ALL HAIL HOLD-UPS!

Anyone who has known me for any length of time can tell you I wear pants with a rarity that is rivaled only by Lady Gaga. This isn't to say you will find me walking around New York in my skivvies (I try to keep my public near-nudity to a minimum...) I just happen to prefer skirts, shorts, dresses and oh yeah, STOCKINGS! I love, love, LOVE my nylons, tights and thigh highs-- and notably more than any normal person should. So I am, by extension, equally infatuated with garter belts (well apparently MORE since I'm posting about them.)

I'm sort of partial to the high-waisted variety... maybe its because they conjure up the covert, sexy femme fatale of yesteryear. But waist-cinching or no, there's something about knowing you have a pair of foxy garters on under your every day clothes that makes you feel undeniably alluring. Obviously, I could extoll the virtues of hold-ups for eons but frankly, I think we'd all rather look at pretty pictures. So I will happily oblige with my a few of my coups de coeur:

Mesh Magic-Bum Girdle, $130.50, from Made by Niki available through figleaves.com

Satin Teese (as in Dita Von) High-Rise Waist-Cinching Suspender, $32, by Wonderbra, available through figleaves.com

Silk Suspender,$105, by Myla Body, from Journelle

Marlene Four Garters Girdle Skirt, $52.99, from stockingirl.com

LOOKS TO KILL + CHEAP THRILLS

There is no way you will catch me combining the word "recession" with the dreaded "ista" suffix (MAJOR pet peeve of LIFE!) But I think there is something to be said for being chic on the cheap. Especially when it comes to lingerie. Budget lingerie is usually garish colours, ill-fitting and covered in tacky synthetic lace BUT there are always exceptions to the rule, so here are a few of my pocketbook-friendly picks (there's a little something for everyone):

THE MADONNA:Floral Lace Wireless by GapBody, $29.50, gap.com

THE ROCKER:

Forever 21 Mineral Advantage Bodysuit, $7.99, forever21.com

THE GIRL NEXTDOOR:Boudoir Mesh Contrast Longline Bra, $30.44, asos.com

THE VAMP:

Fishnet split cup bra set, $32, and matching garter, $20, from fredricks.com

TINY FRACTURES

Shatter Lingerie Paneled Bra, AUD$ 150 (about $140 USD) available from Zimmermann

When I originally saw this bra, I thought it was covered in paillettes... a feature which, to me, made it a simultaneously absurd and endlessly appealing purchase. Upon closer review, the sequin effect is actually a "shatter print" silk.... this of course makes it an inherently more practical (albeit slightly less ostentatious) foundation garment. Now, I'm not normally a print person (read: never) undergarments or otherwise, but I find the repetition/ shatter effect of the pattern quite stunning. Added bonus: the back is paneled mesh, which is pretty much enough to sell me on this patterned lovely.

I NEED MORE OF YU IN MY LIFE

By now I'm sure my preoccupation with entirely sheer or demi-opaque underpinnings has been documented ad nauseam. So it's no surprise that I'm head-over heels for F.I.T.-trained-designer, Jean Yu's magical (and barely there) lingerie. Yu moves beyond the obvious delicate quality of sheer textiles however, and sculpts normally-diaphanous charmeuses and organzas into structured, graphic undergarment armor. I'm absolutely smitten with the origami folds of and delicate seaming of Yu's pieces, in particular the sheer white "dressing" gown... I'd love to rock it with some kind of full-body black one piece underneath to create a outerwear/innerwear hybrid ensemble. You can check out more of the RIDICULOUSLY talented Jean Yu's work here and if you're interested in owning a Jean Yu original (I am! I am!), you can visit net-a-porter.com.