The Vine: August 19, 2011
Dear Sars,
Would the Tomato Nation brain trust please help me pick out some skivvies?
Lately the only things in my top drawer that don’t give me an immediate (and enduring) wedgie are the 3 pairs of boys’ Fruit of the Loom briefs, size large, that my husband bought by accident. I actually think the boy-undies are kind of subversively cute and very comfy, but they look odd under some clothes, so I need more options.
The problem seems to be that I am long-waisted and skinny but with a bubble butt and a bit of saddlebaggage right at the tops of my thighs. Nothing seems to be cut full enough to cover and tight enough to stay in place. To be fair, I have not done extensive research, but I have bought the gamut of boy shorts, bikinis, and hipsters from Fruit of the Loom and Hanes, and none of them seems to work. I used to wear Victoria’s Secret but I don’t recall those being any better.
Cotton is preferable but I’m open to microfiber or anything that breathes (I live in the South; it’s a hundred degrees every day right now; need the breathability). Price-wise, I’m at a point where I’d be willing to pay a premium for something that actually fits.
Gotta wonder: have women’s clothing manufacturers ever met or seen an actual woman?
Thanks,
London, France, etc.
Dear London,
…Seriously.
I wear Gap Body’s low-rise stretch cotton hipster almost exclusively at the moment. I am also long-waisted, but more average than skinny, and have handful-butt vs. bubble-, so I don’t know if these would work for you — but I will say that I don’t have issues with riding. Wherever I place them is more or less where they stay, whether I’ve got tight jeans over them, a mini, or what have you. It’s a mostly cotton undie with a little Lycra/stretchy stuff to let it customize itself.
I’ve also had good luck with Calvin Klein briefs in a similar style, although they tend to change the cut every season, which WHY ARGH. No cotton in that one, but I haven’t noticed them heating me up, particularly, and those actually are more wedge-averse than the Gap ones.
But again, I don’t have much backyard to cover. Your yardage may vary, heh. Any readers with a body type similar to London’s, let’s hear from you!
Tags: Ask The Readers retail
Another vote for the Gap low-rise girl shorts. They’re magic.
And they’re cotton, so swamp ass is not as much of an issue.
I have two sets of seriously unsexy underpants from CostCo (purchased recently), that are from Jockey and are in some sort of microfibre – they’re very thin, full cut, and manage to stay up and around all my bits. The package comes in black, white, and tan, so let’s call it “Utilitarian.” They’re cheap (price wise), are thin enough to go under most work clothes without leaving horrendous lines, and I find them quite comfortable. Good luck!
I have some Hanes that aren’t the standard cotton but a very thin nylon (they kind of look and feel like a thick pair of pantyhose). They are very very stretchy so they don’t ride up and they conform to pretty much every shape (I’ve had mine through the loss of two pants sizes and the gain of a belly and they fit perfectly every time.) They only come in packs of two so they are more expensive than regular Hanes, but still reasonable (especially if you’re desperate). I think they are called Invisible panties or Sheer Comfort panties or something like that. I took several with me when I went to Oklahoma on a vacation (where it was over 100 every day) and I actually find they get less sweaty than my cotton pairs.
…And on that tip, check onehanesplace.com for cheap undies and socks. Not a huge selection, and it’s factory seconds, but I’ve ordered many times from them and you never see a quality/shape issue. A great option if, like me, you go through three three-packs of men’s white tank tops per summer.
Love the Gap cotton underwear. So comfy and they usually have some wicked cute patterns too. I’ve definitely got some junk in the trunk and no issues with wedgies.
(Bonus: If you happened to have a Gap/Old Navy/BR card, you can get them at a steal. I try to time my purchase for a Tuesday (10% off) on top of my rewards card. I think I once got 6 pairs for $5!)
Jockey microfiber hi-cut (goes OVER the saddlebaggage) hipsters. The bikini would also work. Best backdoor coverage ever without being granny-panties. Actually they seem to come in several different space age materials and all breathe. I buy whatever they have at the jockey outlet every few years. Oddly, they suit both me (curvy with a belly and a butt) and my GF, stick thin but also with a butt.
