Here’s a roundup of comfortable knickers, many of which continue to rate tops for my clients. I’ve also thrown in the styles that I love to wear. Fabrications, colours and styles vary. And there are cotton options for cotton panty wearers. 

• Wacoal B Fitting Briefs: Comfortable coverage in a cotton-rich spandex fabrication. Not quite boy shorts, but almost there. Smooth and very soft. 
• Nordstrom High Cut Cotton Blend Briefs (Plus): A little less coverage on the thighs but very comfortable if you enjoy a high cut. 90% cotton is a plus for cotton lovers. 
• Wacoal B Smooth Briefs: A nylon-rich panty with excellent coverage and a high rise. Read the rave reviews. 
• Natori Bliss Girl Shorts: I’m a boy shorts fan, but stepped out of my comfort zone last year to try these low rise girl shorts and haven’t looked back. They are nylon-rich with a cotton gusset. They feel like you’re wearing nothing and stay put all day. Extremely lightweight. The lace does not show through your clothing. They launder well too. 
• Felina Aubrie Boy Leg Briefs: A full brief with a low rise and touch of pretty lace. No digging or creeping.
• Wacoal B Smooth High Cut Briefs: These are the high cut version of Wacoal’s B smooth brief, so there is less coverage. More rave reviews. 
• Natori Bliss Briefs: A cotton panty with a touch of spandex. It’s low cut so consider yourself warned. 
• Wacoal B Fitting Bikini: A more sporty version sans the lace that is just as low rise. No creeping and very comfy. 
• Hanky Panky Low Rise Thong: The lace hanky panky thong needs no introduction. I have clients who swear by this nylon style and will not wear anything else, ever. It’s a one size fits all in regular (US sizes 2 to 12), and here is the same style in plus. I find the style uncomfortable, but I’m in the minority. 
• Hanky Panky Lace Trim Boyshorts: This is my type of Hanky Panky because it’s a boy shorts style. I LOVE these knickers. I know they’re pricey but they look really good, and feel even better. They feel like cotton and stay put all day. No digging or creeping. They launder well and the lace trims are fabulous. They are definitely worth the price to me. 
• Calvin Klein Seamless Bikini: A classic CK bikini brief that is still going strong. I used to wear a very similar pair back in the ‘90s but prefer boy shorts these days. 
• DKNY Lace Curves Shaping Briefs: These are great for a little soft tummy shaping, and the operative word here is soft. Do not expect these to work as well as proper shapewear. They gently contour rather than suck the daylights out of you. They are comfortable, quite forgiving, and high rise. I love their retro vibe. Read the rave reviews. 
• Calvin Klein Hipster Briefs: A very lightweight hipster brief in fun colours. Provides more coverage than you might expect. 
• TC Wonderful Edge Briefs: You’ll have to like full briefs and gripper strips on the insides of the leg openings to enjoy this style. The gripper strips cause friction against the skin so that the panties stay put. It’s effective, but can also cause discomfort. Some people love this feature, while others don’t. The only way to find out is to give it a try. 
• Simone Perele Andora Stretch Cotton Bikini: I broke my boy shorts rule to introduce these into my knickers capsule. They are a matching set with a recent bra I purchased. They are cotton-rich and feel like you’re wearing nothing because they’re a little loose and forgiving. Super comfy, lightweight and feminine. I bought three pairs and am not looking back. Also pricey, but worth it to me because I love to wear pretty underwear. 
• Splendid Color Splash Girl Shorts: I bought these last year in an ink blue pattern to match an ink blue and white bra, and I love them.  Very comfortable and they look good too. They’re made of modal, which actually feels even better than cotton on my skin. This modal looks like cotton though, and has a very similar texture. They are low rise in the back, so consider yourself warned. 

I’ve found that one of the most effective ways to stop your panties from creeping up is to NOT purchase them too small. Size up if you need to, especially when they are cotton and you tumble dry them frequently. Truly, tight knickers are not your friend. They create muffin top, dig into your skin and ride up your bottom. Not so fab.

Few of my friends or clients enjoy ironing. Some loathe it to the extent that they don’t even own an iron or ironing board. They would rather wear creased clothes because it really isn’t a priority in the context of their casual lifestyle. Some skip the ironing process by tumble drying most of their clothes and folding them as they come out of the dryer to prevent creases. Some make a point of purchasing items that don’t require ironing and stay away from pieces that do. 

