For a decade, Cora Harrington has introduced her personal interest in intimate apparel to Lingerie Addict, a blog that has fanatically followed and changed the perception of the importance of underwear. Now, Harrington’s understanding of underwear has been in the form of books for many years, In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear, and Love Lingerie.
Rather than positioning underwear as a garment, people wear it for the sexual temptation of others, redefining it in Intimate Detail just to make themselves happy and the joy of beautiful clothing. In the year when the conversation about clothing content also extended to underwear, this book (preface by the funny queen Dita Von Teese) admitted that underwear lovers have various sizes, genders, colors and health conditions. Shortly after the debut in August, In Intimate Detail was selected as a book recommended by New Yorkers.
Harrington told me that she filled out all the content she wanted to know about underwear ten years ago. When the writer who became interested in underwear after not finding any underwear, began to transition from the average consumer to Forbes magazine’s “women change our perception of underwear.”
Harrington and I talked about the origins of her blog, her new book, and common misconceptions about lingerie.
Nadra Nittle
The intimate details truly reflect the spirit of the underwear addict. What are your expectations for this book?
Kola Harrington
I hope it will become a modern and inclusive underwear clothing guide. I hope this book has illustrations instead of photos. I want to talk about the washing and care of underwear and everything I hope I knew 10 years ago. This is what I mentioned in this book. I am very fortunate and fortunate that I have an editor who agrees with this vision – a gender-neutral language, or if you have fibromyalgia or if you are a [gender] transition. We try to cover and keep its volume as much as possible. I hope it is enough to cover. No matter where you are, you can find something useful.
Nadra Nittle
The discussion about underwear size has indeed improved this year, especially since the launch of Savage x Fenty. Why is it that the brand offers a range of sizes is a challenge?
Kola Harrington
The good range can be 40, 50, 60 sizes. Many people have never really considered the scale involved. The size range is 40, 50, it is not small. Expanding the size range can take years. It takes time to develop the fabric to support the H cup. It may be a few years.
Nadra Nittle
What is the idea of most people wearing the wrong bra size? I heard that this is the myth that lets customers enter the store.
Kola Harrington
The thing about these studies is that there really is no publicly available third-party research, just like the general apparel industry. Eighty percent of the data comes from boutiques, and from their generalization of consumers, everyone wears the wrong bra size. But we must remember how we define the wrong bra size. There is no consistency, standard. Every 34C is different. You may be 34C or 32D. I wore 34C and I was told, “Oh, my God, you are wearing the wrong bra size. You are a 30DD.” But for my version, the 30 bands are too tight. The size of the bra I wear is very comfortable for me.
Nadra Nittle
Do you think our society needs more education about underwear as a whole? How to choose? How do you know if it fits and so on?
Kola Harrington
I don’t want everyone to be interested in underwear, but the conversation around it may be limited. It’s discussed in a rigorous and practical way, such as when you need to wear a beige Spanx to look slim, or in a super-sex way, just as you need it to look as good for your man. However, there are not many conversations about wearing underwear for yourself. Knowing more about underwear also requires a willingness to get rid of your comfort zone and its relationship with you, rather than focusing on how others see you, such as being good-looking about your man and making him excited.
