Let’s be honest about something really quickly… most of us wear underwear, and some of us wear bras. How many of us have actually found ones that they love wearing every day? It seems like just when I find something that works, my body changes (hello, moms, I know you can relate!), and then BOOM, they are the worst. I recently went on a personal mission to revamp my underwear drawer, and here’s how it went!

My requirements:

  • Must be comfortable. Duh! Why do we often make this a last priority for bras and underwear?
  • Must fit properly. No constant pulling up or down, no fidgeting with straps, no pinching, no jabbing, no gaps, no pain.
  • Must make me feel good. Yes, even comfortable underwear that fits us properly can be sexy and fun!
  • Must be ethically made. This is a new thing for me in my closet, which I will share more about in a later post.
  • Must be versatile. I need to be able to wear it under all of my clothes. This seems obvious, but looking back at past undergarment purchases, I definitely didn’t have this part figured out!

I started my search by looking at ethical underwear brands using the app Good On You – “Our recognised and trusted ethical rating system, advice and information are a part of this global mission, leading the way towards a more sustainable and fair fashion industry.”

I was able to browse which brands carried plus size clothing, browse by category, and also add filters to meet my needs. I found two brands that sounded good to me, and I liked their products for different reasons! Here’s how it went.

Thunderpants

I started with Thunderpants! They’re fun, size-inclusive, and had amazing reviews!

Click on the picture to check out their collections!

I got the Women’s Original Plain Vanilla undies and the matching bralette. Ladies, they really are as wonderful as the reviews say they are! The underwear is different than anything I’ve ever tried. It’s basically like granny panties meets fashionable, cute undies that you can feel good in! They stay put, no tugging or pulling at all. And the organic cotton is thick and stretchy, so it kind of holds me in, while at the same time not pinching or making me uncomfortable at all. They recommend us extra voluptuous ladies get this style to prevent rolling down, which apparently can be an issue with the hipster. No rolling down at all with the original for me, so I’m sticking to these! If you are sized for the hipster and try them out, let me know what you think. I also plan to try the shorts and camis at some point! I’ll update you when I do.

The bralette is ridiculously comfy, and surprisingly supportive! I was shocked, thinking it would be more of a casual option for me similar to a comfy sports bra. But it’s so not that! I’ve worn it under many shirts and dresses and it’s fantastic! The *only* thing that didn’t work for me for this one is that I often need a thinner strap… and that’s where Pansy comes in.

Pansy

I decided to try Pansy, because they had multiple style options for bras, and pretty colors!

Click on the picture to check out their collections!

I decided to get the black ones for these since I already got white, and I chose the Full Bra and the High Rise undies. Honestly I won’t spend much time on the underwear. I am keeping them, and I’ll continue wearing them because they’re not cheap! But they just didn’t fit me nearly as well as the Thunderpants and they seem to be quite a bit more fragile. I just don’t see them lasting as long. They also aren’t as stretchy, so although I got the appropriate size, they pinch my inner leg and just don’t stay put like the Thunderpants do! You might love them, though. Everyone has a different size and shape, so maybe these are just not made for mine.

I chose the full bra because it was recommended as the best one for my size, and also because the others were noted as more delicate. I am cool with delicate laundry care if it’s spelled out for me, but I’m hard on clothes. I just am. Plus I have a toddler who is constantly pulling on me and spilling things on me. Delicate just seemed to be a bad idea. The Full Bra is super comfy! It gives me a little lift, the straps are ridiculously soft elastic, and they *stay in place*! This is a huge problem for me with “regular” bras because I had a shoulder injury and my shoulders aren’t even, yes, they slip off even when I adjust the straps! I like how it has a lot less fabric than the Thunderpants bralette, so I can easily wear it with many types of dresses and tanks and shirts. I do think that even though this isn’t their most delicate option, that it still seems a lot thinner and more delicate and I wonder if it will last as long as my Thunderpants bralette. I’ll keep you posted!

Final Thoughts

In my search for the perfect items for my underwear drawer, I kept asking myself (and my husband, mom, and a few close friends), how many should I have? Literally tell me how many bras and pairs of underwear to put in my drawer. Nobody would answer, because of course everyone has different needs, different clothing styles, and different lifestyles! So here’s what I came up with after a *lot* of thinking and talking about underwear over the last month or so.

I need 7 different bras. Yep. Even as someone striving for simplicity in my life and in my closet, I do think I need 7. I have so many different types of shirts and dresses that I enjoy wearing, some light and some dark, and I would love to have a comfy, flattering bra for all of it! I am thinking I probably need 10 pairs of underwear – I’m still undecided on this, but it makes sense to me at the moment! Here’s the breakdown.

  • 1 Sports Bra – Undecided, but maybe Pansy
  • 2 Cross Bras (Black & White) – Pansy
  • 2 Full Bras (Black & White) – Pansy
  • 2 Bralettes (Black & White) – Thunderpants
  • 4 Women’s Original Thunderpants (Vanilla)
  • 4 Women’s Original Thunderpants (Black)
  • 2 Pairs of obnoxious, fun underwear

I currently have *close enough* options for all of these with the addition of my two recent purchases, and as my bras and undies from random other places (Torrid, Maurices, Motherhood Maternity, Amazon, etc.) need replaced, I plan to swap them out with the ones listed above. I need to remember, and perhaps you need this reminder, that as we strive to find more ethically made options, or even if we’re just working on decluttering our belongings and finding what works best for us, the simplest, cheapest, and most ethical way to do this, is to use what we already have!