Jockey. I wear their low-rise bikinis and the string-side bikinis. Not pretty, but they’re 100% cotton and they don’t ride up.
I have to second or third the rec for Gap undies–I have a drawer full of them and LOVE! And they have some really great styles that don’t give me panty lines, since I refuse to wear thongs.
And don’t bother with anything cute from Victoria’s Secret. I bought a bunch of undies with lace, etc., and the lace is pretty much falling apart less than three months later. Fail.
I love Gap Body undies, too. I wear the low-rise stretch cotton bikini and adore it. I’ve found that even though I wear a medium in most things, I take a large in these. (The medium fits okay, but digs into my love handles a bit.) Maybe it’s a big-buttedness issue.
Jockey thirded. I’m not skinny (average, I guess), but I have massive bubble butt, and I wear any old Jockey bikini cut pretty religiously.
Adding to the Jockey microfiber love. They are great – comfy and wear like iron. I wore them while training for a triathlon this summer and had no issues running/biking in them in terms of staying where they should or excessive moisture retention. My cotton Hanes were another story all together – those fell down in the middle of a run and were hanging out the bottom of my running shorts. I am pretty thick through the butt/hips/tummy area and the Jockeys are great.
This is pretty much just what briefs (aka granny panties) are for. Full coverage. I buy them in black so they look cute instead of frumpy.
Agree with the Jockey rec. The Naturals seamfree look good under pants and stay put on a bubble butt.
I have nothing useful to add on the panty front. But, I’m dying to ask…
@Whitney – You came to Oklahoma recently on vacation? On purpose?!? Did you lose a bet? Or did you have your heart set on hell and it was all booked up?
I used to wear GAP (low-rise hipster or boy shorts) almost exclusively. Recently I purchased 5 pairs online and three fell apart (front waistline unfurling, ripping) almost immediately. Customer service was not helpful–the lady gave me the wrong instructions for how to return and warned that if the damage were determined to be the result of normal wear and tear I wouldn’t get any money back. Er, how would they know? I won’t be going back.
You might try these: http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Organic-Cotton-Hipster-Panties/dp/B004XIXCGY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1313782299&sr=8-6
The claim to be sized small, so I went up a size, and they are a bit big, so I think they would fit a bigger booty (mine is not flat, but not big relative to my overall size). They are sturdy and stay put. And they’re organic! Bit grannyish–avoid the lavender, buy the black.
I feel you on the saddlebags.
For just comfy underwear, I’ve been wearing Fruit of the Loom Low Rise Briefs for a few years since they stay around but don’t show over jeans. I haven’t found any that come in dark colors so the best they can look is cute and colorful, but not having wedgies is worth it!
http://tinyurl.com/3hdxfjq
I’ve had a TON of luck lately with the Aerie (by American Eagle) boybriefs. I also like the tangas and the boy shorts.
http://www.ae.com/aerie/browse/category.jsp?catId=cat2640007
I have an ENTIRE DRAWER FULL and I cannot STOP buying more and I have nowhere to put them.
(problems, I have them)
But they’re my favorites! Cute, comfy, don’t ride up or give me wedgies.
I’ve actually had really good luck with Target brand underwear
Hanes Women’s 100% Cotton Low Rise Modern Briefs ComfortSoft® Waistband. I have a bubble butt and bit of a belly every 28 days or so. They are the style between full briefs and hipsters and I’m a big 100% cotton fan. I can usually find them only at Walmart or online and the color/[awful]pattern selection isn’t great but they do wear well and dry when it’s 90 and I’m walking to work.
I actually just bought several pair of target’s gillian o’malley underwear (thongs, hipsters, & regular briefs). They haven’t gotten extensive wear yet, but they are super comfortable and actually stay in place and cover my bubble butt. At 5/$20, the price is right too.
Hate to rain on the parade, but I have to come in against the GAP. It sounds like we’ve got similar builds, London–I’m skinny, very long-waisted, and bubble-butted (although I don’t have the saddlebaggage issue too much). GAP’s bikinis and boyshorts cut me at a weird spot and give me wicked lines. They don’t give me a wedgie, but I can only wear them under heavy jeans because they cut across the middle of my bum.
