HANESBRANDS

If you equate “Hanes” with the cotton underwear your mother bought you as a form of birth control, you’re not far off the mark. The Handsbrands show, which includes Dim and Bali, is an exercise in tedium. While there is something to be said for comfy cotton, one is left wondering if lace is an endangered species in Canada. Drowsy eyelids raise a few times for the occasional polka-dot stocking, scalloped edged panty, or racy busty bra in siren turquoise. For the most part, the collection is utilitarian, and while its true that a smooth bra is necessary for the close-fitted knits we all love, is a little ribbon, crystal or embroidery too much to ask?

My great-grandmother once told me that lingerie must be the most beautiful thing a woman puts on, as it is the closest thing to her body. What we wear beneath our clothes is an unseen, secret tribute to oneself. Surely Canadian women are just as worthy of watered silks and finely woven lace as those from Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Can’t we have our snuggly Hanes t-shirts, and lingerie as beautiful as the clothes we’ve seen this week?

Liza Zadwazka
photos Christina Pal