LEGIMIN SASTRO

Part 3 of who-knows-how-many of my Q&A is here. Thanks to all for the nice comments I've received from my last two posts. I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying learning more about me. I'm certainly enjoying writing up these posts!

On to the questions...

From nao me mande flores:
I'd love to know how your lingerie obsession began and how many tights do you own.

How it all began has certainly been a popular question and one I've enjoyed reflecting upon. I've tried to focus on a few different aspects of what initially drew me in in past answers (ie. the look, or the shopping experience, etc.). Personally, I think lingerie is designed with two different aspects in mind. One, is that its supposed to make the wearer look good. As such, lingerie is either bought by the wearer to look good for someone else, or lingerie is bought as a gift by someone for someone that he/she thinks will look good in it. The other aspect that can't be overlooked, however, is that it is designed to make the wearer feel good. I'm sure most readers can relate to how different you may feel in everyday cotton bikinis versus a black lace garter belt with matching panties and seamed stockings. I think, for me, the obsession comes from both an appreciation for how lingerie is designed and how it makes me feel.

Honestly, I think I own way too many tights to count...haha! It is most certainly an impulse buy item for me the way some other people might not be able to pass on shoes or handbags. I fell in love with tights when I bought a couple of pairs on sale at Wolford a few days after Christmas several years ago. Since then it's been a shopping vice of mine. It probably doesn't help that I profile and/or review them a lot on this blog. It leads to waaay too many impulse buys. Let's just say I own enough to go over a month without re-wearing. I'm just glad that I've found so many good value brands online in the past few years.

From S.Elisabeth of The Shoe Corner:

How have you managed to accumulate so much knowledge about lingerie? I'm always curious because I have no clue whatsoever!

Learning on the fly, I suppose...hahaha! Honestly, when I started this blog just over 2 years ago, I had no idea what things like 'denier count' meant. I was unaware that 100% nylon felt so different from nylon/lycra blends. Like most (read: un-obsessed) people, I walked into a store, selected an item off a shelf and didn't give it much thought. What I ended up realizing was that there were some items I liked while there were items that appeared identical that I hated. I wanted to know why.

I learned a lot of what I talk about here by reading about items I purchased, online and looking at things like fabric makeup and washing instructions and things like that. After profiling and reviewing so many items on this blog I noticed trends that helped me identify what I might like and what I probably wouldn't. Blogging helped me identify designers who I loved and others who I wanted to avoid. All of this said, I still buy plenty of stuff that I end up being disappointed in.

All in all, though, I attribute most of what I learned to blogging. A couple of years ago I was throwing tights in the washing machine and even the dryer only to realize how bad I ruined them. Since then, I've been buying inexpensive hand wash detergent and am amazed at how the quality holds up with a 15 second wash.

From gleenn of Creative Fashion:

I'd like to know what made you decide to focus on such a niche, tights and underwear. I wonder too what drives you to continue blogging and if you are financially motivated to blog.

Good question. The focus definitely reflects a personal interest of mine. Blogging about this subject has been a great outlet for me to talk about a subject that I have a lot to say on. I think as time has gone on my focus narrows and/or changes from time to time and it definitely reflects where my interests are at the time. It's sometimes interesting to take a look back and see what I was talking about 2 years ago. If I'm still here 2 years from now it'll be interesting to see what I'm talking about then.

I blog 100% for enjoyment. I like being able to talk about whatever is on my mind on a particular day, whether its a new style of tights that caught my eye, or maybe La Perla has released a new line that I'm lusting over that day. Rather than just looking at something and moving on, I enjoy being able to share it here. Occasionally I can get too busy to blog or blogging can start to feel like work. In the past, I've been able to take a step back for a bit and then start again fresh. That being the case, I don't think I'll ever pursue the money-making side of blogging. To me, the value of blogging is being able to talk about and share whatever is on my mind.

From Petra Bellejambes of Voyages en Rose:

I would be happy to hear your Premier League Pick, and would still think highly of you even if you were a Chelsea supporter. Beyond that I would love to hear about your shopping excursions. I realize that much of your shopping is done with a credit card and a mouse click, but surely you meet nice people in nice shops too.

