Reader Review #3 -- Sheer Heart Knickers

...And no, I had not forgotten. There was a little back and forth between me and the St Tropez Leisure folks as they were out of stock on my initial order. Then I had to wait as patiently as I could as my knickers slowly made their way here from China. But they made it, and oh was it worth the wait.

First, I must apologize to my good friend Treacle, as she was the one who requested this review. The sheer heart knickers that appeared on knickersblog were out of stock, so they suggested these. Hopefully they'll do. If not, feel free to pick another.

The knickers I got are pictured here, they're part of the "skipping lunch" line of St Tropez knickers. They are a completely sheer material made from 93% polyester and 7% lycra. I guess the lycra helps as these are one of the more comfortable pairs of panties I have. They have just enough stretch to fit perfectly and have remained more than comfortable all day long. Just the lace detail around the heart is there to remind me of what it is I am wearing.

Despite being black the knickers are very see through. On top of the black material, all over the knickers, are black polka dots. But the back side is what makes these knickers fun. There is a heart shaped design on the back of the knickers that is surrounded by turquoise lace. On the top is a very large bow, also in turquoise.

If anyone were to see me in these knickers, I don't know what they'd say. They certainly couldn't be more feminine and pretty. They are probably the last thing anyone I know would expect to see, under my True Religion jeans today. Which is almost a shame, because these are beautiful looking knickers, and they fit me perfectly, if I do say so myself. But they'll probably be finding their way under my pants quite often, in the future, because I absolutely adore these knickers. I really can't get enough of them. You can get yourself these knickers for £45.00 and even throw in the matching bra for £65.00. If you check them out for yourself, I do think you'll agree.

This wraps up the Panty Drawer's first attempt at reader participation. Thanks again for some great suggestions! I had a blast trying on and reviewing reader suggestions. I plan on trying something like this again in the future. Maybe I can even come up with some new twists. So stay tuned.

On the Dot

Wolford does it again, in terms of keeping me warm during the latest oncoming winter storm. If the hyperbolic media is to be believed, I'll be digging myself out of 1-2 feet of snow this time tomorrow. While that is never fun, I'm willing to bet I'll be the only shoveler on my street keeping my legs warm with these lovely tights, and for that, I can always consider myself lucky.

These aren't the typical Wolford sheer tights, as they have viscose and silk blended into the material. This makes them somewhat bulkier and heavier. Once again, Wolford proves that a New England winter is no excuse to sacrifice style in favor of comfort. These tights prove you can have both.

The legs are alternating patterns of lines and dots that continue up the leg but stop around the mid-thigh. As you go around the legs, it varies exactly how high the lines and dots go, almost daring the onlooker to take a guess as to where each line stops. The entire tight, however, is more net than tight. In other words, looking at the picture, even the seemingly solid parts of the tight are actually really small holes.

They come in 5 sizes ranging from extra small to extra large, so you've got a good chance of finding a size that will fit you. They are a blend of 55% viscose, 34% nylon, 10% silk, and 1% elastane. As the holidays creep ever closer, there are probably more than a few opportunities to wear these, under any of your more festive dresses. They're available here for £32.00. Why not give them a try?

Paisley

Right this moment you can go to Stockingirl and save yourself 75% on these paisley pantyhose. Originally, Stockingirl was retailing them for $34.99, but now they are an almost ridiculous $9.99.

I got mine and can't be happier with them. Up until now, I can't say I had an pink pantyhose in my collection. So when I saw these, complete with a nice looking paisley pattern and an even better looking price, I went for them.

As you can probably see from the picture, the pattern covers the tights entirely. The sheerness of the tights also changes, as the pattern is much sheerer than the solid parts. At first, I wasn't sure I liked that, as the tights almost have the appearance like they have runs all over them. But the more I look at them, the more they've grown on me, to the point where I really like these.

I think these can be a unique addition to any stocking collection. And they should be part of any stocking collection. These are the perfect tights to break out when you're in the mood for something a little different. If you want some color, but also are in the mood for a print, these would be perfect.

