Lingerie should be something that every woman can indulge in, whether she’s 18 or 80! Whatever your age, beautiful lingerie can make you feel gorgeous but that’s not all it does – depending on the style you choose, lingerie can have some pretty amazing sculpting effects and this only gets all the more apparent as we age!
I went to a fashion show once and watched a lady talk about bra fitting; she picked a random woman from the audience, who looked to be in her sixties, and re-measured her size. Then off the woman went to try on a new bra in her correct size (she’d be wearing the wrong one before) and when she came back you could hear the audience gasp – she’d had 10 years knocked off of her appearance!
She was standing taller and, yes, her breasts looked perkier. The biggest change of all though was her face – you could just tell she felt as fantastic as she looked!
It’s important to remember though that whilst you might still feel twenty years old, our bodies are changing throughout our lifetimes and hence our lingerie needs change too. Even at forty things are unfortunately starting to droop, or expand, but it’s nothing a little lingerie know-how can’t fix!
Here’s my guide to looking and feeling fabulous in your lingerie, at age 40 and above…
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1. Support is Key
Our breasts unfortunately start to sag a little around middle age, and the bigger they are the more pronounced the effect will be – sorry DDs! If you’ve always been a petite A or B cup you may be lucky enough to still have the same chest you had a good ten years ago, but if you are noticing a bit of an unwanted ‘droopy’ effect, it’s time to check if your current lingerie is supportive enough.
Supportive lingerie offers not one but two great benefits. Firstly, it just makes you look great. A good bra will lift your breasts for that youthful, rounded shape! Secondly though, a supportive bra will actually prevent further sagging (at least to an extent – some form of aging is unfortunately inevitable!). Conversley, wearing a badly-fitting, unsupportive bra can lead to your breasts aging quicker than you do!
A supportive bra is one that is perfectly fitted to your size (so get yourself re-measured if neccessary), is underwired and is made from a strong, supportive fabric – light padding is always a great choice when in doubt. A cute little triangle bra with no underwires may have looked great in your youth but unfortunately won’t offer as much support as you need at this stage in life.
2. Shapewear Works Wonders
If your waistline is starting to expand, a healthy diet and exercise regime can work wonders. Alternatively, shapewear offers a quick fix that’s so much easier and has the same effect, at least whilst it’s being worn!
Shapewear doesn’t have to be boring or ugly either – it did used to be all nude-toned and plain, but nowadays you can get shapewear with prints, mesh or even lace!
It’s all thanks to some wonderful innovations in the fabric industry so indulge in a sexy black waist cincher to team with your bra and knickers set, or stomach-flattening high waisted knickers (which are right on trend now too!) – your figure will look fantastic under a sexy dress and even better when the dress comes off!
3. Don’t Shy Away From Colour
Last but not least, don’t be afraid of colour – no, not even neon! It’s a common misconception that over the age of forty or so, a woman should stick to nude, white or, if she’s particularly daring, black lingerie, but whilst all of those are perfectly valid choices nothing is as aging as dated lingerie.
If you see a bra on the shelf and think it’s better to suited to someone twenty years your senior, don’t buy it! And hey, even if you’re ninenty-five, who says you have to stick to ‘granny knickers’ and ugly bras?
Dress young and you’ll give off that wonderful air of confidence that comes naturally to the young, but be sensible about what’s age appropriate. A gorgeous pink lace number or polkadot bra can be gorgeous, a Hello Kitty print pair of knickers probably isn’t right for you!
I hope you found these tips useful – please add any more of your own below!
Michelle Star blogs for Esty Lingerie, an luxury lingerie online store selling corsets, bra sets, knickers and much more, handmade by designers from around the world!
