The reluctant man’s guide to buying lingerie she’ll love

There are so many reasons for your average Joe to feel intimidated by a specialist lingerie shop. It’s a potential minefield of embarrassment – guys worry they’ll look like a lech, spend a fortune on something she’ll hate, or at the very least feel completely out of their depth.

Never fear – here are five top tips to help take the awkwardness out of the situation and ensure your girl’s eyes light up when she unwraps her present:

Intention
Before you even leave the house, think carefully about whom you’re really buying the lingerie for. If the answer is purely for you, then completely disregard all of the following tips! Underwear bought for sex play is completely unlike your missus’ treasured friends from her top drawer. But if you can manage to buy something pleasing on the eye that makes her feel amazing, yet is both comfortable and practical, then you’re onto a winner.
Fit
This is where many lads fail – just ask any lingerie shop assistant how many men come in and say, ‘Well she’s about your size’ or ‘She’s a good handful…’ For a woman to ever wear anything you buy her, you have to get the size right. That requires both a number (the measurement around her back in inches) and a letter (her cup size), i.e. 32C, 36A, 38E and so on. For a foolproof way of finding this out, simply check her underwear drawer when she’s not looking. If you discover different sizes, then plump for the bras that you see her wearing most often.
Style
Show me a woman who would prefer cheap over classy and I’ll show you a flying swine. Let’s get this straight. You’re looking for a matching set that is comfortable enough to wear during the day and seductive enough to parade in at night. It needs to be well made and supportive enough to make your loved one feel attractive; trust me, there’s nothing like wispy bits of uncomfortable barely-there undergarments to bring out the insecurities in all of us ladies. This doesn’t mean go out and buy enormous granny pants, but do spare a thought for how it might feel to wear that tiny, scratchy thong all day long.
Overall styles of bras and pants are a personal taste for all women. If you’re well endowed then it’s highly unlikely you’re ever going to opt for a maximiser, but equally your flatter chested friend might prefer her natural look to extra padding. Then there are so many different shapes – balconettes vs. T-shirt bras, boy shorts vs. briefs. Once again, your foolproof method of finding out what she prefers is to raid her underwear drawer. Kidnap her most-used set and take it into the shop with you, then rely on the skills of the sales assistant to distinguish her preference from the rest.
Fabric
Fabric is hugely important when it comes to practicality and comfort factor. An all-lace ensemble might be really easy on the eye – and she might well love it – but chances are, this is not the set she’ll reach for often, as the tell-tale lumps of the pattern will be plainly visible under all close-fitting clothes. If you want to invest in something she’ll really love, keep the lace to a bare minimum, say a trim around the top, or on the straps around her back. Similarly, shoulder straps featuring fussy bows that stick out are also likely to be relegated to the ‘wear only under shapeless jumpers’ pile. Avoid sequins, studs, diamante and polyester – remember we’re going classy here – and stick to silk, satin, cotton or Lycra. Avoid any rough textures like the plague and never buy anything that doesn’t have a cotton gusset!
Get-out clause
Providing you’ve bought something as beautiful as the object of your affection, you should be OK, because when it comes to lingerie, the thought really does count. But to be on the safe side, always get a gift receipt and don’t be offended if she wants to exchange this set for something she’d prefer – if you got it from an upmarket shop, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll like her replacement too. Oh and to be really clever, always buy three sets of knickers to one bra. Laundry purposes. She’ll understand…