Now all you have to do is find something to wear over them!!

...And More La Perla Tulle

I saved the best for last when it comes to my recent La Perla binge. From the moment I put this on, it vaulted to the top of my list of sexiest panties I own. Of course, it always feels good to be wearing La Perla, but this particular panty is maybe just a little bit better.

It's too bad that I can only find the picture in beige. While beige is nice, I bought my panty in lilac, and it is such a better color. All the lacy detail and see-through tulle really jumps out in the lilac color. When I tried this panty on in front of the mirror this morning, I was stunned by the way it looked.


If you check out the La Perla USA website, you can see this panty in the Lilac color. What you'll see, is some amazing floral detail over the tulle in the front. There are two seams down the front of the panty, creating a brief-like effect.

The back is simply see-through tulle. Other than that, the only other effect is a nicely-done, floral daisy edging along the bottom. This panty is maybe as feminine as it gets...and that's just fine with me.

It is a combination of 70% nylon, 15% spandex, and 15% cotton. This panty fits very well and is comfortable for the most part. I do have to say, the lace can get a bit scratchy, in areas where it might be best not to, but it's not all that bad, and very much worth putting up with just for how good it looks and how great it fits.

It is currently almost half off on La Perla USA, market down to $79.80 from $133. While $80 is still a decent amount to pay for one panty, I think it is worth the money. Everyone needs to have a panty like this. We all have those days where we need a panty that makes us feel like a million bucks. This one will do that.

Well Shoot!

My first trip back to Stockingirl in quite some time has started off as a successful one. Currently, they have a vast assortment of pantyhose and tights in quite a variety of prints. If you like prints, you're sure to find something here that you'll love.

For me, I was immediately struck by the bamboo tights. I guess I just thought they looked amazing on the model. They finally came in the mail, and I couldn't wait to wear them today.

Whatever type of leg wear you're into, you can get it in the bamboo print. Stockingirl has it in opaque tights, leggings, knee socks, sheer pantyhose, fishnet pantyhose, and lace-bottom leggings. Lately, I've been all about the sheer pantyhose, so I went for that style.

They are made from 100% microfiber nylon, according to the website. They feel ultra silky smooth on my legs. I've had to be careful because a couple of times I've just been reaching under my desk to feel this material on my legs. These pantyhose are so comfortable and feel so good on. As far as the pattern goes, I'm a big fan of grey tights, and I thought the pattern looked really cute on these. I like the sheer, even though the model appears to be wearing the opaque. I think the sheer looks great on me, and I like how the pantyhose are completely sheer to the waist.

They come in only two sizes, small/medium and medium/large. The medium large fits more than comfortably on me, so I think these can probably fit a variety of shapes. The pantyhose were the most expensive style at $26.99. For me, they were worth it. I'm even thinking I might want to get a few more. Check them out for yourself.

A Brief Moment of Silence...

...for the news today of the loss of Bettie Page at 85. Five decades removed from her heyday, Page remains the standard by which all future pinup models were and continue to be judged against. Many of today's pinup models, including the ones featured here, drew their inspiration from Page and her revolutionary photos.

Maybe there needs to be some sort of tribute. Perhaps its time to bring back a pinup panty day. A one-time day for Bettie.

Barbara

The second of my two panty purchases from the ongoing Nancy Meyer sale is the Barbara Au Jasmin Brief pictured here. Barbara, from France, is another designer I had been unfamiliar with. Nancy Meyer only has a handful of things from this brand, but they are all currently on sale and quite affordable.

These panties are floral printed with mesh detail that is layered more in the front for a bit less visible coverage. While that may not be as fun or as sexy, it does work for this panty. The detail includes larger flowers on both hips, a large pretty bow in the front, and pink and ivory Asian flowers embroidered throughout the front. The website goes on to say that the inspiration for this panty was the floral gardens of Japan and that the bow detail is reminiscent of traditional Obi.

