In Intimate Detail

For those of you who do not know me personally, I have a confession to make: I am obsessed with books! I have about nine hundred books in my house (mostly in my bedroom but also in my basement). I also have a Kindle where I have numerous ebooks, and I use my local public library system a lot. I have books on a variety of topics, from cookbooks to poetry to books on fashion. For this blog post, I am going to review the book In Intimate Detail: How to choose, wear, and love lingerie by Cora Harrington.

I have been following Cora Harrington’s blog, The Lingerie Addict, for about two years. When I read that she was going to author a book about lingerie, I was ecstatic. I have two other books about lingerie: Paris Undressed: The Secrets of French Lingerie by Kathryn Kemp-Griffen and The Lingerie Handbook by Sarah Stark and Rebecca Apsan. However, being the bibliophile that I am, I immediately pre-ordered Harrington’s In Intimate Detail.

In Intimate Detail was released on August 28, 2018. If I remember correctly, I received the book the day it came out. I read the entire book in about three days. I could have finished reading it in one day, but I purposely made myself stop and truly savor reading it. In Intimate Detail is 143 pages of lingerie wisdom.

In In Intimate Detail, Harrington goes over everything you need to know about lingerie. She even includes tidbits about the history of lingerie, which I, being a history nerd, absolutely loved. In chapters divided mostly by types of lingerie (ie, bras, hosiery, etc) Harrington covers topics like how to properly measure your bust and how to clean your lingerie.
Harrington is a wise, gentle guide into the world of lingerie. She does not make blanket statements telling you what you must do. For example, in the chapter about bras, Harrington never states that you must wear a bra. Rather, she makes many a sage suggestion, and ultimately stresses that the functions and purposes of lingerie is highly individualized.

I enjoy and appreciate how comprehensive In Intimate Detail is. Harrington includes information on everything from selecting bridal lingerie to how to find lingerie after a mastectomy and more. I am thoroughly happy that she includes information for populations as diverse (but oft neglected) as pregnant people, nursing parents, and trans and nonbinary folks.

I recommend In Intimate Detail to anyone who loves and appreciates lingerie. This is also a great book for someone who simply wants to know more about the world of lingerie. Since Harrington includes solid advice on how to buy lingerie for someone else, I recommend In Intimate Detail to anyone who is planning on buying lingerie for a partner.

Stay tuned for more reviews on books about various beauty- and fashion-related topics.