Garters and Garter Belts

Garters and garter belts! They're more than just a part of a wedding ceremony!

A strange modern adaptation!

What you're used to seeing traditionally tossed at weddings by the grooms are garters. The National Vintage Wedding Fair makes a note that in the past (think medieval times), in order to prove a marriage was consummated, the wedding guests would join the couple in the bedroom and make off with the proof! Garters seemed to be fair game. Luckily, we've started to do away with the voyeuristic function of the garter. At modern weddings, though, we seem to also have done away with the REAL function of the garter and garter belt itself: holding up stockings!

A modern garter: This will probably not hold up a stocking

So what was a girl to do back when stockings were the thing and you also wanted to flatten your stomach for a dress? A girdle and garter belt were just the thing!

Here is a garter belt advertisement

Most garter belts came with front and back straps and connected to the top of stockings. When hemlines rose, the need to still partially obscure your legs remained as well as the need to stay warm in cooler climates. Modern-day pantyhose and Spanx have largely done away with the single legged stocking but there is still demand for garter belts, although more often for "sexy" functions.

Curvy Kate Carmen

So although garter belts are still in use, you don't often see them in stores except in specialty boutiques or online and you probably don't see women wearing them under their dresses due to the shift in fashion (although that could be changing). Or you may see the modified underwear/belt panty (below), which is not conducive to daily wear and tear when you're out and about in town.

Bare Necessities Curvy Kate Tease Me Garter Belt Strap Boyshort

So what's a good suspender belt? How do you wear them? How does it feel to wear them? Hopefully, I have a few answers for you:

What's a good suspender belt?
How do you wear them?
How does it feel to wear them?

The overall consensus is that if it looks like it's meant for the bedroom, then only wear it in the bedroom! You need some sturdy material and engineering to hold up stockings. Do you wear a garter belt and stockings? Why or why not? Do you have any suggestions? Let us know!

How to Boudoir: Part 2

So you've found a photographer you love and you've booked a shoot. What do you expect the same day? Here's a run-through of my experience with The Sensual Photographer.

My boudoir bag

The Day Of the Photoshoot
Is your bag packed? Do you have all of your outfits, jewelry, shoes, robe, accessories, FOOD!? If not, go grab them and place them in your bag. Also, go eat something (because you will be working HARD). For some reason I like to use an old fashioned suitcase to tote my photoshoot clothing, so I made sure everything fit nice and tight. This suitcase also doubles as a prop. This one would be GREAT for a Mad Men themed shoot.

Like I mentioned in How to Boudoir: Part 1, find clothes that fit. A few of the items I chose to bring include:

Freya Flourish Padded Longline in White 30G
Just Peachy Lace Non Padded Balconete Bra in Purple 30G
Parfait by Affinitas Danielle in Turquoise 30G
Freya Marvel in Purple 28G
Fantasie Susanna Underwired Side Support Bra in Black 30G

THREE pairs of shoes, plenty of jewelry, a cardigan from Three Dots, scarf and a robe.

In the end we stuck with the Danielle, Marvel, cardigan and matching panties.

Hair and Makeup
So as not to leave clothing or underwear lines, I swapped out my clothes for a robe and let Gina Campbell, the make-up and hair artist, go to work. If you want to see more of her work, PLEASE go visit her site The Bird Bones on Tumblr! She does weddings, everyone!!

If you have a make-up and hair artist hired for your shoot, show up with a clean face and clean hair. Some hair artists want you to not have washed it the day of the shoot and others don't care. My hair is fine and thin, so it was a must to wash. Gina added some product, applied heat and gorgeous curls appeared! They held for the entirety of the shoot and even long after. Make-up and hair artists are WORTH IT if you do not have these skills yourself. They come with their own makeup (which they charge a modest fee for to cover costs) and many hours and sometimes years of experience. They know how much makeup to apply and where. Camera flashes can wash you out and they know how to stop that from happening.

For makeup Gina chose a smoky eye. Imagine Jennifer Lawrence, and then go three times more dark and smoky! This makeup was a forest fire's worth of smoke! This was also a great experience to determine what a good foundation shade I am (Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup in 1), in case you were wondering. Also, it's vegan. Who knew!?
Photo from Fanpop

The Result...
Unfortunately, the photos have not been released yet! But below is a teaser from The Sensual Photographer's Facebook page (which you all still need to LIKE)!

Why every woman should want to be a (lingerie) model #ImNoAngel

While growing up, children are always being asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" And kids will respond with answers like astronaut, wife, race car driver, or even an expert in Greek mythology (OK, that was me! The evidence is below.). Rare is it for a young child to say "model" and probably non-existent to say "lingerie model."

Lingerie Libra at age 12

But as we become adults, the world changes and we see the world differently. At 12 you start to notice that there are TV ads with attractive stars and models. Blockbuster movies play on the silver screen or through our computer screens. And then the latest issue of Seventeen arrives and you start to think, "Maybe this could be me. Maybe I could be a model!" And then the world starts to get in the way.

 Lingerie Libra at age 14

Directly or indirectly people tell you that you are not a size 0 (whatever that means) and you're under 5'8". Then you might become more critical of your looks. You're 14 and you have acne, stretch marks and braces and LIFE JUST IS NOT FAIR. You think that you CAN'T be a model because none of them look like you!

Victoria's Secret "Perfect Body" Campaign - Photo courtesy of Victoria's Secret

And while there are lean, tall and beautiful women on all of the advertisements and campaigns (that demographic is well-covered), it's hard to find another body that represents well... YOUR body. So why not make that happen yourself?

Lingerie Libra at 25 (far left) - Photo courtesy of Curvy Kate's Star in a Bra 2012

So why should every woman want to be a lingerie model? Because the 12 year old you USED to be needs to know that you are confident in your body. And all of the other young girls growing up need to know that they can be confident, too!

Lane Bryant's new campaign #I'mNoAngel - Photo courtesy of PopSugar

The 14 year old you needs to know that stretch marks are fine and that acne doesn't make the person. You can be happy and be a size 0 or a size 22. A person isn't the size of their body!

Tess Munster, Milk Model Management - Photo courtesy of Google search for Tess Munster

And even if you aren't "model" height you can rock it like Tess Munster who is 5'5". In her words, "Eff your beauty standards!" Go sign with an agency! Show everyone AND yourself that you can do it. Celebrate Lane Bryant's #I'mNoAngel campaign!

Andrej Pejic - Photo courtesy of Design Scene

You might even identify as a woman, be a transgender woman, somewhere in-between or off-from-center or WHATEVER and STILL want to wear lingerie! Be the next Andrej Pejic and strut your stuff!

Lingerie Libra at 27

Because even if you're 12, 14, 25 or 27, you deserve to be happy with yourself. And you deserve to see a diverse group of women of all shapes, heights, colors, personalities, etc. Be your own spokesmodel and show the world that all types of women are welcome in the world, not just the modeling world.