My Top 5 Lingerie Purchases of 2019

Welcome to 2020, the world is still…well, let us do as one angry site visitor accused us of doing several years ago and continue to focus on the frivolous. I’m streeeetching the definition of “lingerie” for this year’s post (you can also check out 2015, 2016, and 2018‘s top 5 lists) to include anything lingerie, loungewear, or generally boob-related, but I trust y’all are along for the ride. Once again I’m in the ridiculous and monstrously lucky position that some of my favorite lingerie acquisitions of the year were gifts or review samples or photoshoot pieces, but I have no sense of restraint when it comes to lingerie, so obviously I still managed to spend some of my own money.

Playful Promises Ezmae Bra and High Waist Brief

Oooh, I’m glad I bought this set. Lately I want my underwear to be as big as possible, and these true high-waist briefs are unbelievably comfortable to wear. The bra is one of my best-fitting Playful Promises bras; it’s easy to wear all day, and I absolutely love how it looks. It was released in a gorgeous teal colorway at the end of last year, and both colors are currently on sale for an absolute steal. I’ve already picked out my first Playful Promises lingerie purchase of 2020, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you all soon!

Trashy Diva 1930s Bias Gown

I went to Atlanta for work in March, and one night I decided to blow off my colleagues and go to the Trashy Diva boutique. I really like the vintage-inspired brand’s designs, but I’ve struggled with getting my sizes and fit right when ordering online. I came heart-stoppingly close to spending an absolute fortune at both the main boutique and the lingerie boutique next door, but at the last minute I panicked and made myself pick just one piece: the drapey, twirly, lushly smooth satin 1930s bias-cut gown. The fit is so good I want to go back and get the blue satin and emerald velvet versions as well. It’s long enough, flows beautifully over the hips, and fits generously: I wound up buying a size Large, and I wear an American dress size 14-16. The fabric isn’t silk, but I don’t feel clammy or sticky the way I do when I wear some synthetic fibers. Now I need someone to invite me out for cocktails and dancing, or at least take me on a luxurious train journey where we solve a murder.

Original Iridescette painting and Libra lingerie painting by Quinne Myers

I’ve lived in the same apartment for 8 years and I’m sloooowly starting to redecorate my bedroom. One thing I want to do is have a lingerie wall featuring some of the lovely lingerie art I’ve acquired, and I’m really excited to have not one but two original paintings! Both are by Quinne Myers, a wildly talented multi-hyphenate creative (she’s also a columnist for The Lingerie Addict) whose dreamy illustrations are just the sort of thing I want in my boudoir. I commissioned a bespoke version of her Iridescette design, and asked Quinne to base the figures on me wearing my ballet-pink Harlow & Fox lingerie set and on my beloved striped monster, Gus. It turned out more beautifully than I could have dreamed of! She even changed the chandelier to a candelabra that looks like one in my bedroom. Then she went and did a lingerie zodiac painting series, and though I am a skeptic, I am also a Libra and own lingerie that looks exactly like the Libra design and well, one thing led to another and now it’s mine! Be sure to check her shop to see if your sign’s lingerie painting is still available.

Sparks Fly by Curvy Kate via The Rack Shack

This piece is impractical and ridiculous. Bodysuits are tricky for me as I’m tall, what on earth do I need silver lingerie for, the high-leg silhouette is trendy and might go out of style YEAH YEAH WHATEVER it’s a silver sparkly bodysuit and I am a magpie and I bought it and I love it. If you’re in New York, last time I checked The Rack Shack they still had a great selection of some of the larger cup sizes (GG+ cups) available!

Speedo Premiere Ultimate Sports Swimsuit and Freya Freestyle Swimsuit

Normally at this time of year I’m snapping up new running clothes in the January sales, but, as I talked about on Twitter recently, I haven’t been able to run since August, and likely won’t be able to again until late Spring or early Summer. As someone who’s been running 25-30 miles a week for the last 4 years, I’ve had a really hard time managing the mental health side of having a chronic injury that directly affects one of my go-to tools for managing stress and anxiety. The elliptical, biking, even yoga: it felt like every alternative to running that I tried still made my foot hurt. In December I finally decided, as a last resort, to join a new gym that has a pool. I hadn’t swum for exercise since I was around 11 years old, and all my swimsuits are designed for leisure and lounging, not for working out, so I had to dash around the city to pick up a sports swimsuit, swim cap, and goggles. I bought this Speedo swimsuit (30-38 E-K cups) from Bravissimo’s boutique in Soho, and I ordered the Freya suit (30-40 D-H cups) online in a discounted colorway. I’m so, so glad I did: it turns out I mostly remember how to swim, swimming wears me out the same way running did without the impact and stress on my foot and my joints, and I’m really enjoying the aqua workout classes offered at my gym for when I’m not in the mood to swim laps. Both suits offer coverage and support, although I slightly prefer the higher neckline of the Freya suit. If you’re a full-busted athletic swimmer, I can’t recommend getting a bra-sized sports swimsuit highly enough.

What about you? Any favorite lingerie purchases or discoveries from 2019? Anything you’re hoping to add to your collection in 2020?

January 6, 2020 by Sweets | 3 Comments