A Case For (Visible) Lace
Just go with me on this one.
About two years into dating, the man who would one day become my husband and I exchanged gifts for Valentine’s Day. I can’t remember why—that would be the last time we’d exchange presents for Valentine’s Day (I’m here for date night, but that particular holiday is not really our bag of chips). Anyhoo! Along with some regular-degular gifts that year, he chose to include, ahem, a lacy number. [My apologies to the family members that subscribe to this newsletter if that is TMI.]
Years later, my number one use case for that particular garment—a lace bodysuit—is not, in fact, for lounging around the house. I certainly do not sleep in it! Lol! (I am sure my husband is thrilled about this development.) No no my friends, its most useful application in my wardrobe is actually as a protective layer under those ultra low cut dresses that tend to pop up in the formalwear department. You know, the ones that might look incredible in a photo shoot, all slouchy and sexy and cool, but, in practice/over the course of a night, are high risk for sending the wearer straight to Fidget City.
I hate futzing with my clothes. Especially formalwear. To me, there is nothing more annoying and unglamorous than getting all shiny and pretty—only to spend the entire night tugging at my dress. It’s just not giving elegance. But I’m not saying I haven’t done it! Le sigh.
With advance notice, good tailoring can help a low-cut number feel a little more custom to the bod. But in the case that you can’t get to a tailor, and so have entered problem-solving territory, the following hack has made my life so much easier in the barely-there dress category, let me tell ya. You may not actually have that many holiday parties to go to (I have zero, besides the Opening Night party for A Christmas Carol, which I attended last Saturday, wearing my ugly Christmas sweater, duh)—
—but IF YOU DO have a fancy holiday party to go to, good job, and may I offer you the following lil’ trick? A lingerie insurance policy, if you will? I will demonstrate!
The Piece In Question:
Like I said, this was a gift six(?) years ago, and I have no idea where it’s from. No offense to my husband, but I don’t think it was all *that* expensive. Here is one that seems similar from H&M, and here is a second, and a third, if you want to try this out yourself on the cheaps.
Exhibit A:
This is the above bodysuit layered under a fancy-pants wrap dress. It’s from the annual holiday season Reformation sale, circa 2015. The reason why I like this layering trick is that wearing a full bodysuit—even a pretty sexy one—under a dress with an especially deep V feels almost…supportive? All the bits have a home! No futzing! If a little bit of lace peeks out during the night, werk. It’s kind of fierce! Like reverse layering. Sexy and modest at the same time?
Assuming that wherever I’m going in this dress is a place in which the lights are low *hairflip*, the black lace obscures enough that in the case of a right or left boob FULL ESCAPE situation, it would be pretty hard to see anything exciting. (If you are a millennial having Janet Jackson Superbowl flashbacks rn, might I just take this opportunity to say JUSTICE FOR JANET and the American media is full of f*cking wolves, and as an adult I’m retroactively still mad about it.)
Exhibit B:
Here’s the trick again—same bodysuit, different dress:
I bought this black dress years ago, secondhand at Beacon’s. Its overall-like straps show enough side boob that it would be slightly scandalous (for me!) on its own. Enter, bodysuit. This was for my sweet friend Kimo’s surprise 40th bash—and the people were dressed!
The argument for the color black specifically is that, paired with an LBD, it kind of looks like it’s all one piece, no?! Sneaky. But I can imagine this layering job being fierce in other color combos, using a version like this one in navy or brown.
Exhibit C:
One more time, the same combo, but this time in the middle of July. Bodysuits all-year-round!
Besides the color, both the very deep V and the slimness of the shoulder straps on this bodysuit make it pretty versatile/layer-able underneath a variety of lewks. However, if the lingerie of it all is not for you, I think a less lacy or more covered up version could work similarly well—adding texture while securing the girls.
