Undercover Angel

I love summer in Brisbane. The days are warm and long, and there is so much happening in the city. This week I went to another fashion exhibition, but one with a bit of a twist. Undressed is an exploration of 350 years of underwear in fashion! The exhibition was enormous fun and it was so interesting to see changes in gender roles, laundry facilities, fibre technology and clothing production reflected in what people wore under their clothes. One snippet that made me laugh was the evolution of lingerie from being merely practical to  being pretty, and the exhortation by a writer in a women's journal that "it is the duty of all women to wear pretty lingerie to save their husbands from the sin of adultery"! Whilst I certainly do not miss the difficulties I used to experience finding a bra that would actually fit, be supportive and be comfortable, I do miss the opportunity to wear the pretty, feminine creations designed for that purpose.

On the first anniversary of my surgery I decided to address this by buying myself a bra. Given that this is a completely decorative item now, I wanted something that was fun and interesting. I chose this one by Helmut Lang and whilst I don't think it would have been supportive enough for me when I had breasts,  I can now enjoy the asymmetry and the novelty of a bra that is purely for show.

Asymmetric bra: Helmut Lang

Top: Veronika Maine

Pants: Country Road

Shoes: Wittner

This is what I wore to the exhibition and I felt like I fitted in perfectly! The mesh top gives me enough exposure to showcase the bra but is covered enough to prevent an arrest for public indecency. It does not in any way camouflage the flatness of my chest but in this kind of outfit I like that. I think that with breasts this would look quite provocative. However, with a flat chest, baggy pants and flat shoes, the outfit avoids blatantly sexy and becomes more interesting and playful. Which is sexy in a different way.

That's my story, anyway. I felt quite daring and cool, without feeling at all exposed or inappropriate.  Do you have underwear that makes you feel especially good about your body?

Undercover Angel by Alan O'Day