Thigh Society Battles the Dreaded Chub Rub

Clearly SHE isn't using chub rub protection

Happy Monday Swimwear and Lingerie Fans!

{Told ya I was going to keep saying Happy Monday until you got used to it. After all, there isn’t anything to dread about Mondays… just means you’re one day closer to the next weekend right?}

How was your weekend? We’re nearing the end of our summer here in Ontario and I’m still test-driving shapewear and trying to find something that Goldilocks would like. Not too tight, not too loose, not too sweat-inducing and not too expensive.

goldilocks-mugshot

Picky. I know.

If it sounds like an impossible list… well, it kinda is. You see, I’m not overly concerned about smoothing out my bumps and bits. My idea of comfort doesn’t include extreme compression. For more on that you can check out my Hanky Panky review. Nope, I have knock-knees and muscular thighs and this leads to what I have delicately come to call “chub rub”. Chub rub sucks and really takes all the fun out of wearing a skirt or dress.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not about to appear on “People of Walmart” or anything but it’s really uncomfortable and my wardrobe options would be seriously limited if I couldn’t wear skirts and dresses. They are essential clothing when you’re a professional and need to look polished and put together, yet don’t want to be a big old, ball of sweat by the time you commute to work in trousers, in your fuel efficient but non air conditioned car.

Thigh Society- anti chub rub

{Oh and fyi this isn’t a picture of me, although I am totally digging her dress!}

I first heard about the company Thigh Society on twitter and was super excited to find a lingerie company based out of Canada! Their homepage included the terms “chub rub” and “Thigh Society is NOT shapewear”. It’s like they were answering my wish list!!!

So I quickly ordered a pair of the white bamboo in my size. Then the whole Postal Strike thing happened and I knew I would be in for a bit of a wait. However, it gave me a chance to see how amazing their customer service is. I was immediately emailed and informed of the strike and the delay. They were so proactive and offered me options and potential ways to deal with the problem and in the end, it all came out fine. I would recommend them based on their attention to detail and customer satisfaction alone!

Smiley-Face-

By the time I received them, we were well and truly stuck in the middle of a brutal heatwave. I felt like the guy in Indiana Jones with his face melting off.

Ya, this dude... What? It was really that hot out! Seriously!

Anyhoo… I wore them to work under a skirt and spent my lunch hour running errands so that I could really put them through the paces.

thigh-society- White/ Bamboo

First things first, they aren’t lying when they talk about how soft and breathable the bamboo fabric is. It wicked the sweat away from my skin very quickly and didn’t compress my flesh like a sausage stuffer. The undies/shorts just skimmed my body and kept me comfortable. Definitely a big A+ there.

The bottom portion of the leg did start to ride up near the end of the day and that was a bit irritating because I apparently lack the feminine impulse control that says; “Don’t adjust your shorties in public!” and yanked them down into place a few times. Oops. No, I wasn’t raised in a barn and I do know better… I just haven’t been able to comfortably wear a skirt in so long, I guess I’m just out of practice.

Raised in a barn

{sorry Mom}

The waist band rolled a bit too and I wonder if I were to adapt them to have a bit of stretch lace at the top and the bottoms, if I could stop that from happening. Of course, I may want to also think about getting a different size to avoid that issue as well.

All in all, I really enjoy wearing them and have actually been able to wear some of my lovely summer dresses and skirts and be quite comfortable both at work and in my stuffy car. I would certainly recommend them to anyone not looking for the smoothing and compression of shapewear, but the comfort and function of a longer legged panty.

Does any one know of any similar products I could try? It really does seem to be a niche that doesn’t have a lot of options. I would love to try out a silk or a wool blend and see how those work out, just need some suggestions.

Cheers,

Maggie

Thigh Society- Black

Hanky Panky Thong Review

hanky-panky (1)

Happy Monday Swimwear and Lingerie Buddies. How’s your week looking so far? Mine’s pretty darn amazing. I’m on official holidays {Yippee for me!!!} and have been relaxing and enjoying these glorious long summer days without having to be a slave to my regular business schedule. Viva la Summer Vacation!!!

For today’s “Must Have Monday”, we’ll be taking a look at Hanky Panky thongs. After all, thongs are one of those lingerie items that have become almost essential nowadays. I have looked long and hard and field-tested a ton of thongs and it isn’t easy to find a pair that fit comfortably and also look halfway decent. The Hanky Panky thongs have been called the most comfortable thongs on the market. Would I agree?

Hanky Panky colours galore

I’ll let you know at the end of the review.

First things first, the thongs are made in a plethora of colours. You can buy a thong to match your zodiac sign {do you think they added the new weird one from they all changed? Did people freak out when they realized they were walking around with the wrong sign thong? What kind of scenario do you need to run into to take advantage of having your astrological sign on your panties?} or if you go to one of the big American schools, you can get one with your Alma matter on it.

They are made almost entirely from stretch lace, although there is a cotton gusset for comfort and hygiene. Because they’re made of stretch lace, they come as a one-size-fits all type of lingerie.

