Recently I was reminded of the phrase “Behind every man there is a great woman”!  I can’t tell you who originally said it but it got me thinking about how it relates to your clothing and how you dress. (Whaaaat?? I hear you cry but hear me out for a minute!).

The quote made me think about foundations and structure and how this can make or break anything  - for example a house without a good foundation isn’t going to last which got me thinking about what is underneath things that you may not necessarily see … which brought me to how it relates to how you dress (phew! … got there in the end!).

Your whole look can be enhanced by what you wear underneath or it can be ruined if you don’t get those basics right.  You may remember back in the 90’s Trinny Woodall was a huge advocate of this concept in her TV show “What Not To Wear” and post 2000 Gok Wan was another advocate of getting the right things happening beneath your outfit but don’t worry – if you come for a Style session with one of our Consultants we won’t make you strip down to your underwear infront of a 360 degree mirror to view your lumps and bumps from every angle!!!

The starting point is to wear the right underwear for your outfit – not just the right type of knickers to avoid a VPL (Visible Pant Line) which can ruin your silhouette but getting the right colour underwear too (you may like those sexy black undies but not the best idea to wear them under a white outfit unless you are trying to show off your underwear that is…!).

If you have something to wear that is quite a snug fit and you have lumps and bumps to the shape of your body that you may want to even out then consider investing in some waist high super skimming “Bridget Jones” knickers from the infamous scene in the film.

Did you know that most women wear the wrong bra size?  Getting a proper bra fitting in an independent shop is a must!  Most offer fittings as a free service and can assist you to get the right style and fit for the kind of support that you need irrespective of how big your boobs are!!! At the end of the day, whether you are under or over 40 nobody wants to look or feel like their boobs are resting on their stomach and your outfit will thank you for the proper support to help it hang beautifully on your body too!

Here at Tortue we have an “Essentials Range” covering ‘spaghetti strap’ vest tops from our Planet Tortue Eco range available in neutral or bright colours which are great to wear under a top if you feel a little self conscious or team them with a pair of shorts and your swimwear in the height of summer holidays.

Our really clever range of super thin flexible ‘invisible vest’ tops are great to wear beneath a jumper for layering, the neat fit of which helps with washing as you will need to wash your jumper less frequently.   These tops are clever because if you fold in half along the side seam, you can then take a pair of scissors to the neckline of the top and cut it to whatever shape you want.  Not only will it mean you have a top to wear invisibly beneath something with an unusual neckline but where you have cut with scissors will not fray and does not need sewing.  Clever hey?

The Essentials Range also has some classic T shirts in there too.  We have a lace long sleeve T which is great worn under a short sleeve dress helping you extend spring/summer dresses into all seasons - especially if you pair with opaque tights and boots.  Our black roll neck T shirt with long sleeves is great for layering and looks fab worn in its own right with jeans, boots and an oversize jumper/coat.  

Our often overlooked range of super soft plain V Neck short sleeve T Shirts in neutral colours (black,  navy and Ecru) and a round neck short sleeve T shirt (in black or ecru) are nothing but basic.  They feel so fantastically comfortable when you wear them that you probably won’t want to take them off!   Again, wear them in their own right (we like wearing the white one with jeans and white trainers for a day to day look) or you can layer them beneath blouses, shirts, jumpers, jackets and coats too!  

Being Tortue, “basic” is a bit of an understatement as these T Shirts have a slight sparkle in the trim at the neckline which is designed to reflect light back to your face to help brighten your complexion!!  Just one of our clever subtle little design tricks and competitively priced too!!

You can now book a convenient online styling session with one of our team, so advice and help has never been easier, especially for those short on time.