General Shopping guide for lingerie buying

With lingerie buying becoming ever more important these days in purchasing one's correct size, then its first worth noting what is available on the market.

There is a wealth of individual boutiques, department stores, online shops etc offering a multitude of designer lingerie sets and its therefore best to get an idea of what suits you.

Firstly bras; if you haven't been measured for a while, i.e. over two years, then its well worth asking to be fitted. Every women fluctuates from time to time in weight, pregnancy, time of the month etc and will either go up or down a size or two.

The main points to remember about bra fitting.

The cup should never cut into the breast tissue and the underwire should finish underneath the armpit. The front of the bra should lie flush with the breastbone and the back of the bra should be fairly taught and completely straight. If a bra is riding up at the back then its too loose. If the cup is slightly cutting into the breast then you need to go up a cup size, the same if you are spilling over the cup. One should always fasten the bra on the first set of hooks, as after a period of time the bra will stretch and you can then fasten on the next set of hooks. Never buy a bra where the bra has been fastened on the last set. This means the back size is too big and you need to go down a size.

A new bra will always feel tighter than your existing bra which has been worn and washed over a period of time and will have naturally stretched.

Bras come in a wealth of styles from balconnet through to full cup - here are just a few.

Balconnet - or otherwise known as a half cup bra, gives one an uplift as the bra tends to have a straight across line and therefore lift the breasts. Ideal for lower necklines. These bras are generally underwired and can be sheer or padded.

Plunge - shape bra as it says gives a cleavage and slightly pushes the breasts together. These bras are generally underwired and can be padded. Great for evening dresses and lower scooped necklines.

Full Cup - bra is usually worn by the larger bust sized lady and is normally of a sheer fabric as extra padding is not needed. Full cup bras are often manufactured in three or more sections to give extra support and shape to the fuller bust.

Gel Bra - these tend to be moulded smooth bras which have a hidden man made gel or silicone insert which lifts the breast to give a fuller shape. Ideal for the smaller bust.

The demi cup - is normally a quarter cup bra and is only worn for very low cut necklines. Not usually worn as an every day bra.

Soft Bras - are ideal for young teenagers where the breasts are growing, pregnant ladies and also for mastectomy ladies. Soft bras do not have underwires but generally have a thicker band underneath the cup for a softer support.

Briefs come in all shapes and sizes from boyleg, which tend to be a short style and more hipster wearing through to high cut briefs and a full brief which appeals to older ladies. They are generally sized small, medium, large and extra large. Thongs are also sized the same way, and are great under figure hugging dresses where no pant line needs to show. The ultimate, but not necessary the most comfortable is the string, which as its name implies is generally made up of a front panel of fabric with a thicker string side and back.

Basques or corsets generally come cupsized and are fastened either at the front with a lace up effect detail or at the back. These are often boned to give extra shape and have detachable suspenders.

Suspenders are generally available with most lingerie collections and tend to either have a wider shaped boned waistband or otherwise are sleeker in design.