Camisoles are an extremely important part of my style, although they aren’t all that noticeable in my outfits. To me, they are a necessary third item of underwear. I wear a $12 black or white camisole every day. I have many duplicates to prevent laundry bottlenecks, and feel oddly naked without one.
My reasons for wearing a camisole are manyfold:
First and foremost, I love the comfort factor. Wearing a very soft and snug, cotton-rich item against my body makes every outfit more comfortable and secure. I wear a cami over a bra and knickers and tuck it into my bottoms. I’ll tuck the cami into my knickers when I’m wearing a dress. I find camis insulating in cool weather and air conditioning, and strangely cooling in warm weather. I will absolutely wear a cotton camisole in hot and humid weather too. Cotton camisoles are like the security blanket of my style, and I am definitely less comfortable when I don’t wear one.
I hardly ever wear a camisole because tops are overly sheer or necklines are too low. That said, my die-hard camisole style comes in handy when I do wear see-through tops and lower necklines. I will seldom purchase an item of clothing if it doesn’t work with my camisoles. Another reason why the off-the-shoulder top was not for me.
I wear lace bras and knickers because I find them pretty and luxurious. Wearing a camisole over the top prevents the grinning of bumpy lace when I wear delicate fabrications. The snug fit also smoothes out the contour of my body under most items of clothing.
I also love the look of lace camisoles, especially when they peek out from under a low neckline. But I don’t find them nearly as comfortable as cotton camis, which is why I haven’t committed to any for a very long time. I’m sure the right lace camisole will come my way at some point.
I dress women for a living and don’t know anyone else who wears camisoles as regularly as I do. In fact, most of my clients prefer to leave off the camisole completely, unless their tops are overly sheer. Some like to wear a cami in cold weather, and leave it at that. Their reasons for preferring a cami-free style have to do with overheating, extra bulk on the bust and midsection, and feelings of outfit discomfort.
Over to you. How frequently do you wear a camisole?
