The Lingerie we like to wear - says a lot about us!

Panty patter: The lingerie we like to wear says a lot about who we are

Antonia Mcguire
For CanWest News Service

These days, Marie-Joelle Dulude wears "Bridget Jones-style underwear, all the way." But it didn't used to be that way. Before the 29-year-old federal government employee became pregnant with her first child, she used to wear low-rise panties.

"There's no fashion" in her current big-panty look, complains Dulude, who is on maternity leave. "You don't feel sexy."

The lingerie we like to wear says a lot about who we are.

Traditionally worn for hygienic purposes, intimate apparel has taken on a personality of its own. "In gym (change room), people will say to you, 'Oh, cool colours,' 'really funky underwear,' " says Pascale Baribeau, a bouncy 13-year-old who likes printed briefs.

But her mother doesn't have the same idea of what is stylish. "My mom is Bridget Jones -- classic underwear, not funky," says Pascale. "I like pink and black."

And these days there's a lingerie style to suit everyone. Underwear comes in all shapes and sizes, wrapped in satin bows and decorated with intricate lace, chiffon frills, even velvet. Some undergarments are purposeful, such as "shape-enhancer" bras, corsets and shorts. Others have nice esthetics, like stringy G-strings that prevent panty lines and don't wedge if you buy the wrong size. There are see-through silks and glow-in-the dark fabrics. Edibles. Disposables. Not to mention crotchless.

Fashion lingerie retailers such as La Senza are taking the lingerie business to a new level and going high-tech.

"It's not just about bows and ribbons. It's the new technology for making bras and panties," says Caroline Sacchetti, executive vice-president of La Senza's merchandising in Canada.

Sacchetti is referring to the company's newest bra and panty, the I-Tec. "It's a high-tech fabric -- a one-piece bra and a no-seams, invisible fabric, sheer panty." Shaped like a boy short, the incredibly light panty is invisible under clothes and the bra has no seams anywhere, even at the sides of the cups.

Even maternity wear can be sexy and still comfortable, says New York lingerie designer Daniella Simon, who grew up in Montreal.

"It's the opposite of your grandmother's maternity panty," says Simon, whose low-rise, under-the-belly maternity underwear has sexy rhinestones and cute messages like "Coming soon," "Mommy-to-be" and "It's A Boy/Girl!"

In France, where designer trends date back centuries and lingerie shops can be found on every corner, underwear is a growing market. "French women spend more money on lingerie than on a mortgage. They'd never be caught dead wearing ugly lingerie," says Sue McGarvie, the Ottawa-based, internationally renowned sex therapist and radio host of Sex with Sue.

Canadian women aren't that passionate about their undies, but they do make demands, says Sacchetti. "We're not behind the trends. Canadians like comfort, but they also want styling behind the comfort."

But underwear selection can reveal more than personal taste. It can also tell a tale about your sex life. McGarvie cites a study showing a direct correlation between the frequency of wearing pretty and sexy lingerie and how often you have sex.

"(Wearing sexy underwear is) a secret thing. No one knows you're either looking for or have a lover." That's why lingerie is considered private, she says.

Even men express themselves through their "furnishings." When Bob Gelinas, 25, wears his blue-green boxers printed with bumble bees, he feels good, confident, powerful and clean. Evan Shabo, 22, prefers looser fits for weekdays, but wears tighter boxers in either blue or black on the weekend.

Lingerie can say "I'm available, I'm looking, I'm ready to go," says McGarvie.

Certain styles can also alter one's mood. Just think of how silk feels when brushed against your skin.

Wearing sexy underwear for yourself is great, but when it's a gift for someone on Valentine's Day, it can be a checkpoint for many relationships, says McGarvie.

"It says 'I am still in love with you, I find you attractive and I want you.' ''

© The Calgary Herald 2006