Given that I chose one of the hottest days in July to test-run the panties, they protected me from sweat as much as anything else. (Indeed, Sygiel says customers have asked her to use the material to make shirts that don't show sweat stains or underwear for potty-training children.)
And skeptical though I was of a $32 pair of underwear, the panties really did save my butt that day. I silently thanked Sexy Period as I retrieved a tampon from my desk and returned to the bathroom without stuffing a wad of toilet paper down my pants first.
Too much information? Probably. But with a company as free-flowing as Sexy Period, it's hard to be silent about periods.
Sygiel says part of her long-term mission is making society more comfortable discussing menstruation, though she shies away when I suggest a connection between women feeling sexy during their periods and having sex during their periods.
For now, Sexy Period is more focused on branding and expanding than on anything else. Following a showcase at the Curve Expo in New York City, the business will show its products at Style Week Providence and a runway show in October. Sygiel's eyes light up when she talks about opportunities for growth and it's clear that she envisions a Sexy Period empire built out of watercolor fabrics and clever slogans.
"I'm a very impatient person, so sometimes it feels like it's taking forever," she says, admitting that momentum could slow in the fall when most of her interns go back to school.
But Sexy Period's cuteness is as catchy as the song in its promotional video (composed by Sygiel's co-founder Eunice Png). By this time next year, leak-proof panties could be the newest phase in the fashion cycle.