Then there’s the group that will iron, but to varying degrees. Some will iron sparingly, like for special occasions, job interviews, or presentations at work. Some will make the effort to iron regularly because the pristine effect of an ironed garment outweighs the tedium of the task. And then there’s a handful of people who enjoy ironing and iron most of their clothes.

Although I don’t enjoy it, I do iron quite regularly. But I do so for very short periods of time because the process is bad for the repetitive strain injury on my wrists and forearms. I never let the ironing pile up, and iron for no longer than fifteen minutes a few times a week. Although I wear creased linen, I love the visual effect of ironed clothing because it helps me achieve the polished and crisp style that I strive for. Ironed clothing also makes my clothing feel more luxurious. It panders to my inner control freak. I feel calmer when I’m wearing ironed clothing. I’m a yay for ironing. 

I get a head start by sending many of our shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, pullovers, trousers and jackets to the cleaners. So this leaves far fewer items to iron from scratch. I’m not a fan of tumble drying — because I believe that the excessive heat ruins your clothes and alters their fit — so the fast folding trick is not an option. I don’t iron blue jeans, but I will iron white jeans. I will also iron items that are creased after wearing them already, but can be worn again. Worn clothing that isn’t quite ready for a laundry cycle is hung back or re-folded to prevent it from creasing.

If you bat for Team RATE, and deliberately sport a fashionable style that is “rough around the edges”, you might believe that creased clothing can add interest to your look, and be quite cool. Wearing pristine, ironed garments would undermine this look. In this case you can happily skip much of the ironing.

What is your pressing policy? Do you like or loathe ironing? Do you believe that ironed clothing adds to your style quotient? Do you have any tips for reducing the ironing workload?

I seldom wear a hat for sun protection because I don’t like wearing them. But I slather my face in sunscreen daily, snow, ice, rain, clouds or shine. I use a moisturizer with SPF 20, and I apply an additional layer of sunscreen over that (SPF 30). I try to find shade in very sunny settings so that I don’t need to wear a hat in addition to the sunscreen.

These days I’m rarely in the sun for long periods of time, so batting for Team Sunscreen works out well. Greg, on the other hand, would much rather wear a hat than apply sunscreen, so he bats for Team Hat and applies sunscreen to any areas that are still exposed. 

Over to you. Do you bat for Team Hat or Team Sunscreen? This time round you can bat for both teams because if you’re out in strong sunlight daily, you’ll probably need to wear sunscreen with a hat. 

We’re approaching the halfway mark for 2014 so it’s a good time to check in on the style goals you set for yourself at the start of the year. Check back in the comments section of that post to compare what you wrote with how things are going. Or take an intuitive stab at your progress if you made more of a mental note at the time. 

I’ll start the ball rolling by reporting on my own progress for 2014: 

1. To wear simple outfits that are modern, bold, clean and dressy.

Check. I’m still content with the set of adjectives that I use to assess my own outfits each day. They also come in handy when I’m considering an item for purchase. For the most part I feel I’m achieving the aesthetic I aspire to given my climate and lifestyle. Depending on my audience, some days are dressier than others. And even my casual days are relatively dressy, which suits me just fine. 

2. To continue adding a soft and refined element to my style while I marry my favourite style personas, Modern Classic, Punk, Trendy Fashionista and Androgynous, into a cohesive style that is age appropriate and attractive.

Check. As I mentioned in yesterday’s outfits post, I’m staying away from hard edge by wearing lots of light and bright colours with shades of white. Some looks are tonal while others are high contrast. I’m using black as an accent colour, piling on the white, and wearing lots of ink blue. I’ve added a good assortment of trendy tops, continue to ground my outfits with modern classics, and strive to create proportions that are just flattering enough instead of conventionally flattering. My outfits get a small dose of built-in punk with my ‘do. I surprised myself by how much I like the sporty trend, and you’ll see more of that vibe in future outfit posts. I LOVE our bumper knitwear trend, the return to fluid and oversized fits, and that comfortable footwear has become very fashionable. 

Sometimes I wear outfits with a masculine integrity. Other times I go to the opposite extreme with ladylike looks. Although these vibes are polar opposites, both feel right for my style as long as they are refined and polished. Baggy tucked tuxedo shirt with boyfriend jeans and high vamped loafers or flat oxfords one day. Retro flared midi skirt with pullover and dainty heeled ankle strap pumps the next. 

