Sleepwear & stuffed lingerie

I'm stunned whenever I go into a lingerie shop: all I was looking was a simple short camisole/slip like thing for sleepwear.

Most of the stuff..are bustiers, corseletttes, stuffed camisoles/slips and stuffed/uber padded bras. These are national store chains. So then I went to a dept. store...no real underwear (bras, etc.) and flannelwear. I really have lost touch. Especially the uber stuffed bra-slips in ridiculous/fun (depending on perspective) bright colours and lace. There must be a real market for this stuff to stock national chain stores and fill 90% of the store racks.

I'm definitely not their market.....I only have plain beige, white and black bras and panties. I used to spend my money on lingerie but then I realized it's not worth the high price tags. Men are just as happy with nothing! :)

There are unstuffed camisoles at my local lingerie store!
I wouldn't mind spending on one or two pieces of fun lingerie, but it's all I can do to get to the store when I actually need new bras...

I've been having major problems finding panties my size that aren't briefs, bikinis or boy shorts :mad: I prefer high-cut panties, and they only seem to be available these days in sizes much too large for me OR they are something like $15-$20 a pair. What is up with that? I am also having problems finding panties that are small enough for me, period, in the <$15 a pair range. I can find packages of larger sizes that are far less expensive. I guess that indicates the stores in question think that smaller women are a smaller portion of their market, I suppose. I went to Walmart, Target, and Meijers. I finally had to go to JC Penny's to find panties that actually fit and even though they were on sale they were more than I wanted to spend - but you kind of gotta have them...

Have others had this problem? Perhaps others have a larger budget for such things...

Yup, given my size should I be spending $20 on a pr. of underpants? Alot of "small" panties are too big for me now. Or they are so skimpy, it's totally impractical for daily wear.

I've only been to a lingerie store once or twice in my life. I needed a good strapless bra, and figured it was time to ask the pros. Kind of scary, almost: I walk in, large authoratative woman gives me the once-over, says "you must be a 75 A" and turns to get one. And she was right.

Otherwise department stores suit me fine. Lots of black, white and beige, and lace itches me, anyway.

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Originally Posted by Catrin

I've been having major problems finding panties my size that aren't briefs, bikinis or boy shorts :mad: I prefer high-cut panties, and they only seem to be available these days in sizes much too large for me OR they are something like $15-$20 a pair. What is up with that? I am also having problems finding panties that are small enough for me, period, in the <$15 a pair range. I can find packages of larger sizes that are far less expensive. I guess that indicates the stores in question think that smaller women are a smaller portion of their market, I suppose. I went to Walmart, Target, and Meijers. I finally had to go to JC Penny's to find panties that actually fit and even though they were on sale they were more than I wanted to spend - but you kind of gotta have them...

Have others had this problem? Perhaps others have a larger budget for such things...

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Victoria's Secret has hi cut cotton briefs, 5/$22 or something like that. They also have very small sizes.

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Originally Posted by Irulan

Victoria's Secret has hi cut cotton briefs, 5/$22 or something like that. They also have very small sizes.

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Really?!? I had no idea they would have reasonable prices, thanks for the information! It just seems wild to me that it is so hard to find undies small enough for me - I don't consider myself to be THAT small!

Hmmm. Maybe it's a Canadian thing. There's plenty of "normal" underwear at the department store I usually visit.

What is a "stuffed" camisole?

I've only once dropped into a lingerie store -- they had fancy lingerie, and also sex toys. Which surprised me. But they did stock normal, practical undergarments.

LPH, the "authoritative" woman you describe is one reason I've never gone into a "serious" bra store. I'd be scared.

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Originally Posted by Catrin

Really?!? I had no idea they would have reasonable prices, thanks for the information! It just seems wild to me that it is so hard to find undies small enough for me - I don't consider myself to be THAT small!

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You've probably noted my small size woes in other threads... the last time I bought undies (I wanted everyday ones and my preference is for cotton low cut briefs with very flat elastic) I had to go to the kids section for them.... brands like Hanes/ Fruit of the Loom etc are now a bit too large even in the XS size, which is rarely ever carried in the stores anyway..... I ended up buying kids, 2 different brands, even in those the sizing was way different so one pack was 12s and the other 14s. Interestingly I find that kids tend to not only be more the right size, they fit they way I want them to... I like underwear that is low cut enough to not stick out of my jeans, but that still has enough fabric over the butt to go all the way around... I hate undies that cut across my butt cheeks. In womens "briefs" tend to be HUGE and come up way high - granny panties, but hipsters, hi-cuts or bikinis don't properly cover my bum. Kids briefs do the job right for me.

So it wasn't just me when I bought a trio of underpants recently...xs was too big for me and these were lower cut cotton briefs. It didn't used to be like that.

Pam, the dept. store lingerie sections did have the underwear ..but I was looking for a simple camiole slip-dress for sleeping. The more "conversative" dept. stores didn't even have that. Just slips clearly for wearing under dresses. And flannel wear which I find binds around me.

The LLS by me is owned by 2 young women. Maybe 30? No old ladies there.
I think their parents bankrolled this venture and it is very successful.
Based on your comments, I am glad my azz is big in proportion to the rest of me. I wear Hanky Panky one size fits all thongs, but they do have hipsters, too. And Le Mystere thongs. I hate underwear in general, and my main ocncern is that it doesn't show through my clothing.

The only place I've shopped fro bras and undies for probably 15 years or so is Victoria Secret. Mostly because for me the are more comfortable than the other brands.

Shootingstar, not sure if they're your type of stores, but I love the cami slip-dresses from Gap body. They have really nice soft fabric but they have some pretty simple designs available, less lingerie-design and more loungewear. Another option is the gilligan by gilligan o'malley line at Target.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

Pam, the dept. store lingerie sections did have the underwear ..but I was looking for a simple camiole slip-dress for sleeping. The more "conversative" dept. stores didn't even have that. Just slips clearly for wearing under dresses. And flannel wear which I find binds around me.

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I don't know about Canada, but in the US sleepwear and lingerie would be two different things. I would not look in the lingerie area for what you are describing. It would be normal to find slips for wearing under dresses in lingerie.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

I'm stunned whenever I go into a lingerie shop: all I was looking was a simple short camisole/slip like thing for sleepwear.

Most of the stuff..are bustiers, corseletttes, stuffed camisoles/slips and stuffed/uber padded bras. These are national store chains. So then I went to a dept. store...no real underwear (bras, etc.) and flannelwear. I really have lost touch. Especially the uber stuffed bra-slips in ridiculous/fun (depending on perspective) bright colours and lace. There must be a real market for this stuff to stock national chain stores and fill 90% of the store racks.

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Are you referring to La Senza? I think they're aimed at women under 30, maybe even under 25 years of age. Hence the cheap 'n tacky colors and styles. If there's a La Vie En Rose or Cats Pajamas near you, you might find better merchandise there, although it's pricier.
When one of my husband's granddaughters had a birthday a while back, her mother suggested several clothing stores we could get gift certificates from, included La Senza Girl. I was repelled to see tiny underwire padded push-up bras in AA or even AAA sizes there. Seriously, what 10-14 year old needs to be wearing an underwire padded bra?
As for the comments about how small sizes should cost less because of less fabric, it's the manufacturing that you're paying for. It takes about as long to sew a small garment as a big one. (And the amount of fabric used isn't as much smaller as you might think.)