The detail on this panty is well done and very pretty. The back is free from detail and done in a different material. It is very smooth and feels incredible on. Literally for the first few hours I had this panty on today, I couldn't get over how great the material on the back felt. It is also somewhat transparent. It is not quite as see-through as the tulle I've been liking to wear lately, but it does leave very little to the imagination.

Overall, the whole panty feels extremely good on. It is very comfortable and can be worn anywhere anytime in my opinion. It is 46% polyester, 35% polyamid, 12% spandex, and 7% cotton. Currently it's on sale for $29 (marked down from $49) on Nancy Meyer. If you happen to be a large, that seems to be the only size they have left. If you are, it's definitely worth checking out. I'm sure you'll like it.

If You're Heading to the Airport...

...be sure to select your underwear carefully. As in, wear something other than this. This is the La Perla Limited Edition Silver Bodysuit. Had I stumbled upon this when I was bodysuit shopping about a month back I may have...okay, that's not true, there was no way in hell I was buying this. As with most of La Perla, it certainly is lovely, and I suppose I can't argue that it is a work of art. It is transparent tulle (yes, quickly becoming my favorite) and lace embroidered detail. According to the website it is "inspired by ancient techniques, whereby the lace is made to be bright and incredibly light with Lurex threads".

The fabric breakdown of this lovely bodysuit? Well I'm glad you asked. It's 43% nylon, 18% rayon, 13%polyester, 11% cotton, 10% elastic, and 5%.....metal. Yes, that's right, metal. What kind of metal? Aluminum? Steel? I'm afraid I have no idea. Although I have to admit, I'm laughing a bit to myself right now when I think about being stopped at an airport metal detector. "Oh sorry sir. That's just my underwear. Right, yes, it's a bodysuit. No thank you, I'd prefer not to take it off right now." Can it be used as a weapon? I don't know...maybe.

All kidding aside though, I'm not sure what the purpose of this is. I can't really imagine wearing it in day to day life. Under clothes? Would it get caught in my clothes? Would it rip my clothes, or rip itself, or get bent out of shape? Certainly not in the bedroom, right? Can you wear this in the bedroom without injuring yourself or someone else?

Maybe I can hang it up somewhere in my house. That might work. Some people have a suit of armor...I prefer a La Perla bodysuit. I like it. Certainly seems worth the $793 in that case.

I better buy it now, before someone else does...

Christies

I had never heard of this line of lingerie before. But recently, when I was browsing Nancy Meyer for the La Perla sale, I stumbled upon this line. Christies is made in Italy, and they have some amazing stuff. Like La Perla, they had some items on sale as well, so I bought a couple of things.

Pictured here is the Delices Brief. How beautiful is this? There is much detail going on here, and it makes the brief look simply stunning, on or off. It is a combination of lace and tulle which is similar to some of the La Perla stuff that I have highlighted here recently. The front is a pretty floral lace design that is flanked on either side my a lace ruffle. The sides and back are then a see-through mesh. Really, the entire panty is see-through, and it looks absolutely stunning on.

In addition, it is super comfortable. I've been wearing mine all day and it feels great. While it is called a brief, it is much more similar to what we'd call a bikini here in the States. The sides come up very high on the leg and there is less coverage on the front and the back than a full brief would have. It provided me with just enough coverage while still sitting low on my waist. It also has an ample amount of stretch that it would fit comfortably on just about anyone.

It is an blend of 85% nylon and 15% spandex. The bad news is, they've completely sold out of this product. However, they do also have the g-string and it is marked down to $53 from $88. If interested, you can check it out here. If it is anything like the brief, you won't be disappointed. In fact, you'll absolutely love wearing it.

I for one am going to be on the lookout for more products from Christies. If you have a chance, check out their full product line. They can get a bit pricey, but I don't think you'll be disappointed. And at a slightly lower cost than the more mainstream La Perla and Eres, you may be able to buy yourself a little something extra.

