to keep your cheeks from sagging over time, so go with what makes you comfortable.

The area where you panty runs around the side of your body is an area of much confusion for women. Let's be clear - certain panties do not fit certain women. You might like boy shorts, but find they ride up around the side of your hips. If so, you are going to be far more comfortable in a high cut underwear that rides up along the top of your hips. This will create a more comfortable fit that you can live with instead of constantly pulling at your sides.

As for between your legs from front to back, the rule is simple - no extra space. The panty should ride flush against your body. If you find it sliding up in the back, you might be wearing a size to small. If you find it getting baggy in the back, the opposite may be true as well. Try finding something that is comfortable across your hips and then go up and down in size to find a perfect match.

Panties tend to be out of sight, out of mind for many of us. Well, at least until they become uncomfortable! Take the time to try out different styles and fits. You might find you improve your quality of life by being comfortable day in and day out.

Buying Retro Shapewear - The Fifties Lingerie Fashion Revival

Fashion goes in cyles. Not so long ago girdles and corsets were objects of mirth - the lingerie that granny used to wear. Yet shapewear is suddenly cool again, clothing to be seen in!

Several factors underlie this growth in the popularity of shapewear - and the resurgence of burlesque as an entertainment plays a big role. The designer Jean Paul Gaultier also had a major influence when he resurrected the bullet bra, and satin shapewear generally, featuring them both on his perfume bottles and in his costume designs for Madonna. Suddenly shapewear is no longer an embarrassing secret but clothing to flaunt - underwear worn as outerwear is hitting the catwalks and nightclubs. Much of the current shapewear designs are modeled on fifties designs, for it was in this decade that Dior launched the 'wasp waist' look.

His couture fashion demanded a well-defined silhouette - at a stroke it was essential for any well-dressed lady to wear a girdle or corset simply to be able to wear what was currently fashionable. Retro shapewear, whilst paying homage to those fifties designs, brings them up to date with more modern materials. The rubber content of the material originally provided the elasticity of shapewear, but today lycra has supplanted rubber, offering controlled stretch. Lycra also eliminates the not uncommon problem of latex allergy and, importantly, can be made to offer increased support selectively in different places on a garment. However the features that typify the fifties shapewear, girdles, corsets and corselettes (all-in-ones) have been retained - the satin panels, the lace detailing and sexy sheer panels.

Girdle garter clips - how many? Look round the internet and you'll find suspender belts (or garter belts if you are American!) with four six eight or more garters. Of course the minimum four will work fine, although six is probably ideal, and more than six will add a sexy frisson to the garment, but will take far longer to clip to the stocking top! Do remember that if you are looking to recreate the fifties look that six to eight garters will be preferable as you'll also be wearing seamed stockings (fully fashioned if you are a purist!) - by wearing a garter belt with six or eight garters will give your stockings stability. It does not matter if a seamless stocking rotates a little in wear, but nothing looks worse than a stocking seam that snakes unevenly up the back, or side, of the leg!

Garter clip materials Much modern lingerie uses garter clips, with plastic both for the 'frame' and for the middle garter 'button'. Be very careful ordering online as the buttons on some of the cheaper designs are poorly designed, and the frame is flimsy - making it almost impossible to hook the stocking to the garter, or the garter pops open during wear which can lead to embarrassment! The original designs used a metal frame for the garter with a rubber button. The better retro designs still use this arrangement that ensures that garter clip can hold the stocking securely, even when the welt of the stocking is relatively thick.

Attaching the stocking Yes there is a correct way to attach the garter to the stockings! It is sensible to wear thin cotton or nylon gloves when putting on stockings as particularly the genuine fifties vintage stockings can easily be snagged by the slightest roughness of the hands. The stocking should be put on the foot, then the material gathered and gently pulled up, carefully checking that the seam runs straight up the back of the leg. Now the rear garter should be clipped to the stocking - the garter and the clip should be positioned above the keyhole in the welt if the stocking is a fully fashioned variety, otherwise in line with the stocking seam. The remaining garters should then be attached, ensuring each strap drops straight down and not at an angle.

Retro or real vintage lingerie? Some people will only wear the genuine vintage whilst others are happy to wear the retro shapewear copies. There is a certain pleasure to be derived from knowing you are dressed in underpinnings with direct historic links - and it really makes an interesting topic at dinner parties - strangely enough it seems to intrigue men as much as women (or maybe not so strange!). However if you are thinking of going down the fifties lingerie route, be aware that lingerie of that era is not easily found in all sizes, it may have slight discolorations or other storage marks like rust spots. The flip side is that such vintage lingerie is likely to hold its value and if well looked after can be looked on as an investment you are able to wear!

A Lingerie Checklist For Women

Buying and wearing lingerie is all about feeling sexy. When you feel it, you project that feeling and others will take notice. There are many different ways you can go with lingerie. Here is a checklist of options you may not have tried.

When buying lingerie, it is vital that you think about what you want to achieve. For some women, the goal is to limit the coverage of skin. With others, it is not so much about showing your assets as it is about hinting about what might exist. Whatever your approach, there is a piece of lingerie for you. Consider whether you have all of these in your collection.

Corset - The corset is a take it or leave piece of lingerie. The corset is worn around the midsection. It is squeezed tight and pushes the breasts upwards. It is a classic lingerie look, but it can also be uncomfortable.

Thongs - There are actually many different types of thongs. They run from the smallest g-strings that are basically a string running around your waist with another running front to back to pieces with more material. The sensation of wearing a thong is one many women do not like. If you feel this way, try moving to styles that have a bit more cloth. Regardless, the thong is a very sexy look that can really catch the attention of your partner.

Camisole - The camisole is an underappreciated piece of lingerie. A cotton or silk camisole should be worn from the breast down to your belly button without an underlying bra. Combined with a bikini panty, it is a look that will warm up things quickly. As a major plus, it is incredibly comfortable as well.

Garter Belt - The garter belt is a classic lingerie piece. It consists of a lace band that runs around the waist and has clip straps dangling down to the legs. These are then attached to sexy stockings. Every woman should have at least one garter belt in her collection of lingerie.

Teddy - Another comfortable option is the teddy. Often sold with matching panties, it is a smallish robe that fits over the shoulders and rides down to the thighs. It is worn open and is a piece of lingerie that entices by suggesting what might be found underneath instead of simply showing it. A teddy is very comfortable to wear, making it a favorite among many women.

Obviously, there are variations on these general lingerie pieces, but they represent the major pieces you should have in your lingerie arsenal. You never know, after all, when you might need them!