Miss Manners: Should I tell someone their underwear is visible?

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was picking up food at a restaurant when a young lady approached the counter to retrieve her order. She was wearing a lovely white dress. Unfortunately, her bright, colorful, patterned undies were quite visible through the dress’s fabric.

I was unsure how, or if, I should approach her to suggest pairing a slip or skin-tone undies with that particular dress. Does Miss Manners have any suggestions? GENTLE READER: Since it is unlikely that you had an extra slip or skin-tone undies on your person, alerting this young lady to the perceived fashion faux pas might not have been welcomed. For all you know, this was a deliberate fashion decision on her part.



Miss Manners is all for telling strangers -- kindly and privately -- about wardrobe malfunctions, but in this case, nothing could have been immediately done. It would only have caused embarrassment -- not just for the young lady, but for you, who would have been caught staring at her bottom. (Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.

missmanners.com ; to her email, [email protected] ; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St.

, Kansas City, MO 64106.).