Glad you asked this question, I look forward to trying some of the other suggestions!
I’m another Jockey-microfiber afficionado. No wedging, ever. No slide-down, minimal VPL, and the elastic holds. up.
@London – your body type sounds exactly like mine! I used to wear Victoria’s Secret cotton pretty exclusively, but oddly, the regular bikinis were okay while the string bikinis had serious bunch-butt problems. I’ve been really happy with plain cotton Hanes bikinis, purchased at Target – most of the patterns that they have are pretty twee, but I’ve gotten them in black, nude, pale pink, etc. and been happy. Plus, they’re cheap.
I’ve also recently gotten some Shimera and Natori microfiber ones. These were pricier, but cute (non-annoying lace edges) and I like them a lot.
Hope this helps! I can’t understand the girls who wear thongs all the time…
I have a rather hefty rear end (12″ difference between waist & hips, finding pants that fit IS A NIGHTMARE) and hatehatehate having my underwear move at all. I buy the hi-cut and full-cut no-ride-up briefs from Hanes (onehanesplace.com, they have sales all the time, it’s cheaper than buying them in the store one pack at a time) and rotate depending on which part of the month it is. I only wear cotton, that rash from anything else is worse than finding a way to hide the lines under my clothes. Those styles do actually come up to my (long) waist — they also offer low-cut options but they are always too low for me.
I used to wear Victoria’s Secret underwear because it used to last for years, but then I grew and the new ones I purchased tore after a few wearings.
Nth’ing the Jockey recommendations. My body type is much like London’s, and I especially like the string bikinis. They ride low enough not to show under my jeans (since I look massively ridiculous in high-waisted jeans), and stay put quite well. Eventually the Tactel ones lose some of their elasticity after many washes, and start being a little saggy and developing wedgy issues, but they last a good long while. You may find some of their boyshort styles OK, but I’m not totally sold on the one I bought awhile back. However, that may just be because it comes up higher on my stomach than I’d like.
Another chime in for Jockey. I wear the French-cut microfiber ones, and they work very well for me. It’s plenty of coverage without being granny style (I detest boy shorts and hipsters and most bikini cuts because they don’t cover–though I do have a few pairs of these in bikini cut and they’ve been fine, just not my first preference). I even turned both my mother and my grandmother on to these (though admittedly my grandmother does wear the hi-cut ones, but my mom wears the French-cut!). They come in cotton as well as microfiber, though the cotton will stretch a bit more. I think both are comfortable and have some of each and switch them up depending on my mood. They last well, too. Decent range of colors, too, though that can vary year to year.
If you can find an outlet Jockey store, they run about $5-7/each with the specials that are usually going on.
I am also long waisted and round of behind. Buying undies a size or two up always helps. Especially if you buy from Victoria’s Secret – those undies are ridiculously small.
Style recommendation: the cotton lace waist hip hugger. Just buy them big!
@MP I grew up there, so I came to see family. I am a glutton for punishment, clearly.
I’m built pretty much the same, and I really like the three-packs of Hanes you get at Target — bikini cut. Hipster-cut underwear, as adorable as they may be, tend to have less than awesome elastic at the bottom, and that means they ride up like nobody’s business, especially if you have a bubble butt. The Hanes ones (I wish I could Google and provide you a link, but I’m at work, and my monitor is visible!), while bikini cut, are in my experience the most generously cut in the ass.
You just described my body (and problem) to a T, and I have to tell you, I am obsessively in love with St. Eve panties…I found them at a second run store (Ross) so I don’t know where to tell you to find them, but I can tell you I’m never buying another brand ever. I have two different styles of bikini/hipster type panties, one with a lace panel on the front, and one totally plain but in various colors. They are cute, cotton, hold up well over time, and I have never once gotten a wedgie in more than three years wearing them. Serious love.
Addendum: http://hiphugger.multiply.com/photos/album/14/St._Eve_Underwear#photo=31
I’m a big fan of St. Eve style – you can find them at Kohl’s.