The bottom line (From Living Northeast)
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The bottom line
11:57am Thursday 21st January 2010 in
Lingerie is a great gift for your loved one this Valentine’s Day.
If only there weren’t so many purchasing pitfalls…
IN order to discover what gave their customers the biggest thrills at the tills, department store Debenhams recently used monitors to track the heart rates of 1,000 customers between the ages of 20 and 40 throughout their shopping experiences.
Not surprisingly, while women’s hearts raced when buying a designer dress, it was lingerie that got the men’s pulses racing. The average resting heart rate for men is 72bpm, but this soared to an average of 118bpm when they were buying women’s undies.
Sheer excitement? Or was it simply the terror of being discovered amongst the frillies that raised the heart rate?
Or perhaps the ensuing panic when discovering that just like women, their undergarments are far from simple?
But buying lingerie for your partner doesn’t have to be an anxiety-ridden guessing game. Elle Macpherson, who has built her lingerie label into a £40m business, says that selecting the right colour is one of the main pitfalls.
“Don’t automatically go for red unless you know she will wear it,” she says. “Red is a passionate colour, but it can lack sophistication and may be impossible to wear with the rest of her wardrobe. Black, however, is always a safe and sensual bet.”
Maria Walker, chief lingerie advisor at John Lewis, agrees. “Many men opt for statement colour combinations such as black and red, whereas most women prefer softer, feminine colours.”
She says men should do their homework before they leave the house and follow these simple tips.
“Choosing the wrong size is the most common mistake made by men. Remedy this by simply sneaking a look in her underwear drawer. This is the best way to find out what size she likes to wear and will also give you a feel for what she feels comfortable in.
“Men also make the mistake of buying what they would like to see rather than what their partner would like to wear. Most women are insecure about some aspect of their bodies, so it’s best to note what your other half feels confident in. If she doesn’t already wear it, she won’t be comfortable in it.”
