Underneath your clothes

Despite the fact that barely anyone gets to see it (unless you have low self-esteem), underwear has a certain allure. How else can anyone explain the amount of money women are willing to spend on frothy bits of lace? It adds a zing to your step, a little romance to your usual jeans and shirt.

Women’Secret (that’s how it’s actually spelled), the Spanish label that delivers cute and sexy underwear and lingerie, is all about boosting self-confidence. With their pretty lace sets, quirky printed pieces and sexy skimpy bras, everything by this label was built and embellished to make you feel like a natural woman. Bras cup and support in fragile fabric, while panties show off your assets in cuts fit for everyone.

Launched in ’93, Women’Secret was the first Spanish underwear label to deliver racks of underwear that paid attention to each year’s trends. Forget granny’s panties in beige and black. The label divides its collections into several categories. Called Funny, this category includes fun prints, from bright floral jogging pants to bras in the same print, which are a major part of the label’s appeal. Frisky styles make underwear fun. Even outer wear, like halter tops and jackets are included in the collection. Thongs come in orange and blue stripes while bras fuse a vivid blue with striped piping. The Femininity collection is inspired by Marrakesh, combining a Middle- Eastern flare with tribal embellishments. Culling themes from hippie styles and Arabic design, the resulting pieces come in deep reds, vivid mustards, Aegean blues and earthy greens. Dresses come in contrasting diamond prints while boy-cut panties take on a fanciful air with tree prints against a smart brown background. Even the bra gets the tribal update in large retro floral prints that are reminiscent of old Japanese watercolors.

Harmony is an eclectic collection fit for working moms with its basic comfortable sets and relaxing themes. Mostly set in basic blues, navies and other soothing colors, the set has some charmers, which includes a V-neck night dress in navy, seamed at the bust for an almost Victorian-esque shift silhouette.

Hot Secret is geared towards sophisticated women with a yen for sexy under things. Scraps of lace, usually in black, enhance rather than conceal. Bras are constructed in light see-through fabric, perfect for someone with an audience in the closet or better yet, a career as a centerfold. But what works is the underlying femininity. There are no uncomfortable mashed-up breasts, pushed up to an extreme. Instead, the figure is shown off to its full appeal. Bows decorate silky satin nighties, adding a touch of playful sexiness, while lace bras in spare shapes meet their match in pretty lace fabrics that make use of texture and style to breathe life into the flimsy pieces.

And for those in search of no-nonsense underwear, for road warriors in need of serious support, padded T-shirt bras, under-wire sets and well-cut undies (in thongs and bikini cut) are there for the picking.

Clearly, with so many styles for the picking, this label can’t stay a secret for long.

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Women’Secret is located at Glorietta 3, Alabang Town Center, Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Robinson’s Galleria East Wing and Rustan’s Shangri-La Mall.