My dream bra drawer, compliments of Alison Rubke of Faire Frou Frou

If you remember Lila Smith from my post about her in 2010, you can understand why I’m so excited to have her as a guest writer for Hourglassy. A 32F with a passion for Shakespeare and well-made dresses and shirts that fit, she has taken the time to share a third passion with us–her love of beautiful lingerie. Today she shares how she stores it.

My own drawers contain a few different sizes. I’ve lost weight, and have changed size from a 34F to a 32F. I have given away a good number of bras to friends whom they’d better fit. I have kept some of the larger bras, since I can go up almost a whole cup size towards the end of every month. I did have these bras altered so the band would fit more snugly and offer the correct amount of support.

My bra drawer is now organized by color, and the rows are lined and separated by beautiful silk scarves. My less glamorous bras are to the left, and include 3 nude colored bras, two dark gray, a nude and a black racerback, and some sports bras for the gym. The other 20 or so rest in their rows with their matching bottoms folded behind them.

The drawer below is just for bottoms–first some necessary shapewear, then some garter belts and panties with garter straps attached, followed by more rows organized by color. This makes it easy to find an alternate match for a set, or to simply find a favorite pair quickly.

Shapewear and secret helpers on the left, garter belts behind them, then green, blue, orange, pink, red, purple, grey, black with other colors, and all-black undies (from left to right). I own approximately 100 pairs of underwear.

I love my lacy rainbow drawers. Every time I open my beautifully organized drawers I get a sense that I have control over at least one very small section of the real estate in my apartment. There are music books all over my bedroom floor, stacks of clean laundry still sitting on my bedside armchair waiting to be put away, and you’d just as soon find lasagna as orange juice, beer, yogurt, bread, or Indian spices on the bottom shelf in my fridge, but the lingerie drawers are pristine!

Two or three piece non-bra sets hang on skirt hangers in my closet, followed by nightgowns, pajamas, and robes. I have a couple of dozen Vera Bradley padded hangers devoted to the long hanging garments. The colors make me happy and honor my treasured pieces.

Some robes get hung on both sides of my closet door, which I leave open, or on the back of my bedroom door. I usually hang a nightgown or a lacy little set under each one, and this has become a very aptly boudoir-inspired decor theme for one end of my little room. The lingerie actually becomes the decoration for the room, and fills it with color and luxurious textures. I switch out the sets that hang as I wear them.

On the shelf above my closet rack, I keep a selection of gentle detergents from Laundress, Le Blanc, and Tocca. Care is such an important factor to the life of these delicate items. I rotate my lingerie selection frequently, never wear the same bra two days in a row, and wash everything by hand, which really doesn’t take that much time if you just let the lingerie wash do its thing. Le Blanc Silk and Lingere Wash is great for this–just a few capfuls in a sink or basin of water, and soak a week’s worth of underthings while eating dinner. Then I rinse everything out in a row on my arm while in the shower, and hang to dry. Everything looks good as new and smells delicious.

I really believe in lingerie, at all hours of the day, and for all occasions. I believe that shapewear can be the perfect accessory to the littlest of little black dresses. I believe in the concept of loungewear- lovely comfies that clearly and firmly state “I am relaxing now.” Nobody would see me sitting in a soft modal top and pants from Joelle by La Perla and ask me to run out and grab a carton of milk. Sleepwear can be warm and comforting, lavishly lacy, silky and soft- something for every mood to make bedtime a special occasion.

Don’t get me wrong, I do have my giant, knee-length t-shirt with a pattern of big black bears printed on it, and I do love me my bears. I just don’t wear it all the time. I don’t allow myself to fall into a rut where I’m in t-shirts and men’s boxers all the time. My underthings, my loungewear, my sleepwear, and certain pieces that I refer to as “for-entertainment-only,” all serve to remind me that I’m beautiful, feminine, and worth it. Even if nobody else ever sees what I wear beneath my clothes, I deserve to know that I dressed my best, for myself, from the inside out.