An Experiment:
Just for fun (and because I am on month six of living out of suitcases and could use a little fashion prompt), I thought it might be a nice challenge to try to style this bodysuit, plus a second slightly more modest version, using what I have here in my lil’ temporary apartment—without it looking like I am just wearing my underwear as a top. Lol. Plus, I would never recommend that you buy something that didn’t pass the three outfit rule! In this case, that applies to lingerie. So, BEHOLD (if you’ll humor me)—the following experiment.
1.) With a Green Romper:
This green number doesn’t exactly call for the bodysuit hack, but it is a loosey-goosey situation, so it does occasionally have a tendency to swing around. In this case, the lace would mostly be for side-boob insurance. And I like this option better than say, a pretty bra, because the cut of a full bodysuit really keeps those panels in place, so they lay flat/close to the body. (Although I have been known to embrace danger/women’s lib and go braless with this particular garment.)
2.) With a Fancy Shirt:
I am cackling at my expression in the photo on the left, BECAUSE I probably would not unbutton my shirt all the way to the belly button unless I was really on one. But okay, whatever, say I am going for an accidental vixen at the bar vibe—the girls are still in check!
3.) Under a Sheer Shirt:
Full disclosure, this is actually the top half of my jams. I love a little top and shorts set for sleep times! Since this top is kind of sheer, the addition of the bodysuit underneath creates a sort of double neckline—which I think is pretty fun. Plus, the little bit of lace at the waist?! Another fun texture moment. Texture with a wink! This would be fun with a pointy boot and a cropped leather jacket.
4.) To Change a Neckline:
Okay really just on a creative dressing adventure here, but!, say you wanted to change the neckline of a top? The top layer is a one shoulder guy, but I think the added second strap is believable as being one piece. Is this a going out top? Are we going out?
5.) As a Monochromatic Surprise:
Rotating in another bodysuit! This is the second, slightly more modest version I mentioned above. The mesh panels are pretty sassy, but overall the cut of this thing is way more covered up:
How fun and cheeky! A sea of blues and greens! The contrast of all the oversized pieces with the sheer suit makes this feel intentional but easy breezy to me—not underwear-as-top.
6.) Under a Turtleneck:
Very much inspired by last week’s feature on the ultra-fab Lee Hubilla. I’d actually like to try this with a slightly wider leg (re: soft pants) when I get home.
7.) And Again, with Jeans!:
I would normally never think to put these things together, but it’s kind of fun!? If I had my whole closet to work with, I would maybe add even one more layer—maybe a gray cardi? (Maybe I should try this with the oversized denim shirt above? Texas Tuxedo anyone?) And in the summer, this would be cute sans layers, with even-more oversized jeans and a slick bun and some gold jewelry.
As a Bonus, a Tangent:
Just for KICKS, here is what I ended up wearing at the end of this experimental journey. We have entered winter over here! So, I swapped the bodysuit for a vest, but here’s this, still very much inspired by the prior bodysuit version:
Don’t you feel like we’ve been trying on clothes together?! Should we have a sleepover?! JK. JK?
One Last Thought
Finally, quickly—I’m a dancer bebe, so I spent most of my life in a leotard, and can hang all day in a one-piece. But that’s not for everyone! If you hate a leo, but still want to wear a sassy little low-cut number with reckless abandon, this dress tape packs some serious holding power. (Not an ad, I’m just being a pal.)
As a warning, this dress tape is VERY STICKY, and it will leave residue if you tape it to a bra/other clothing. The strapless bra I taped this top to was never the same. Whoops!
OKAY. That’s sort of it my babes! Go forth and party with ease. Kiss someone under the mistletoe for me! A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Costume Change is a styling newsletter (vs. a shopping newsletter). But you may have noticed that this week’s issue included some shopping links. Don’t worry, I still am not making any money (lol). But I AM experimenting with what makes this a maximum fun read! Thus the inclusion of a few shopping recs.
As always, I hope that Costume Change first and foremost provides you with inspiration to shop your own closet, rather than tempts you to buy a bunch of new stuff. Thanks for reading, and Happy Holidays!