Ladies Shapewear:
Your Stunning New Silhouette Has Arrived!

You can style your hair, your nails, your clothes, etc. but can you “style” your body? Yes, with shapewear!

Shapewear can instantly do the work of a surgeon, and "nip and tuck" to give you a look much more like the glamorous silhouette you want, or turn back the “body clock” 5 - 15 years!

A bold statement? Yes it is. It is also true, and countless women are discovering this, and putting shapewear into the ”best selling” category of lingerie websites and shops, around the world!

The Boomers Revenge

The market for shapewear is exploding, as baby boomers confront the challenges of life and gravity, and as younger women seek to rein in a few extra pounds and enjoy an extra smooth appearance.

I am in the boomer age-group, and have been amazed at what shapewear does for my appearance (see my picture below, for example). I am excited by what it has done for me, and only wish I had tried shapewear years ago!

Let me tell you what I know, and see if you think shapewear might be for you too.

1. The most amazing benefit is the reduction in inches; you immediately look firmer, tighter, and more svelte in your clothes; you “re-image” yourself, and show a more flattering silhouette.
   
   
2. Also, for women who don’t necessarily need to lose inches, shapewear is still a “go to” item, because of the way it smoothes any figure, supports, and actually enhances curves that may need some emphasis. This is why so many actresses who do not have a problem with weight wear shapewear, while filming or being seen at events. It's important to them to look good, just as it is to every woman.
   
   
   
   
3. As you can imagine, this visual benefit has an emotional benefit, too; the sudden increase in your confidence levels, as you go about your day or evening looking pounds lighter and more shapely, younger; you really are body-styling.
   
   
4. You get these amazing results without resorting to (or waiting for) invasive and expensive surgery (which is a road that is better when less traveled, in my opinion).
   
   
5. Many women find another even more wonderful benefit; the inspiration shapewear gives. The sight of yourself less 10 pounds or so can inspire you to work to actually lose them! It gives the “push” you need when you actually see the goal with your eyes, not just in your head!
   
   
6. An improvement in appearance will also have a bearing on your relationships with other people; after all, how you look is a huge part of how you feel around others.
   
   
7. With shapewear, you get another chance to wear (and look lovely in) some of your clothes that you can’t fit into now. You will be amazed at the look of yourself in that dress, again!

   I remember when I started wearing shapewear; my weight was higher than it had been, and I had shoved all the tight jeans, sexy tops and dresses etc. into the nether region of my closet and was only wearing looser fitting clothes.

   Wearing shapewear made me feel confident enough to try out some of my clothes and I cannot begin to describe how elated I felt when I actually fit into them!

Modern shapewear is designed to temporarily alter the wearer's body shape, to achieve a more fashionable figure. It does this by smoothing, supporting, lifting, firming and/or redistributing the body underneath, to eliminate bumps, lumps and flaws. Further:

• This is accomplished by using high technology (computer aided design) to develop garments that focus support on particular areas, instead of just being overall tight, as in the past, making shapewear comfortable to wear continuously, if desired.

• Shapewear is made of very specific materials (micro-fiber, spandex, polyamide, elastine, etc.) chosen for their ability to be knitted by advanced Santoni knitting machines to give the desired specific support over the life of the garment.

• Shapewear is available in size ranges from petites to plus size shapewear, since the style and appearance benefits are not limited to women who have excess weight.

• These advances in automation and manufacturing have reduced the prices of shapewear, making them more comparable to better quality undergarments, in price.

  Further, shapewear is now designed in beautiful and very stylish fashions, making it desirable for yet another reason, and allowing many pieces to be worn as outer wear, giving greater value to the wearer.

• Shapewear comes in three levels of support: light, moderate or firm, depending on the desired results.

It is a "convergence of technologies" that have arrived at just the right time for me, and many others!

But the kick start to shapewear sales happened when Oprah raved about hers’ on her show in 2000. Soon, dozens of celebrity women boldly stated that they wear shapewear almost constantly; when being filmed, performing on stage, appearing in public, etc., for the same reasons non-celebrity women do, plus reasons dealing with their star image, marketability, etc.

Since then, shapewear sales have increased steadily and strongly; Spanx alone sold 3/4 of a billion dollars worth in 2008, worldwide. Companies such as Sassybax, Wacoal, and Miraclesuit, among others, specialize in fulfilling the shapewear market.

(My bust is overflowing the top of the dress a bit, not because of the shapewear, but because I had the dress top tied too tight in back, likewise with the neck strap.)

There is shapewear available for your arms, chest, back, waist, hips, thighs and legs; virtually your whole body!

To help explain the different types of shapewear, I have made a little photo glossary, below. These four items are the most popular types of shapewear, so I thought I should point them out, especially.

These lightweight slips provide comfortable, virtually invisible, light to medium control under your favorite dresses and gowns.

This particular shapewear slip is made by Flexees shapewear, and is called their "Little Black Slip Dress".

Not only does it smooth and shape, but it can easily be worn as outerwear, too; imagine it over a pair of tights and boots, for example!

"High waister to thigh shaper": This is one of my personal favorites; it looks fabulous when worn under just about any outfit including trousers.

If you are looking for a firm, tight derriere and hips, you can't go wrong with this shapewear item that really smoothes and shapes the thigh, stomach, waist and rear areas. You can see from the picture the exact areas it firms up for you.

This Wacoal shapewear control brief will beautifully prevent "muffin top" (where your waist/hips bulge over your pants waist) forever!

Control camisoles are sleek and lightweight and can create a defined silhouette under clothing.

This photo is a lovely black
"Try a Little Slenderness"
control camisole, made by Wacoal Shapewear.

Also, They are a great shapewear option to pair with form fitting clothing, since they do this work while remaining totally invisible under your clothes; you will look slim and trim and smooth as silk in even the sheerest clothes.

This particular pair is made by Flexees shaperwear, and is a practical solution to tummy bulge and "muffin hips". Also it will lift and firm your rear.

Offering medium to firm control, they are the perfect shapewear option to pair with pants and longer dresses and skirts.

By their design, they shape and firm your entire lower body, comfortably and with style.

The pair in this picture is made by Miraclesuit shapewear,

I found that the type and size of shapewear that you choose will have a huge impact on the final look that you end up creating.

For instance, my first shape wear was a control slip bought because I was worried about my tummy. So, I thought it would be best to go for a size smaller than what I needed; I actually thought that it would enhance the toned look. However, the exact opposite happened; it was like shoving a pile of fat into a rubber tube. To say that I looked weird would be an understatement and I was very uncomfortable; I could barely breathe. It took me about 10 minutes to shove myself in it and another 30 to get myself out.

While it did not dissuade me from using shapewear, I did learn that like all other lingerie; it is important to purchase products of the correct size to get the right effect even when buying shapewear. So, if you are ready to buy your very first shapewear look for these factors:

Area of focus: choose shapewear items for the specific area of the body that you need to control.

Measurements: This is an important factor; so make sure to read the websites sizing directions, to get the correct size item for you. If not sure, all of the companies I link to have excellent customer service departments you can either call or email and get a quick help.

Remember that modern shapewear, correctly sized, should be comfortable enough wear all day, and certainly should not restrict movement, breathing or blood flow.

The color: I personally prefer black over the skin colored shapewear because I feel they look more chic. However, if you wear shearer clothing, you would want to go with a skin tone, which is practically invisible under your clothes.

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