Haha...I didn't think anyone would take me up on this! No worries, I'm not a Chelsea supporter. Nor will I take the easy way out and pick Manchester United. When it comes to the Premier League, I'm all Liverpool...although should they meet up with Roma in the Champions League forget I ever said that ;-).

In terms of shopping, with the exception of anything Wolford, and an outstanding one-time trip to Fogal when I happened to be in Chicago, my leg wear shopping does tend to be online. Outside of Hue, which I think is a great brand for the price, I've never been thrilled with what's available locally. There is quite a lot more available for lingerie however. At any rate, in terms of my brick & mortar shopping, here's what I have to say about what's available locally:

5. La Perla: I have a huge crush on La Perla, of course, and there's a nice shop close by here. I haven't bought much, due to the price tag, but I have dropped in from time to time. The pluses are certainly the quality of the merchandise, of course, as well as the fact that it's typically a quiet low-stress place to shop, when compared to the chain stores. The minuses, sadly, involve the sales staff. I realize they're pushing a high end brand, but I could use a little less snooty-ness, for lack of a better word. My best example, about a year ago, while being shown various bra & panty sets, the saleswoman asked me where else local I shopped. I said (as if I had a choice, my city isn't exactly bursting with options) Victoria's Secret, among others, to which her reply was "Well, you really can't compare the two. We're the Ferrari of lingerie...VS is like a Ford. You know...a good car still, but you can't compare". Uh...yeah. Even if I was as clueless as you seem to assume I am, I think I could've gotten that little tidbit from the respective price tags. But thanks, really.

4. Agent Provocateur: I absolutely love AP's product line, and they're happy to send me mailings direct from their local store whenever a new line comes in, so I'm alerted to drop by. On top of that, their sales staff is always very friendly and super helpful. The main drawback is their unwillingness to allow me to try anything on. I mean, I get why. I do. But when I paying that kind of money for something and they have a very strict return policy, I'm not really going to be willing to drop the money for something that I really have no idea if it'll fit or not. Sadly, this store is useful for little more than just looking around for me.

3. Victoria's Secret: Kind of a mixed bag. They can be very good of equally bad, and it depends on a lot of variables like location, how busy they are, what kind of sales staff works there, etc. If I can get there before the noon-time rush, its typically a good shopping experience, after that, all bets are off. Obviously, it can get very crowded (to the point where I don't bother going during the semi-annual sales) and how busy the store is always has a huge effect on how helpful the staff is. Honestly, I feel like the quality of customer service has taken a huge plummet in the last 10 years. When I first started shopping there, help was always offered and actually helpful. Now you're fortunate if you can get them to make eye contact with you.

2. Wolford (I know big surprise): Pretty much all pluses here. It happens to be located in a quiet mall and I don't think I've ever been shopping with more than one other shopper there at any time. I've managed to become very friendly with the store manager, who couldn't be more helpful and accommodating. For example, when a particular season is beginning to come to an end but the new one hasn't started yet, she always flips through the book with me so I can get a look at what will be hitting her shop in the next couple of weeks. If I see something I like there, she'll typically tell me to hold off buying anything and let's me know when she'll have it in her shop. In other words, she's not always trying to get me to leave the store having bought something. If there's nothing to buy at that time, she'll tell me so. The only minus is I wish they carried more lingerie. Obviously they're better known as a leg wear company, but their lingerie is very, very underrated.

1. French Dressing: It's a tiny boutique tucked away in arguably the nicest neighborhood in Boston. Ironically, it's Petra, who asked me this question, who alerted me to this stores existence in the first place. There's nothing bad to say about this place. It's upscale, but not everything they carry is break-the-bank kind of upscale. Because of its location, it always promises discreet, quiet shopping that couldn't be more of a contrast to the Victoria's Secret that's usually being trashed just 3 or 4 blocks away. The employees are super helpful and you could spend all day in there as far as they're concerned, as long as you come away with merchandise you're happy with. And so far....no one there has compared their lingerie to cars...so there's that too.

And now I'll give your tired eyes a break for a couple of days...but I'm back Monday with yet more questions.