As a general rule, I completely loathe anything that states that it’s one-size-fits-all. As far as I’m concerned, that’s just sheer laziness on the part of the company. We all know that one-size can never fit all…these aren’t magical Harry Potter undies after all. Seriously, elastic can only stretch so far and quite frankly it’s waaaay less comfy when it has been stretched to the limit.

Hanky Panky Thong Rear View

So, if you’re a teeny tiny size 00, the lace will be hardly stretched at all and will most likely feel soft and cozy and move really well with your body. If you’re anywhere above a size 10 the lace will become less flexible and functionally, far less accommodating of your movements. Thus the claim of comfiest thong on the market starts to look a little less reliable.

Hanky Panky has acknowledged this issue in a less than direct way on it’s size chart page. After all, why have a Size Chart Page, if your garments are truly a one-size-fits all? If your thong is meant to fit sizes 00-2 (this is the petite low rise thong) then it ruddy well should say so on the label and not one-size-fits all.

{Sorry mini Sizing rant officially over…you may return to your regularly scheduled Hanky Panky Thong Review}

Hanky Panky Low-Rider Front View

I like that they have taken the time to break down which of the styles work best with which sizes, however the lingerie store where I bought mine, didn’t carry all of the different styles. They only had the original, low rise and retro and they were unaware of the particular sizing issues that went along with each.

Hanky Panky Retro

I do appreciate that Hanky Panky has different styles of thong for different body types to choose from. But seriously, if they are meant to be for certain body shapes and sizes, why not state as such. Why hide behind the one size-fits-all thing?

I have an original style and a retro style and while the original style rolls down along the waistband and is generally kind of annoying, the retro style stays in place beautifully and definitely shows off my curves in all the right ways. They have a plus size boutique on the website, which is lovely, but what are the chances that your average lingerie store will stock all of the various sizes, styles and types?

Plus… if one-size-fits-all… why would you need a plus size section? Aren’t plus size folk part of the All?

Hanky Panky

When wearing the proper size and appropriate style Hanky Panky thong, I can agree with the statement that they are indeed incredibly comfortable and definitely help you avoid visible panty lines. I would totally and absolutely recommend that you grab yourself a pair (in the correct size and style for your body-type), they definitely rock. However, I really wish they would put a little more into their labeling and help women locate the right size, style and fit for their bodies.

There’s more than enough vagueness and cryptic sizing issues when it comes to women’s lingerie without willfully withholding information.

Cheers,

Maggie

Zen and the Art of Lingerie Maintenance

Yippee… It’s Thursday, it’s Thursday, and that means it’s almost Friday, Wahooooooo!

Hello Swimwear and Lingerie Fans, it’s “Fitting Tip Thursday” and I have a wonderful quickie for you today!

Today’s fitting tip is “How Not To Totally Pooch Your Lingerie” otherwise known as “If you going to spend the time and money to find and buy great fitting, good looking lingerie why would you just throw it in the washer and dryer?”

Seriously folks, it’s a valid question.

I get the whole ‘time is money’ and you can’t be bothered to handwash and air dry your undies, but I wonder if you realize just how much wear and tear the laundering process puts those delicates through?

If you consider that most people these days don’t really separate their laundry into the different wash cycles and worse then that still use the agitator in the washer and tumble dryer for their underwire bras, it’s no wonder you need to go lingerie shopping so often!

You can use the specialty lingerie/delicates detergents like Hanky Panky’s, Forever New, Ivory Snow or Eucalan, but they can’t really do much to help if you’re still putting them through a mugging in your machines!

So, if you don’t believe me you can ask Hanky Pankyhere, Now Thats Lingerie here or the lovely folks at The Knickers Blog here and find out all about how and why you should hand wash your delicates.

Now while you ponder all of that, it is true confessions time;

… Hello, my name is Maggie, and I am a recovering machine washing lingerie person.

It has been two weeks since I last used the washing machine to clean my bras and underwear. Thank you, thank you.

I’m taking it one day at a time and really just trying to remember all the reasons I had for giving up the convenience of the washing machine.

It hasn’t been easy and I have had my moments of rationalizing my lingerie/pjs as machine washable but I’m still holding strong.

I had to hit the bottom before I stopped… I really scared myself last time, so I try to hold on to that.

You see, I thought I could wash my bras in the machine as long as I hung them to dry… I really believed that it would be okay, until it happened.

{sob Forgive me Freya}

My favourite Freya somehow snagged on lint catcher and twirled the fabric around and around and around, until the underwire just burst out and jammed in the bottom of tub…. IT WAS MY FAVOURITE BRA!

True story that. I didn’t mean to get so personal but it was very cathartic.

So as you can see, laundry is no laughing matter.

{Not any more}

Now adays, When I am getting ready for bed and washing my face, I let the sink fill a bit and soak my bra and undies. Then I add a little gentle wash soap and give them a thorough cleaning without tugging, twisting or wringing and rinse them thoroughly and let them hang dry over a towel. Done.

No muss, no fuss. Easy as pie.

You should try it!

Cheers,

Maggie