Finding the right underwear is often more difficult than finding the right bra. “I’m looking for….”: A thong. Not a thong. A brief. Not too high on the waist. Not too high on the thigh. Higher on the thigh. Higher on the waist. Cotton. Lace. No lace. Silky. Boyshort. Girlshort. It goes on and on. At JOY, we’ve realized that we need to carry a lot of different underwear styles – and even styles within those styles – to help you find the ones that work for you.
The Undie of the Month is an idea that helps us fulfill our mission of helping you find your joy from the inside out. The staff at JOY are going to test-drive a pair of panties every month and report back to you on the fit, the style, how we like the undie personally, and who might be the right customer for it. All of us at the shop have different shaped and sized bottoms, and while some of us prefer thongs, others prefer bikinis, boyshorts, or briefs. Some of us change our underwear style depending on our outfit. We feel like this will help us be better informed with what we sell to you. Knowledge is power, right? And what’s more important than that very first piece of clothing you put on in the morning?
We’ll launch our first Undie of the Month review in Sunday’s Joy On JOY blog. We’ll tell you our thoughts on a new boyshort style that Wacoal launched earlier this year. To kick things off, we thought we’d let you know our personal favorites to set a little baseline…staff picks, if you will. We’re just going to remain anonymous for now and call ourselves Team JOY #’s 1,2,3,4,5. What we like as individuals may not be what you like, but it’s more information as you venture forth to find your own personal favorite underpants.
Here are our personal faves…most of them come in black (and some of them in a lot of other colors and prints), but we thought we’d picture the nude since that’s the color we sell the most.
Team JOY #1: Cosabella Soire Low-Rise Bikini $23.50
I have this undie in the thong and the boyshort but my favorite is the bikini. It is low enough to not pop out of the top of pants and very, very light. The elastic is unnoticeable to me when wearing. I have an average size legs and derriere (about a size 6 or 8) and this is plenty of fabric to cover my backside. We have carried this in the past but don’t have it in the shop currently. If you would like to try it we would be happy to add it to our next Cosabella order. The colors it is available in are black, navy, blush (seen above) and white. I hand wash all my bras and underwear, so if you aren’t a handwasher, I wouldn’t recommend these as they are very delicate. It is really easy to handwash in my bathroom sink with Eucalan no-rinse gentle laundry soap we have right here at JOY!
Team JOY #2: Wacoal B-Smooth High Cut Brief $15
As someone who likes full coverage fairly basic briefs, I am partial to the Wacoal hi-cut brief. The fabric is light & smooth, the bum coverage is adequate and they are high enough for even my taste. Available in white, nude & black, these undies are also a good value at 3 for $39. I machine wash, hang dry and they have lasted many years.
Team JOY #3: Commando Butter Hipster $28 Natori Bliss Perfection Thong $18 Commando Control Slip & Skort $74
Being pear-
shaped, I find there are two types of underwear that work best for me…ones that cover my whole butt or ones that cover none of it. In the cover-the-whole-butt category, the new Commando butter hipsters have quickly moved to the top of my lingerie drawer. They go on easily and stay where I want them to stay without being too high or too low. I really like the fabric. As far as thongs (which would be the underpant that doesn’t cover any of my butt :)), I’ve been very happy with the new Natori “Bliss” style. They come in a large variety of colors and are priced right at 3 for $45 or $18 each. If I’m wearing a skirt or dress,
I’ve found nothing better than the skort by Commando. This works as underwear, shapewear, and a slip all in one.
shaped, I find there are two types of underwear that work best for me…ones that cover my whole butt or ones that cover none of it. In the cover-the-whole-butt category, the new Commando butter hipsters have quickly moved to the top of my lingerie drawer. They go on easily and stay where I want them to stay without being too high or too low. I really like the fabric. As far as thongs (which would be the underpant that doesn’t cover any of my butt :)), I’ve been very happy with the new Natori “Bliss” style. They come in a large variety of colors and are priced right at 3 for $45 or $18 each. If I’m wearing a skirt or dress, I’ve found nothing better than the skort by Commando. This works as underwear, shapewear, and a slip all in one.Team JOY #4: Commando Low-Rise Thong $22-$30
My favorite everyday underwear is the low rise thong by Commando. These undies are made of nylon and spandex, and are very lightweight and extremely comfortable. They’re smooth against my skin…nodigging into my waist, no enhanced muffin top. They have laser cut edges and no tags, making them victorious in the battle against panty lines. I can wear them under tight skirts, dresses, and leggings without worry. The low-rise Commando thong stays in place and is, therefore, my go-to underwear for working out. And with endless patterns and colors to choose from, this undie could never be boring!
Team JOY #5: Hanky Panky Retro Thong $23
My favorite undies are the Hanky Panky retro lace thong. They come up about an inch or two under my belly button and are slightly shaping. I get easily overheated by shapewear and these are the perfect level of smoothing without being stifling. The lace is also high enough on the sides to prevent the rolling, and therefor added line that I sometimes experience with the hanky panky low rise thong, After having kids, my stomach isn’t quite as flat as it used to be and these offer smoothing but since they are also a thong, there are no panty lines. They are perfect with a skirt, dress or a mid-rise jean or pant. They are made from the same Hanky Panky patented lace, so they’re quite comfortable and are available in some fun colors, not just beige and black. Most of the ladies who have tried these, have come back for more colors.
We even have a snazzy logo to promote our Undie of the Month to make it easy to keep track. With underwear by Wacoal, Hanky Panky, Natori, Commando, Cossabella, Spanx, Commando, Hanro, and I’m sure I’m forgetting someone, we’ll be keeping busy for many months to come. Thanks for buying your underpants at JOY!
xo – Joy
