Let’s talk about shapewear

Could ‘shapewear’ be the least glamorous word in fashion? It doesn’t have the same ring to it as Choos or Manolos, does it? Yet shapewear is something most of us have tried or worn at some point and it can really make a difference to how your clothes look. I’ll kick the shapewear conversation off by telling you that I have several contraptions in my wardrobe that  promise to smooth you out and hold you in.

Also did I mention that I have 3 kids all delivered by cesarean section and that I’m partial to red wine and cheese? I definitely NEED these garments in my arsenal for special occasions when some extra ‘support’ is is required, although there’s no denying that they make basic functions like, erm… breathing difficult.

I’ve got pants that go up to my armpits but they start to roll down leaving an unsightly crease across my back after about 20 minutes. I’ve got a body that allows you to wear your own bra and I also have a dress version of this that I wear when a slinky dress is on the agenda but by ‘eck it’s hard to wear! You put your bra on as normal, then shoehorn yourself into this dress (which has a very restrictive body inside it) and then you get dressed. It’s exhausting! One of my more recent purchases is this waist nipper that was recommended to me here but I didn’t like it much it because the boned structure bent quickly and dug into my back. 

To cut a long story short, I was contacted by the PR company for Shapeez and I initially said that I wouldn’t try it because as a general rule I don’t like writing reviews and I wasn’t sure how I would work it into a blogpost. I’m certainly never going to post images of myself in my underwear, no one needs to see that! In the end I agreed to try it and simply give some feedback on the product. Shapeez have just launched in the UK (they are huge in US) and are currently only available through Amazon but don’t let that put you off, I love my Shapeez!

Like I said, I wasn’t really keen to road test shapewear (is anyone ever?) but I pulled on my Shapeez and I was thrilled. Now I won’t lie to you, I still have to do a bit of a dance and a jiggle to get into them in much the same way you would do with Spanx but these are so much more comfortable.

I have the the Silkee bra which is basically a vest and a bra all in one and is great for me as I wear a vest every day – yes, even in the summer to smooth things out a bit, it’s my security blanket. Shapeez has been a game changer because it fulfils the function of bra and supportive vest in one comfortable garment. Best of all, the bra section fits well and the vest is long and does not roll up when you wear it! Apart from the jiggle you have to do to put them on, you completely forget you are wearing Shapeez and not having a bra strap across your back is quite liberating and looks so much better.

Over to you now, do you wear shapewear? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Antonia x

This post was written with thanks to Shapeez who kindly gifted a Silkee bra for me to try. All words and opinions are my own, thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Tinker Tailor Online possible.