by Charlene Chua
YOUR female boss, clad in a well-fitted power suit, is chairing a meeting.
Hey wait, her lacy bra is peeking out from under her jacket.
If Triumph International had their way, more professional women would be dressing this way.
The newly-launched line of “visible lingerie” is supposed to function as both inner and outerwear.
It was showcased at the Lingerie-Fashion Show at the Triumph boutique at Ion Orchard on Friday.
The path leading from the shop’s dressing rooms to the display window was transformed into a mini runway.
The five Caucasian models who showed off the “visible lingerie” attracted a fair bit of attention from shoppers, mostly women.
Triumph International’s advertising and promotions manager, Ms Wileen Chen, told The New Paper on Sunday: “For some designs, there’s added lace on the cups of the bra so that it looks sexy but still decent when a dress or jacket is worn over it.”
This trend is not new. In 1998, UK pop group Spice Girls were criticised for donning pant suits with their bras exposed from beneath their jackets when they performed at the Pavarotti & Friends For The Children Of Liberia concert.
But Ms Chen said there has been no such “made-to-be-seen” lingerie collection introduced here before.
Are Singaporean women ready to flaunt their delicates in public?
Ms Chen said: “In today’s society, I think more women have embraced the ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’ attitude, and this new line is perfect for the office or an evening out.”
Enhancement
Another plus, she added, was that all the bras in the “visible lingerie” line are Maximiser bras.
“This will help women achieve a nice cleavage and give them the extra confidence to wear it as outerwear,” she said.
“Asian women tend to be less well-endowed than their Caucasian counterparts so this will further enhance their experience with ‘visible lingerie’.”
But when we asked the female shoppers who had stopped to catch the fashion show if they would embrace the “visible lingerie”, most said no.
Ms Lee Yen Lin, 28, a marketing executive, said: “I work with men who will just stare at my chest whenever I talk to them, and that’s when I’m just wearing a black shirt.
“Imagine if I wore a jacket with my bra showing. The extra lace is very pretty and I do like the look very much.
“But not only will I feel even more sexually harassed, I’m afraid that my male bosses and colleagues will not take me seriously anymore.”
Ms Tessa Wong, 35, a personal relations manager agreed.
“The outfit will make me feel very exposed.
And people may get the idea that I am a loose woman,” she said.
“This sleep-with-the-boss-to-climb-to the- top tale is a cliche. An exposed bra is like telling everyone, ‘I’m that cliche’.”
But the women did like the idea of wearing the lingerie beneath a dress for an evening function.
Ms Gwen Quek, 32, a business owner, said: “I think that would be classy, sexy and simply divine. “Many party dresses I own are sheer and wearing another piece of clothing beneath would spoil the outfit. A piece of lingerie made to be seen would be the perfect solution.”
This article was first published in The New Paper.
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