3. To update my specs because they are my most important accessory. 

Check. I updated my eyewear five months ago with a pair of apple green specs. They are my favourite specs ever. At this point I can’t bear to wear my other specs, apart from my prescription Wayfarers which are my only pair of sunnies. My green specs have been a game changer for me, and make me so, so happy. 

4. To NOT over purchase in Spring because that’s my shopping weakness. 

Uh oh. Well, I probably didn’t stick as well to this goal as I should have because we’ve had the best Spring shopping season since I moved to the US more than ten years ago. I love where fashion is at the moment and it shows. As a result, I’ve bought a lot more Spring stuff than I usually do. Luckily though, we’ve had a warmer and sunnier Spring than usual, and I’ve been able to wear my new goodies more frequently. Plus I did buy Spring cashmere, booties, jackets and jeans at the start of Spring when it was much colder. AND I haven’t bought any lightweight flimsy blouses because I run too cold to wear them. The most Summery item I’ve bought is a linen shirt, which is still pretty covered. So I didn’t fall completely off the wagon here. 

5. To NOT purchase items with too much design detail because I tire of the aesthetic.

Check. I’m allowing the fabric and workmanship of items to shine more brightly through their simple designs. I’ve added one pattern and a few neutral high-contrast striped pieces to my wardrobe this year and the rest are solid. Clean lines, a crisp look, and no extra bells and whistles. 

6. To NOT purchase too many black and grey wardrobe items. 

Check. I have been the most strict about this goal. I purchased a pair of pointy toe barely black booties and a very simple boxy black clutch with subtle silver hardware. And nothing grey at all. I am off black as a statement colour at the moment, and this has come through quite strongly in my style. 

7. To NOT purchase any more body hugging pieces. As far as possible, tailored is as tight as I want to go this year, although I will continue to wear the tight pieces in my wardrobe that tickle my fancy. 

Check. Not one piece. I sized up in my new organza citron skirt so that it would not look body con. Everything else that I’ve purchased this year has been tailored, fluid or oversized. 

8. To add more ink blue to my wardrobe.  

Check. I’ve added a few pullovers and a blazer. I will continue adding ink blue to my Autumn and Winter wardrobe. 

9. To continue purchasing warm knitwear while it’s trending because it’s extremely practical for my lifestyle and climate. And because I love knitwear. 

Check. I bought Spring cashmere in blush and neon green. I also added sleeved slubby cotton knitwear from Boden, which has kept me warm and cozy from April onwards. My lightweight blush Zara asymmetrical piece, and yellow Kate Spade silk front pullover have come out to play over the last month as the weather warmed up. All pieces are sleeved and insulating. 

10. To continue mixing high-end and low-end pieces in one outfit.

Check. High-low style is not represented in every outfit I wear, but it makes a strong statement in my wardrobe. I vary my shopping sources by purchasing from mainstream retailers, designer labels, and throwing in those budget-friendly Zara pieces. This assortment really helps me to achieve the high-low style goal.

11. To continue exploring the world of trousers and looser fit jeans because they’re better suited to my climate than skirts and dresses when you run as cold as I do. 

This is one area where my style in practice has turned out differently to the goal I set in January. Skirts are playing a bigger role in my style than I thought they would and my excitement about trousers is tapering off a little. That said, I did recently purchase a pair of dressy high-waisted blush trousers that I haven’t worn yet, and I still do enjoy wearing my old black ankle pants with black ankle strap pumps. I also got a pair of casual chinos at the beginning of the year that will come out to play with rolled hems and sneakers now that the weather has warmed up.

As far as looser fit jeans go, I did purchase another pair of white boyfriend jeans, a pair of relaxed skinnies and a pair of flared jeans. I’ve been feeling my jeans more than trousers this year, perhaps because dressier white jeans are sometimes taking the place of trousers in my outfits.

12. To make my own style journey and those of my clients a fun and rewarding experience.

Triple check. I’m having more fun than ever with my style this year, probably because I’m loving 2014 fashion, and my style preferences are very focused. My clients are also thoroughly enjoying this season’s vast assortment of colour and style, comfortable footwear, and forgiving silhouettes. 

There are some items I would have loved to find for Spring and Summer, like a jumpsuit, a pair of culottes and a pink suit, but no luck so far and I think that ship has sailed. It’s end of season and our Summers are very short. But I have a few dresses on order so hopefully I’ll be able to sport some unlayered frock looks before our cold weather returns. 

Over to you. Have you achieved most of your style goals this year? I’d love to hear all about your progress and challenges.