While men love giving lingerie as a gift to their wives and girlfriends, apparently they’re not very good at it! Recent research has revealed 100 million worth of gifted underwear lies unworn in women’s drawers and cupboards. How can men make sure they buy the right underwear for their partner?
With men apparently spending an average of 42 on a set of gift lingerie you could be forgiven for expecting something at least decent, yet more than a fifth of women surveyed said they’d only worn their present once, with 20% saying they’d never worn it at all! Part of the problem is due to unsuitable novelty purchases, such as crotchless, edible or leather knickers, while another big issue is incorrect sizing.
The world of womens lingerie is clearly confusing to men, so to make sure your partner doesn’t waste his money buying something disastrously inappropriate this Christmas or Birthday, leave this list of tips laying around for him to see and cross your fingers that he takes the hint…
Size matters and so does style!
Womens lingerie is a complicated and confusing matter but the easiest solution is to go on a quick spying mission! Yes, simply open your significant other’s underwear drawer and check the labels, particularly of the items you know she wears most often. Handy hint: if it’s screwed up at the back of the drawer and you’ve never seen her wear or wash it, the likelihood is that it doesn’t fit or she doesn’t like it, so use it as a guide. Bear in mind that sizes come up differently from different manufacturers, so it can help to stick to a brand and style she already wears.
Ask for assistance
Don’t be afraid to request help. Other women know about underwear, so if you are friendly with her friends or sister, ask for their help. If you are shopping online, you can email and send pictures of existing items as a guide, while sales assistants in lingerie departments tend to be well-trained they know their product and are happy to help, so allow them to take on some of the heavy lifting and don’t hesitate to ask for any purchases to be gift-wrapped!
It’s not for you, it’s for her
If you know your partner likes dressing up in novelty underwear then great, go for the red PVC and fishnets. Otherwise bear in mind that she’s the one wearing it, so while you want to get something attractive, try and make sure it is as comfortable and practical as it is pretty. This is not as hard as it sounds and once again spying can come in handy. If her lingerie drawer is full of pale pink and silky pastels, she’s unlikely to want red and black lace. Equally if she usually wears boy shorts you probably won’t get her into a thong any time soon. Don’t, however, make the mistake of buying the purely practical stuff that all women wear but don’t want to be seen in, like a sports bra! Here is where sales assistants can come in handy again, finding items that will suit both your tastes.
Don’t be stingy
Put some effort in and you will surely be rewarded. Focus on quality materials, thoughtfully chosen and beautifully presented and your partner will be amazed and extremely appreciative that you have got it right!
Gina Mason writes regularly on womens lingerie and accessories for a range of fashion websites and blogs. Her husband is well trained and always buys her suitable underwear!