Brrrrrrr

Today we may have...MAY HAVE...reached a high temperature of 24 degrees. That might sound bad enough, but, due to wind gusts, it's felt like a high of 6. That's it. 6. And just in case there's any confusion, I am most certainly talking Fahrenheit. I know we're a week into December and the official start to winter is a mere 2 weeks away...but are you ever really ready for that first cold day? I know I wasn't today.

So that's the bad news, anyway. The good news, at least for me, is that it gave me a chance to try a little something new from my friends at Wolford. I was in the store a few weeks ago and noticed the sales associate wearing something similar, and loved them. Unfortunately, what she had on, was an older style that they no longer carried. But she recommended these to me, as they were the closest to what she was wearing.

These are the Twiggy Tights. What about these tights inspires twigs, you ask? I have no idea, but that's what they're called. They have a couple of alternating vertical mesh patterns as you go around the leg. The pattern starts pretty much right at the waist, and continues down the top of the foot. The toe and the bottoms of the foot of these tights are just a plain material, with no pattern.

The package states that the "extra soft Silky Soft material caresses the skin". First of all, that was their redundant "softs", not mine. More importantly, "caresses the skin" probably takes it a bit far. People who wear Wolford on a regular basis (hello self) know what they mean when they say that their material caresses the skin. These don't really do that. They are quite comfortable, and do feel good on the skin, and look even better, and you'll be fine in them all day long, but it's not one of those cases where you're not going to want to take them off, I don't think, or at least not because they're caressing your skin too much.

But I don't want to be too nit picky. I do like these very much. The mesh style sets it apart from the other Wolford tights I own, and the detail in the pattern is very nice.

More importantly, these are like a knit sweater for my legs today. They most certainly served the purpose of keeping my legs warm, and they did so in a way that was much nicer to look at and feel than a plain old pair of microfiber tights. Unfortunately, they did nothing to stop my face from freezing every time I stepped outside today. As far as I know, Wolford doesn't make ski masks.

Like I said, these are different from most of the Wolford Tights I've review thus far. They are 56% viscose, 33% nylon, 10% silk, and 1% elastane. I got them in black, but they also come in ecru and mocha. You can get them at my favorite website, for £32.00. Do it now, and stay warm and sexy, all winter long.

More from La Perla

Pictured here is the La Perla Vintage Hipster Brief. As you can probably see from its appearance, it is pretty similar looking to many of the seamless panties that are out there. It has a fabric breakdown of 70% nylon, 20% spandex, and 10% cotton. As you might imagine, these are extremely comfortable. You'd probably not want to take them off, even if you wear them all day.

They are made from a very smooth material, that's just the slightest bit shiny when exposed to light. The material is also very stretchy, allowing the fabric to conform to your body shape as you wear it. In addition, they take seamless to a new level, as they laser cut the panty, which eliminates almost all of the stitching that is typically done. You actually do notice this around the leg openings as the material just sort of ends, instead of the typical stitching that you see. It actually makes the brief more comfortable, in my opinion, as you don't have to worry about it digging into you at all, during the course of the day.

As I said with the thong, it is a bit pricey, as far as everyday wear goes, anyway. But, at the moment, the La Perla 40% off sale is continuing, so it's a good chance to check some of these panties out. This one in particular, regularly sells for $55, but I was able to get it for $33. Not too bad for a finely crafted Italian panty!

What Else Can I Say...

...other than these tights are, as the website attests, a work of art. Sometimes I wonder where the inspiration comes from, when I see the different patterns that Wolford comes out with. Honestly, when you look at tights that women wear in public, it is always easy to spot Wolford. The patterns and designs are always quite unique. Of all their recent designs, these are probably the most unique.

I doubt seriously that the picture in this posting will do much justice to these tights, because, honestly, the picture on the package doesn't really do it any justice. When the store manager showed me these tights, I wasn't all that impressed. I actually threw them in a drawer for a week or two before finally wearing them today.

It was only once I took them out of the package and started to put them on that I realized the detail, the beautiful detail, involved in these tights. Where to even begin? For one thing, they are slightly less sheer than just about anything I've reviewed thus far from Wolford. They are 25 denier, whereas most of their sheer tights are 15-20. They are a blend of 87% nylon and 13% elastane, which is more typical. So they have about the same comfort of anything else I've worn from here, but just a slightly more opaque tight feel to them (though they are still plenty sheer).

