How to Start (Or Build) Your Lingerie Collection

by Ann-Marie Czajka July 6, 2020

Starting your lingerie collection, or transitioning it from teenybopper status to functional woman can seem like a daunting and expensive move, but it doesn't have to be.

You see, I have already been through this process, so I’m here to make this a little easier on you. There are a few steps that I would suggest taking before adding anything else to your collection. Start by taking an inventory of what you have, toss out the unnecessary, and go from there. To start off, lets first go over how to take a good inventory of what’s really in that lingerie drawer/chest.

Lay out EVERYTHING on a large surface. I recommend your bed, because lets be honest, that’s probably the closest large space in proximity to your lingerie. I’d assume your lingerie isn’t hiding in some obscure place, unless your a mom, then maybe it is!
Categorize everything that is on the bed. For instance, strapless, demi, t-shirt bras, thongs, cheekys, tanga, shapewear ect. all get their own piles. If you don’t know all the terminology, just do what makes sense to you. Basically what we are trying to do here is separate by functionality of your undergarments to see what you have & what you’re missing.
Once everything is put into their perspective categories, throw out anything that is ill-fitting, or has rips, tears, holes, or the classic time of the month stain. Old panties should be thrown to the waste side, so we can start building up again! Old bras can be tossed, or even better, given to a local women’s shelter. There are plenty of women who are lacking necessities for various reasons, let’s be a helping hand whenever we can.
Put whatever made it through the purge back into your lingerie drawer—BUT WAIT—”Marie Kondo” it & make it so you open your drawer or chest and visibly see all of your panties & bras! This makes it so you don’t forget about certain items, things don’t fall to the bottom of the pile, and you can get your moneys worth out of the precious lingerie you spent your hard earned cash on. Let’s be real, high-end & quality lingerie is an investment! Bonus tip: if you keep your swimsuits with your lingerie—put each bikini set rolled into a plastic zip lock and line them up. One of the biggest culprits of a messy lingerie drawer is bikini strings all over the place!

Now comes the fun part! Let’s start building our lingerie collection with a fresh start! Write down pieces you are missing from your collection. Maybe you gave away your go-to nude & black bras because your breasts are different post pregnancy, maybe you gained or lost weight—whatever the reason, write down a list. This by no means that you have to go purchase five bras & twenty pairs of panties at once. This is just so you have a game plan for when you walk in the boutique. Heck, maybe you have everything & now you are just wanting to add some specialty pieces. Whatever it is, just write it down and put it in your wallet. Head over to a high end lingerie shop and get sized!

Please, for the love of all that is good, get yourself sized. Just because you have been a 34C your whole life, does not mean that you are now. Keep in mind that brands vary in size and that there isn’t a real “true to size” fit; it really just varies brand to brand. For instance, if you are a 34C in Cosabella, you may be a 34D in Simone Perele (I’m just throwing sizes out there). Once you are sized and know a starting point, look at your list. If you need a good t-shirt bra, ask the sales associate where those are located and start exploring your options! This should be a fun & freeing experience! After all, a good fitting bra can can literally change your entire mood, especially if you walked in with something that is digging into your shoulders, or your breasts are popping out of the top, leaving you feeling less than desirable. Find a few different shapes and styles to bring into the dressing room & start trying them on! I highly recommend having a sales associate trained in fitting to come in and access the situation. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, checkout my blog post “The Five Things You Should Be looking for in a Bra Fitting".”

Eventually, you will find the bras that best suit your shape & personality best. Keep experimenting & adding to your collection until you check off all the boxes on your list (or maybe maybe more, lingerie addiction is a real thing haha)! All in all, find functional stress-free pieces that will work with all of your outfits so you can wear things like that backless dress and take the tag off.