All About Garter Belts: Trendy, Pretty, Practical & Healthy

Pretty & practical garter belts

Before tights, women wore corsets with suspenders or garter belts to hold up their stockings and this allowed air to circulate around your genitals and dry up any perspiration, so no Candida fungus could grow there. And because we almost all wear tighter, synthetic pants these days, lots more women are living with the misery of recurrent thrush! But – help is at hand and common sense has nudged fashion designers to bring garter belts back into fashion, so we can look s-e-x-ier and say a long goodbye to the nuisance of having an itchy vulva.

Health advice

The biggest benefit of wearing garter belts and stockings is that you won’t be plagued by ‘thrush’ or Candida Albicans, as it’s officially known. And this is because ‘thrush’ is caused when sweat builds up in your gusset, because your nether regions are encased in nylon tights. Nylon tights don’t allow air to move through the fabric and so sweat stays wet and then a type of fungus starts growing on your genitals. Hmmm! So if you didn’t already know that the painful, itchy nuisance of thrush is caused by wearing nylon/synthetic tights and panties, I hope this helps!

Let’s talk about s-e-x

And apart from the practical aspects of stockings and garter belts, it’s a fact that men find them extremely s-e-x-y! I would say that the female garment that men hate most is the pantie-waist or ‘tights’! They are not a very attractive garment as they do tend to emphasize a rounded tummy and make the best of us look less attractive. So switching to wearing a garter belt, is definitely going to super-charge your love-life!

Color trends

So if you want to be trendy, s-e-x-y and healthy, it’s time you kitted yourself out with a few garter belts! Like all fashion clothes, garter belts are made in a wide range of styles, fabrics and sizes. So before you go shopping, you should do a little preparation to ensure you get a comfortable fit that suits your body shape. And you should consider color carefully, too. Light color garter belts are more practical for daily wear as they won’t show through a thin fabric skirt. But for evening or bedroom wear, red, black and purple lace garter belts are trendy right now!

How to choose garter belt styles

Wider garter belts are usually more comfy and they leave a smoother silhouette under your daily outfits. So if you want to smooth out any lumps and bumps between your waist and hips, choose a wide belt. Choose a firm cotton style that fits well around the narrowest part of your waistline, not down on your hips. This type of garter will stay in place better and won’t tend to slide down your hips throughout a busy day. Avoid an elasticated, narrow band for daily wear as it may slip down if you are doing a lot of bending and stretching, and you don’t want to be pulling up your garter belt every half-hour!

Cover-up garter-belts

If you’re choosing s-e-x-y lingerie for the bedroom, you can choose any width really. If your figure is flawless, then choose a narrow garter and show off your smooth skin. However, if you have stretch marks, fat or other blemishes choose a wider belt that will cover any flaws with attractive lace! They really can transform you into a very seductive and desirable woman.

Try the new garter-skirt

The new garter-skirt style is fast becoming a top-seller in lingerie departments. And there are several reasons for this in my opinion. Firstly, if you prefer more coverage of a less than perfect tummy, this clever little item hides what you don’t want to accentuate and highlights the thigh area between the top of the stockings and the panties. This flash of thigh has traditionally been a big ‘turn-on’ for men! You can buy this super-feminine garter-skirt in pretty satin, silk or stretchy lace.

Best fasteners for garter belts

There are some narrow garter belts that have no fasteners and are just a circle that you stretch open and slide on up your legs and over your hips. But this is the style that tends to slip down most often, so avoid it. The best garter belts have hook-and-eye fasteners at the back, like a bra. And always look for a belt that has at least 3 rows of hook fasteners, so you can adjust the fit if required.

Some garter belts have suspenders set at a fixed length and these may suit you, depending on how long your legs are. But if you are very tall or short, you may get a better fit from suspenders which have a slide adjuster like the ones on bra straps. So always try on a garter belt before you buy because we are all different shapes and sizes and one-size-fits-all is just a marketing myth!

How to wear s-e-x-y garter belts

These days the trend is to wear matching colored bra, panties and garter belt and strong colors like red, black and purple are popular with men. You can wear natural colored stockings, or plain black stockings, but patterned black stockings and fishnet stockings still seem to be the most popular with men. However, the best way to decide what to wear in the bedroom is to ask your partner!

Lace garter belts

Lace is a super-s-e-x-y fabric to choose as stretchy lace is semi-transparent and shows off your body underneath. The other benefit is that it will follow the curvy contours of your waist and hips beautifully and make you look irresistible!

High waisted garter belts

The look great and are helpful to smooth out any extra fat lurking around your waist! The belt is medium-thick and shows little flashes of flesh above your panties. So you get a very flattering look whether you’re dressed or undressed!

Getting a good fit

Now that we are all buying more items online, it’s vital that you take your measurements carefully. Soft, fabric measuring tapes give the most accurate readings. And you need to measure your waist at its narrowest point and then your hips at their widest part. Then make a note of your measurements in both inches and centimetres, as online stores may be in a different country and use a different sizing system.

Metal suspenders are best

Garter-belts with plastic suspender clips are often cheaper to buy, but they aren’t so efficient at keeping your stockings gripped and secure. So look for metal suspender clips for the best grip, because plastic clips sometimes slide off.

How many suspenders clips do you need?

• Four suspenders are fine for bedroom wear, as they keep your stockings up and are easy to undo when you remove your garter.
• For daily wear, look for belts with six to eight suspenders to give you complete peace of mind that your stocking will stay up and will never wrinkle.
• And if you like a strappy, super-s-e-x-y look you can get garter belts with up to 12 suspenders.

Choosing fabrics

For day-to-day wear, you can select natural cotton, non-stretch satin, power-net or power-mesh. These are all comfortable and practical fabrics that you can wear all day and they are ‘breathable’ i.e. they allow air and moisture to pass through. So you stay dry and perspiration-free. Don’t buy daily garter-belts with fancy ruffles, bows and lace on them as they often make little bumps that show through your clothing.

For the bedroom, go for a luxury look with stretch satin, leather, vinyl, silk, faux fur and nylon lace. Bright colors make plenty of eye-catching impact, but consult your partner and buy garter-belts that appeal to both of you.

How to put-on a garter belt

Most important of all is to put your garter-belt on before your panties. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen models wearing their panties underneath their garter. And if you do that, you won’t be able to slide down your panties when you visit the bathroom! So garters and stockings go on first, and then panties on top. And make sure you wear panties that finish below the bottom edge of the garter-belt for a s-e-x-y vibe.

How to roll-on your stockings

Stockings can be very fragile, so make sure your hands are well moisturized before you handle them or you may pull out delicate threads and ruin them. Slide your hands into the foot of a stocking and gently pull it onto your foot, before sliding it up to your thigh. Make sure the stocking isn’t twisted and then fasten the suspenders.

And lastly, with your stockings on, adjust the suspender straps to the correct length. The suspenders should hang down about a quarter to a third of the length of your thighs, before you adjust them. Then shorten or lengthen them until your stockings fit your legs perfectly with no wrinkles!

So if you haven’t tried wearing a garter-belt before, now is the time to ramp up your feminine allure and have lots more fun! Subscribe to get more fashion tips on herstyelcode.com