Although they don’t feature traditional comic book super heroines, Dear Kate’s League of Ladies underwear collection fits comfortably into any geeky lady’s wardrobe. These super cute, hipster style underpants each depict one of four real-life feminist super-heroines who made the world a better place: Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Harriet Tubman, and Amelia Earhart. All of the underwear are made right in NYC, so you know they were made in humane, non-sweatshop conditions. This collection doesn’t just pay lip service to feminist ideals, but follows through on them.
Based on a successful Kickstarted collection from 2013 by Shelly Ni and Gaia Orain, the Dear Kate League of Ladies collection updates the original collection in a few ways: first, they added Harriet Tubman to further increase the diversity of the awesome women the collection represents.
Second, these underwear include some serious technology designed to keep you comfortable — these underpants may become the most advanced thing in your wardrobe! Dear Kate’s founder, Julie Sygiel, is a chemical engineer who knows her stuff. Each pair features a mini liner that can absorb a ton of moisture to keep you feeling dry and your clothes clean. This replaces the need for pantiliners and makes you an environmental superhero! They’re also made of a super smooth and stretchy, stain-resistant fabric guaranteed not to ride up and give you a wedgie.
Dear Kate sent me a pair of Fridas in XL (they offer XS to 3X) and (for scientific purposes), I put them to the test.
I wore them on a day when I’d have to chase after my three kids, run several errands, and then go to an hours-long meeting at work. After a 14-hour day of running, sitting on the floor, climbing hills, getting in and out of the car repeatedly, and sitting in a terrible chair in my meeting, I felt comfortable, fresh, and 100% wedgie-free. The edges also stayed nice and flat without curling up even under my tights. I give the experience two thumbs up.
One potential downside to this collection is the price. At $44-53 a pair (they charge more for 1X-3X which is not one of my favorite things), these underwear are not cheap. I do believe their price can be justified by their quality, by the lifetime savings on pantiliners, and by their NYC provenance — ethical manufacturing doesn’t come cheap. I can guarantee that these will treat you better than the ones from the cheap bin at Target and be a lot cuter in the process.
