Historically women’s shapewear was worn for hundreds of years and it was deeply rooted into the culture of patriarchal society. Feminine figure altering or enhancing undergarments were considered social and even religious norm back in the Middle Ages as well as fashion statement later in modern times. There are many types of compression garments that create desirable look for women of all shapes and sizes. The question is how to choose the best slimming shapewear for women that would fit their unique body type, their chosen outfit and deliver the right level of support to enhance their favorable body qualities and disguise the flaws.
Different Types of Shapewear for Women
Actually modern figure shaping undergarments are pretty high tech and they are made with varying amounts of elastic fibers to create desired level of support. There are at least a dozen of different types of contemporary shapewear that is available for daily use as well as special occasions. They can be categorized by level of compression, type of coverage and style.
Light compression shapewear that includes our favorite go-to bras, bralettes, seamless briefs and thongs as well as basic tank tops can be worn at work, school or during any other daily activity that does not require high support. They are light and breathable yet they make us look and feel great all day long.
Firmer and more elaborate compression undergarments go with special occasion attire like wedding gowns and former dresses, which require the highest lever of support to visually reshape and enhance one’s body. Strikingly thin waist, shapely behind and luscious bust are often achieved by using sometimes extreme levels of compression created by elastic belts, bands, corsets and sculpting body suits. This type of shapewear is known to be much less comfortable and cannot be worn for extensive periods of time.
There is a third group of shapewear that is worn by itself as a fashion piece. Corset is the most famous of all in this category and it can be made with gorgeous fabrics like lace, satin, denim and others as well as it could be elaborately decorated to make a fashion statement while slimming and enhancing your figure in all the right places. Corsets go great with any type of skirt, pants, leggings or a pair of jeans, it could also be worn on top of a flowy dress for the waist cinching effect. Wide elastic fashion belt could also be considered a type of shapewear as well as great addition to your wardrobe.
Light Compression Shapewear for daily use
Smoothing tank top or sculpting bralette paired with high-rise underwear or shaping shorts will give you better defined curves as well as enough support to boost your confidence in most day time activities. These shaping undergarments can also be used for added modesty and coverage when worn underneath sheer blouses, light summer dresses or any other see-through fabric or body hugging clothes. Appropriate and well tailored shapewear should not prevent you from breathing and moving freely as well as it should be washable and feel effortless on your skin.
Shaping slips are popular among skirt wearers paired with light compression tank tops. Such a winning combination goes great under any business-casual or business suit. High rise underwear has no match when worn under a skirt, pants or a pair of your favorite jeans. Light sundresses and flowy skirts are best when combined with lightly shaping seamless shorts or capris. Actually even light compression garments on your body, especially midsection, make you slouch less and contribute to your posture improvement.
Higher Compression Shapewear for Plus Sizes
Body shaping undergarments for plus sizes tend to be made of higher content elastic fabric that produces extra support in all the problematic spots like thighs, hips, butt and chest with extra emphasis on the midsection. There are numerous different high rise tummy slimming shapers for the “muffin top” issues and they can fit and support practically any shape and size body.
Additional features like elastic stay-in-place bands and non-slip straps will prevent wardrobe malfunction even when sitting or bending that way boosting your confidence in your outfit and yourself. Shaping shorts, corsets, full or partial body suits, compression tank tops and elastic belts offer the best support there is and desired curve definition for various body shapes and occasions.
Shapewear for Special Occasions
Special occasion shapewear is designed to visually enhance and reshape your figure for desired outfit as well as create specific body image. Also, celebrity shapewear isn’t a secret anymore and it has gone mainstream evolving into more comfortable styles like shaper dresses, slimming backless suits or more complicated cuts made for elaborate evening gowns.
Typically shapewear designed for special occasions feels more constraining and it is not meant to be worn for a long period of time. Sculpting shapewear is often already incorporated into a dress and one doesn’t need any additional support pieces to achieve the desired look. Additional waist cinching, bust enhancing and butt sculpting shapewear is commonly worn with formal gowns or cocktail dresses. Muffin top, saggy behind or any other problematic area could be instantly transformed and party ready with such a wide variety of available shapewear for women.
Conclusion
No one can deny importance of shapewear in women’s wardrobe and our culture in general. Most women currently own at least one piece of shapewear that they used at some point in their life. New innovative undergarment companies pop up every year and even celebrities like Lizzo and Kim Kardashian started their own body shaper collections to keep up with ever growing customer demands. They offer huge variety of shaper styles, fabrics, comfort, coverage and compression levels in multiple natural skin tone colors. And most importantly more and more companies embrace size inclusivity. There are thousands of quite sophisticated pieces of shapewear available at almost any retail or online store.
So what is the best slimming shapewear for women? It depends on desired individual results. Here, at Shapewear Angel, we are focused on the most popular slimming high waisted shorts, tops, slips, body suits and other high quality pieces that every woman deserves to proudly own. We are determined to help you successfully navigate through this vast variety of excellent shapewear and find the right one just for you. Thank you for visiting and happy shopping!
If you have any questions about our shapewear, let me known in the comments below. I will be more than happy to help you out.
With Love,
Dalia at Shapewear Angel