Shapewear refers to undergarments that are tightly fitted to give your body the necessary support and shape that you desire. They can make you look slimmer with smooth and greatly enhanced curves. Another popular term used to refer to them is compression garments.
Most women go to a clothing store and buy a dress that looks really great on a mannequin. But when they put it on, it doesn’t look as good as it did on the mannequin. The difference comes about because the mannequin is not designed to look like the typical human body, which may have some beautiful imperfections here and there.
Therefore, you can consider wearing foundation garments or shapewear to help you even these protrusions and give your body a smooth figure. That said, here are ways you can spice up your wardrobe with shapewear:
Upper-body shapewear
Starting with your upper body, there are several types of shapewear you can put on to perfect your bust. These are some upper-body shapewear available on the market:
- Show your feminine curve with a contour bra
This bra fits and makes the breasts look shapely, thus giving you the feminine curve you crave. Also known as the molded bra, it usually has an underwire and is padded, providing your breast enough support.
The padding is typically done by a machine to give the bust a perfect and seamless shape that helps make your tops and blouses look elegant and stunning.
- Bust shaper/bracer to accentuate your upper body
A bracer is a unique shapewear that enables you to lift and shape your breasts. You can use a bracer if you want to expose your cleavage through a V-shaped top. You can add it over the bra to push your breast upward. Most ladies, however, use this bust shaper to lift and support sagging breasts, a condition that’s medically known as breast ptosis.
- Appear trim and slender with a minimizer bra
A minimizer bra is a bra that makes your breasts look smaller and gives you a more slender silhouette. In addition to that, it also smoothens back bulges. Ideally, this bra works by using strong material to compress and hold the breast tight against the body, giving them an even look and making them appear smaller. (1)
Compressing the breasts this way forms a V-shape between them, making it easy to expose your cleavage, especially when wearing a see-through or low-neck top.
- Versatile corsets for many occasions
A corset is a tight-fitting shapewear that combines a bra and a waist cincher. You can fasten it with a tight lacing either at the back or front. It’s also boned at the sides to give the body a smooth shape. You can tighten it to make your waist appear smaller. If it extends to the hip, it’s known as a corselette. These are the different types of corsets:
- Bustier: This is a modern-day corset that ends around the waist. If you have side belly fat or a loose belly, you can use this corset by fastening the laces around the waist tightly to give you a trim figure and help you look sexier, especially if you are wearing a fitting dress.
- Longline bra: This tight-fitting bra extends to the waist or navel, and it almost looks like a bodice top. This unique style is fastened with hooks and eyes at the back, and its basques are usually boned. You can use it if you want to rock an outfit and you have a bit of a belly. It makes you appear as if your tummy is flat and gives you a trim figure since your breasts and hips will be more visible.
- Shaping camisole: A shaping camisole is a tight and fitting shapewear with thin straps made of lightweight and extremely comfortable material. Its robust stretch fabric around the bust, tummy, and waistline makes it comfortable to wear without a bra. Its primary purpose is to smoothen out any bulges on the upper part of your body, giving you a sleeker body shape.The advantage of wearing a shaping camisole is that you can decide whether or not you want to wear a bra. And either way, you don’t have to wear any other outfit on top. It adds comfort and style in ways you’ve never thought were possible. You can wear it with a summer hat, short denim skirts, and sandals to make you look more beautiful. Ideally, shaping camisoles can spice up any casual wear.
- All-around support with body shaper/body briefer
This is a full-body shaper for your trunk, abdomen, and thighs. It’s a one-piece undergarment that compresses the stomach and waist, lifts the breasts, and also extends to the hips. Ideally, a body shaper looks like a one-piece swimsuit, and it gives shape and all-over support to the body.
Stomach shapewear
These are tight-fitting shapewear that you can wear around your waist to smooth your stomach. Indeed, fashionistas know that belly fat is the last taboo for women’s bodies. While your breasts and buttocks are expected to appear bigger, the flatter your stomach is, the better for you both fashion- and health-wise. (2)
Here are a few stomach shapewear to add to your wardrobe:
- Smaller waist with a tummy tucker, waist nipper, or waist cincher
This shapewear is meant to pull your stomach in and make the waist appear smaller. You can adjust it using hooks and eyes, laces, or even zips. And in many instances, it has boning to maintain its shape. They start under the bust and extend to the waist or even the hips. Some tummy tuckers come with ornate designs so you can wear it over your dress or top to add more style to your look. However, some are designed as undergarments, so you shouldn’t wear them over the clothing.
