Cleaning House: 6 Forgotten Pieces of Lingerie

Forget spring cleaning - I'm in the middle of late summer cleaning as I transport 7 years of stuff across the East River to my new home. And let me tell you: combing through the neglected nooks and crannies of your place can yield untold treasures! From lost earrings to forgotten handbags, I've unearthed a treasure trove of forgotten fashions.

It's no secret - I have a lot of lingerie. I buy it, I collect it. I've gotten free samples from blogging, from my jobs and from friends.... While much of it lives in my dresser and armoire, I often forget about the gems previously stuffed in the back of my closet. What a tragedy because cleaning these bins out this past couple of weeks has revitalized my collection and reminded me of why I got into this industry in the first place!

I've already written about some of the lingerie pieces that I hold dear in the past, but today I'm writing about some of these forgotten pieces that have a colorful personal history behind them. And I have a feeling many of you can relate. So come take a trip down memory lane with me as I reminisce about these abandoned gems....Do we have time for a montage?

Oh yeah, I remember this corset! This was back from Victoria's Secret circa 2001 (when I thought that they were the end all, be all of lingerie). The movie Moulin Rouge had just came out in theaters and their 5th Avenue location had a themed collection out in honor of the movie. I was smitten! I wanted something red and French (inspired) so I saved up my measly student wages and blew them on this little number. And I totally don't regret it! It may not be the best quality or design but it's held up well after numerous nights of clubbing throughout my college years.

Ahhh the classic Fembot uniform! This is a style that I designed myself back in 2005. Unfortunately, it never made it into production. The samples were too big and I was only able to salvage the white colorway (I had also offered it in black and powder pink) but it serves as a great reminder of some of my more fun design projects. I'd love to bring this one back though - its retro charm would be a perfect compliment to a Catherine D'Lish robe. Now where are my marabou mules?

Ugh, this one comes with some bad memories.... I bought this generic piece of ouvert lingerie (minus the blue bandeau) for my ex years back and it still haunts me today. Guess this piece is going in the trash! Back then I was very insecure and dated a misogynist who needed someone to control. I spent many years of my life catering to him and wearing what he told me to. Thankfully I no longer devalue myself today but this trashy set is a reminder of how I used to cater to everyone else's needs instead of my own and how far my life has come since then. Bye bye bad memories.

Next up is the chemise from my junior prom. That's right - I wore lingerie to my high school bf's junior prom! I of course wore a black slip dress underneath so that I wasn't revealing anything and I had a great mix of 90's accessories to accessorize it (think platform mary janes, glitter makeup and butterfly hair clips), yet I was still called a slew of derogatory names throughout the night. People in small conservative towns do not take well to those who dress differently but I didn't let that stop me. I was obsessed with my Patricia Fields marabou chemise even if it did embarrass my date….

I remember finding this cute lacy number in my moms closet as a teenager and she happily handed it over to me to use as a fun, layering piece at the time. It still looks cute today with some of the trends out there. But it wasn't until recently that I stopped to think "Why would my mom even own sexy lingerie like this?". Eww, no one wants to think of their parents as sexual beings! Even though it's cool factor is officially tainted for me now, I still plan to hold on to it as a vintage collectors piece since it's from the 60's. I just don't know if I could bring myself to wear it ever again...

Ok so this isn't actually considered "lingerie" but it is underwear. It's little girls underwear from my first internship. I may have only been paid hourly but that company treated me well and allowed me to spread my design wings. I was given permission to design these little girls packaged underwear for department stores and these were the first ones that ever made it into production - I drew those little pictures myself! At the time it probably sold for like, $3.00 a pack but it was a great learning experience and a source of pride for me.

So to keep or to trash - that is the question! I plan to keep the pieces listed here (except for the cheesy teddy) but am still, sadly getting rid of a lot. However, where one door closes, another one opens - quite literally in this case - and I suspect these lingerie drawers of mine won't be empty for long....  

How do you decide what stays and what goes?