As I mentioned on the blog, I’ve been slowly refreshing my basics. It was high time! As Angie said, it is just satisfying to start off with things that look and feel nice. In the winter, this is doubled by the cozy, snug feeling of good base layers. I’m going a step above the Target bin of 5 for $X, but avoiding extravagant prices.

I haven’t achieved a revolutionary new way of doing this, but I have made a couple changes. The weariness I posted about with winter boots and shoes that need to be fastened applies to getting dressed in winter in general. I get sick of so many things to put on and all the time it takes.

I’ve long been an advocate of bodysuits for warmth, so I prioritized them. The black one was one of my first. When I tried it on, I wasn’t terribly impressed, felt like I was wearing a basic bathing suit. But the next day, after I had set it aside to be returned, it was exactly what I needed. It has since become one of my favorites. I expect to get more bodysuits with support in different styles and colors, as I see which of the ones I’ve “favorited” go on sale in my size.

Initially I tried to replace both bra & undies with the bodysuits with support, but that didn’t last long. It just didn’t feel hygienic, and if I have another layer down there, I can often wear the teddy/bodysuit an additional time in winter. For this reason, I’ve also gotten a couple camis that have support. The blue one with black lace is a favorite. It’s a shelf bra but somehow does not give me uniboob. I’m still slowly losing a little more weight and tightening up—have another 1.5” to go from my waist. Styles I tried and returned a couple months ago, like Brazilian panties, actually work for me now, so it’s been fun to get some of them.

The body stockings look a little crazy, but I think they’ll be useful (and fun if someone comes into my life ) So far it’s been too cold to wear tights this thin, so I’ve only worn the ls one as an extra layer for a tiny bit more insulation on days when I knew I’d have a long wait standing around in the cold. I plan on wearing them as tights when it warms up a tad. Bitd, I had a mesh one that I enjoyed wearing that way. I wear underpants over them so I don’t have to deal with the naked upper body/keep-fabric-off-the-bathroom-floor issue some people complain about with jumpsuits.

I don’t plan on wearing these things to be seen, but do wear outfits that coordinate with the base layers. That includes the “fun” items like the Merry Widow and the mesh slip (which could have been slip shorts). The slip is so comfortable that when I tried it on, i wore it around the house until my son came home from school. So far I haven’t included those finds with outfit posts, for fear of offending some ylf readers. I might start, because starting with something I feel great in really influences how I feel about an outfit.

I didn’t think trends were a thing here, but it has been such a long time since I bought this kind of stuff that a whole 7 shades/bondage trend has come and is on its way out. Like this https://www.pourmoi.co.uk/prod.....8;curr=EUR
So far I haven’t seen anything in this style that doesn’t look too simple or too complicated to try to keep straight. Fabrics have changed too. Silk is still wonderful, but I’m also finding viscose and polymide to be quite comfortable. The Lingerie Addict blog https://www.thelingerieaddict.com/ traces out trends and reviews a wide variety of styles in many sizes and a wide range of prices.

I have not sourced these things extremely locally, but one of the companies is based in Italy and the other in the UK, and makes things there. That’s something for me to work on.

I’ve gotten some other new hosiery too—fleece-lined tights, leggings, some Uniqlo heat tech socks, and i have two ls heat tech undershirts.

The leggings were a one-off because they were on sale. I love the cell phone pockets on the thighs. They are quite cool to wear, so will be better in the spring/summer. I have a ls under armor Cold Gear top, need to pick up a few other cool-weather workout pieces.

I have no idea how this got so long. Thanks for reading & commenting!