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How Do I Choose the Best plus Size Underwear?

Mary Ellen Popolo
Mary Ellen Popolo

There are many different types of underwear to choose from in a variety of materials, styles, colors and prints. Choosing the best plus size underwear is a matter of finding the style of underwear you prefer in the color, size and material you like. Price also plays a part in the decision process.

One of the most common types of plus size underwear are briefs. For women, briefs can then be further divided into hipsters, hi cut briefs, boy briefs and regular briefs. Other styles of underwear for both men and women include bikinis, g-strings, thongs and thermal underwear. Men also have boxers and boxer-briefs to choose from. When choosing a style of underwear, consider what you feel comfortable wearing along with how it will look and fit underneath your clothing.

Woman holding a book
Woman holding a book

After finding your preferred style of underwear, you will need to choose the material they are made of. Cotton, nylon, polyester and blended materials are a few of the available choices. You should select the type of material that will be the most comfortable on. Materials like cotton are breathable which keeps moisture at bay. Other materials, like nylon, are not as breathable, but have a more silky texture which may feel better on.

Plus size underwear is available in a multitude of colors, patterns and designs. Some may prefer plain undergarments and choose a white or beige color, while others prefer to stay in the neutral tones but branch out to black, navy or brown. Women's underwear is available in many more colors than men's including pastels such as pink, lilac and yellow and bold, bright colors like emerald green, cobalt blue, red and fuchsia. A large variety of patterns and designs are available on all types of underwear from stripes and plaids to animal prints such as zebra or leopard. Whichever color or design you choose, pick something within your own comfort zone.

Size is one of the most important criteria in choosing plus size underwear. Underwear should fit snugly, without being too tight. If your current underwear fits properly you can buy new ones in the same size, however if it does not fit you may need to adjust the size by trying a larger or smaller size depending on the current fit. Sizing may differ slightly from one manufacturer to another so it is always a good idea to check the packaging for size guidelines. Keep in mind that some stores will allow you to try on underwear over your own while in the store, but many stores have strict no return polices on underwear.

Prices on plus size underwear varies drastically. Some single pairs can cost more than a package containing five or six pairs of underwear. The difference in price depends upon the size, style and material of the underwear and the store where you are purchasing it.

Discussion Comments

lluviaporos

The thing that I generally look for in underwear is something that is going to enable me to wear a dress without shorts. I don't usually talk about this much, but I tend to get thigh rash if I don't wear something to block it, but wearing shorts under a summer dress feels too bulky. So I try to find underwear that have a bit of a leg, so that I only have to put on the one thing.

MrsPramm

@Fa5t3r - In my experience, handmade underwear tend to be quite expensive, compared with store bought kinds (especially if you hit the right sale) and you'll never be able to find matching sets, since very few people making panties are also making plus size bras (which are much more difficult to get right, particularly for plus sized women).

There are only a handful of stores where I know I can get my size, but at least they are reliable and they don't wear out that quickly either.

Fa5t3r

So, the first thing I'd recommend is that, whenever possible, you use natural fabrics like bamboo and cotton for everyday wear. I know everyone likes the idea of wearing fancy underwear every day of the week, but that fancy underwear is often made from nylon and there's nothing sexy about getting multiple yeast infections, which is a possibility when you constantly wear synthetic fabrics.

The next thing is to make sure you are looking at plus size specialty underwear, rather than just scaled up regular underwear. It might seem like the cut of your panties wouldn't make much of a difference, but it really can. And since underwear are fairy quick and easy to make you will find you have a wide variety of sellers to choose from online.

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