But that's about where the similarities to any of their other tights I own end. This season, the stay up effect design has been big. That being, they like to create a design that works its way from the toe up to about the mid thigh, where there is some other sort of design. Above that is usually nothing. Making it look like you're wearing a stay up when you're actually wearing tights.

This is like that from the thigh down, but different above...if that makes any sense. From the toe up to the mid thigh is a dot pattern. In addition, there is a back seam effect that is done to look like almost a flower stem adorned on each side with thin leaves all the way up to the mid thigh. At the mid thigh, is a floral pattern done in a sort of a circle, for the top of the stay up effect. Above that, however, the back seam and dot pattern begin again. They continue up to the waistband where there is another floral pattern around the waist.

If I made these tights sound very busy, it was not my intention. The detail works...really well. These really are stunning tights to look at. I can only imagine the attention they'd draw to the wearer. As I said above, I've never really seen anything that compares to these.

Sadly, or luckily I guess, I grabbed the last pair from my local boutique. In addition, the London Boutique Website that I always link, is out of these as well. Fear not, however. I was able to locate them in the Melbourne Boutique Website, where they are currently selling for $95.

I know I am always spouting the virtues of Wolford, but if you never listen to another word I say, I think this would be the time to listen. You can't miss these tights. Again, I don't know how much of a picture this is here, but if you do take my advice and buy them, I'm sure they'll quickly become your favorite.

ps. If you do buy them, you may want to consider going a size higher than normal. For whatever reason, I'm a large in these instead of the typical medium. With this detail, you probably want to avoid overstretching these.

Everyday Luxury?

So is the way the La Perla Vintage Hipster Thong is being advertised. It is the smooth, seamless stretch fabric that seems to be a polar opposite of the detailed, lacy, hand-crafted panty that La Perla is famous for. I guess for those of us who wear La Perla everyday, if there are such people out there, this is the stuff you would probably wear if you are just out running errands or hanging around the house. It is absent of detail. It comes in just a couple of standard solid colors.

I bought it last week, along with a few other La Perla panties, as part of their ongoing website sale that I had posted about. Seeing as it was, by far, the panty that I was least excited about, I went ahead and wore it first. I guess it gives me something to look forward to.

The verdict? I guess it's going to take some getting used to. As I've probably mentioned before, I'm not a huge thong wearer. I certainly own a bunch of them. But for whatever reason, I tend to go in a different direction most mornings, when I'm getting dressed. What's probably further clouding my judgement, is that I expect to fall in love with everything I put on from La Perla. Clearly, this is everyday wear, and it's probably not something the designers at La Perla expect people to get excited about.

The reason I think I may need time to get used to it is probably the way it was made. The content is 70% nylon, 20% spandex, and 10% cotton. In other words, it's essentially microfiber. While that type of make up usually means ultra comfortable, this panty doesn't really fall into this category. It is comfortable, but not as much as I expected.

For one thing, upon wearing it, I thought for sure this had a higher content of spandex that it ended up having. It is pretty constrictive. Not that that's necessarily a problem, but it may take a couple of wears before it fits just right. The second thing, is the cut. I guess what makes this thong "vintage" is the way it's cut. As you can probably see from the second picture, it is not as high cut in the back as a typical thong might be. As a result, as the wearer, you kind of notice it resting in a different area than you might typically be used to a thong resting.

I don't hate this panty. It just didn't work out quite as well as I hoped. Although this panty is less expensive than typical La Perla panties, its not inexpensive. It sells for $44 regular priced at Nancy Meyer. La Perla's USA website has it on sale for a more palatable $25.80. If you can get it on sale, you might want to try it, you may find that it works. But at full price, I think there are better options out there. At that point, you might as well spend the extra $20 and get the thong version of the Wolford panty I reviewed last week. I think you'll get more enjoyment out of it.