Foundation Garments

The best of outfits can be completely ruined if you're not wearing the proper pieces underneath. While I am not going to delve into the depths of women's lingerie, I do want to take the time to sing the praises of Spanx; a product line that has salvaged many a rather snug ensemble. Also, it is necessary to note that wearing Spanx has nothing to do with being fat. Sara Blakely, the esteemed inventress, is very thin; the whole idea is to create a smooth look underneath your lovely clothes. While out shopping, a very common phrase amongst my friends is "this looks great, but with Spanx under it, of course!"

In my opinion Spanx are truly a girl's best friend. We should all thank Sara Blakely for coming up with a product that is slimming, comfortable, and doesn't make you feel like you're wearing your grandmother's girdle. The story about how Spanx started is pretty neat, so you should definitely read up while perusing the website. If you're not familiar with the line and feel overwhelmed, I will give you a crash course on my favorite products and some tips on where to find them at a discount!

Power Panties
The original Spanx are reminiscent of the granny panties sported by Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jone's Diary. However, don't laugh, they are good at their job. An updated version has recently come out called girl shorts and don't come down as far on your thigh. These are highly recommended if you're wearing something shorter and don't want someone to accidentally see that power panties are the reason you're looking oh so slim.

PantyHose
I detest pantyhose: they're a pain to get on, you're afraid of running them, the waist is always too high and then it starts to roll down, and they're just an all-around hassle! However, in many workplaces and in colder months they're a necessity. Thankfully, Spanx hosiery is just a amazing as the power panties. Yes, they're a tad on the pricey side, BUT they don't run as easily as normal hose so they last much, much longer. Another huge plus is the waist band. I'm short waisted, so with most hose I can pretty much pull them up to my neck and then they roll into a nice inner tube-like band around my waist. Spanx, on the other hand, hit at a perfect level and they don't budge!

Tights
Spanx has your normal every day selection of tights with the wonderful features of all Spanx hosiery. This year, however, they also have several very snazzy patterend tights to choose from. My favorites, though, are the 2-sided tights. Being the money savvy girl that I am (or attempt to be), these reversible tights are like getting 2 for the price of 1! I can't get away from this section without mentioning the footless tights, otherwise known as leggings. I admit, I'm guilty, I love them.

The articles I've mentioned above are merely some of the ones that I am familiar with, but I have yet to find a Spanx product that has let me down!

Now, let's chat cheap. Spanx are rather pricey (but worth every penny); however, occasionally you can find them at a discount. Loehman's probably has the best selection, but you are still rather limited in styles, colors, and sizes. Off 5th usually has a couple of slips or body shapers, but I've never seen more than a handful. All in all, Spanx are one of the few cases where I think it is best to just go ahead and buy whatever you need at full price. It pains me to say that, but it's true...

Fret not,though, I'm not going to leave you on a pricey note! Occasionally certain organizations will run specials with the Spanx website where you get a discount and a portion of the purchase goes to charity! It just so happens that the Junior League of Washington is running a special during the month of October: see below for details.

"During October, SPANX is again offering Junior League members a special limited-time 25% discount on the company's entire product line and the opportunity to earn $5 per order for JLW. Select your purchases at www.spanx.com . When you are ready to place your order, enter JLW's unique code, " Washington ," into the promotion code box found on the last page of checkout and a 25% discount will be applied. For each order placed using this special online promotional code of "Washington," SPANX will donate $5 back to JLW. Last year, JLW was the number one League in orders placed and received $1,400!"

Lounge Wear

The weather forecast for the District of Columbia is gross with a 30% chance of miserable. This morning as I was in bed listening to the rain, work clothes were the last thing I wanted to adorn. On rainy days there's really nothing better than lying on the sofa watching the recently released 90210 Season 1 DVD's in your finest loungewear. Seriously, shed the PJ's; that can be the one productive thing you do all day...

Loungewear is one of my favorite types of clothing. If you get the right items you can compose an ensemble that's comfy, flattering, and stylish. An outfit that feels like you're wearing PJ's, yet is appropriate to wear in public; it just doesn't get much better than that!

I love Juicy with Primp coming in a very close second; I'm especially keen on their T's with the sparkly rhinestones! However, there is absolutely no way I can justify spending $80+ on what are, essentially, sweatpants. Fret not, you can still have your Juicy and Primp and afford it too.

Have you ever heard of a place called Gabrielle Brother's (Gabe's)? For those in the DC area, the closest one is in Winchester, VA, and well worth the trek. Gabe's is a warehouse-type store that sells clothing and much much more, but in all fairness Gabe's deserves it's own post so you'll have to wait to find out more. Chances are if you have heard of Gabe's it was probably in reference to someone looking through clothing and finding pants with one leg, shirts with holes, and dresses with stains. Amidst all the one-legged pants, though, are Juicy pants (both velour and terry) for a mere $10!

While not as exciting/scary as Gabe's, TJ Maxx is a great place to find Primp (they occasionally have Juicy, but it's still not as cheap as Gabe's). You have to look in the new Runway section that select TJ's have, but it's well worth it since the Primp pants are marked down to $30. You can also find Primp at Filene's Basement, Loehman's, and the sale racks at Neimans and Saks, but they are still usually over $50 there.

I think it's supposed to be pretty this weekend and what better to do than take a nice drive down Route 50 (stopping in Middleburg for some cookies at The Upper Crust) or I-66 and check out Gabe's to stock up on loungewear for the rainy days to come!