- Expecting moms’ maternity support
There are two types of maternity supports: a high-waist panty or a belt worn around the stomach. These are body shapers specifically designed to support the abdominal area of pregnant women. As an expectant mother, you have the liberty to choose the option that will give you more comfort and support.
- Make your waist look slimmer with a control panty
This is a piece of shapewear meant to tighten the waist. It makes your waist look slimmer by flattening your stomach, especially if you have an above average belly. It also helps enhance the shape of the buttocks, giving you a shapely look with a more protruding behind. This is an excellent option if you want to wear a short-skirt suit.
Lower-body shapewear
These undergarments help you shape those parts of your body below the waist, including the buttocks, hips, and thighs. Here are a few lower-body shapewear you can get from retailers:
- Show off your long legs with a high-cut panty
These panties are cut high on the leg, above the thighs, just as the name suggests. Thus, they’re an excellent way of showing off long legs or making shorter legs appear longer, and exposing a bit of the derriere.
Also, high-cut panties enclose the muffin top and love handles. Muffin top refers to the excess fat around the stomach, while love handles is excess fat on the waistline. Covering the excess fats this way reduces the bulgy look, thus helping you boost your confidence. They’re comfortable to wear since they’re not extremely tight. (3)
- Shape and support your waist with high-waist shorts
High-waist shorts are control panties that resemble a tight short with a high waist. It gives support and shape to the waistline and at the same time compresses the thighs and hips, making them appear sexier. The other advantage of these shorts is that, if you suffer from thigh chafe in warm weather, they can help with that condition.
Even if you aren’t bothered about the shape of your thighs or preventing thigh chafe, thigh shapers are an excellent option to go for if you’re wearing something fitting like a stretcher skirt and you not only want to smooth your stomach but also want to eliminate visible panty lines, and you don’t like wearing thongs. As you’re aware, visible panty lines is a universally dreaded fashion faux pas, and you wouldn’t want to commit such a mistake. (4)
- Lower-abdomen support with a low-waist shaper
You can wear this undergarment on the waist. It mainly compresses the lower abdomen area. You can wear it under low waist jeans and underskirts.
- Smooth hips with a hip shaper
If you want your hips to have a smooth curve, then this body shaper is meant for you. It has pads that give an excellent side shaping, making your hip curves appear perfect. It is primarily beneficial for people who do not have a hip curve, and using them can help restore your shape and confidence while wearing any form-fitting cloth.
- Smooth all over with a shaping slip
A shaping slip dress is an alternative to high waist shorts. It can smooth you all over, just like the shorts. As such, you can choose either according to your taste and preference. It provides coverage to the thighs, not forgetting that it helps prevent visible panty lines. Half skirts or slips are also available if you only want to slim your tummy and hips, meaning that you can wear the bra of your choice.
- Cover unsightly shapes with open-bottom girdles
This is a waist-cinching garment covering the stomach and hip bones and ends around the upper thighs. Most of these girdles come with detachable suspender straps, which you can find in fun colors or prints. You can anchor the suspender belts to the hemline or stocking so that it doesn’t roll up. And as it’s made with soft fabric, you’ll find it both supportive and comfortable. You can wear them under a dress, skirt, or a trouser. But if you dislike the suspender grips or stockings, then a high-cut panty can work better for you.
Conclusion
You surely want to look your best, but sometimes it may prove a bit challenging, especially if you’ve gained a bit of weight and like to wear fitting clothes. For this reason, you can try any of the shapewear discussed in this post to help pull out the much-desired perfect body shape. Wearing these body shapers can make you look stunning and boost your confidence as you do your daily activities.
References
- “What Is A Minimizer Bra?” Source: https://www.infobloom.com/what-is-a-minimizer-bra.htm
- “The Belly Is The Last Taboo For Women’s Bodies”, Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/be-proud-of-your-belly_b_6148548
- “How To Get Rid Of Your Muffin Top”, Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Your-Muffin-Top
- “5 Common fashion faux pas”, Source: https://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/820966/5-common-fashion-faux-pas/
