Shopping for Shapewear

So today, I wanted to talk about shapewear. I feel like it has a bad connotation for many women because they think it’s only used if you’re a certain body type or size. But every woman can benefit from wearing shapewear because we all have bodies and bodies have bumpy places. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just the human body. And shapewear is there to help sculpt, smooth and support the body to give a sleeker appearance in our clothes.

Before we dive in, I’m Emmaline Chappell and I’m a certified personal stylist. I have my own business here in Richmond. I help busy women elevate their style by rediscovering the joy of dressing to look luxe for less.

I like to think of shapewear and even just your everyday undergarments as foundational pieces. When you’re wearing the correct undergarments for your body and your size, it helps the outfit lay smoothly and everything looks streamlined. That’s why it’s super important to have the right foundation for your outfits because wearing the wrong size shapewear or ill fitting bras and underwear can mean the difference between a great outfit and an outfit that isn’t achieving the look you wanted.

Top two foundation pieces are bras and undies. So even if you don’t want shapewear, which is totally fine, you definitely need to make sure these two undergarments are fitting your correctly. I’ll get into the signs of how to tell when your undergarments aren’t fitting you in another video but the main takeaway is to invest some time in finding the undergarments. The right bra should support and hug the chest. Make sure you’re getting regularly measured for new bras at least once a year. Because our bra size changes throughout our life and it’s not good for your body or your self-esteem to be wearing worn out bras year after year. And the right underwear can truly make a difference in how your outfit lays, fits and sits. It should create smooth lines, hug the body and feel like second skin. It’s best to know your hip and waist size to determine the size you should wear for the brand you’re looking at. If you fall between a size, consider the style and fabric of the decipher if you should size up or down.

Now when it comes to shopping for shapewear, there’s a couple of factors to keep in mind: the control levels and the areas you want to accentuate. So first ask yourself how much compression you’re wanting to determine what control level you should choose. Low is good for shapewear beginners because it’ll provide light smoothing. Medium control is great for contouring the body accentuating your shape. And high to extra high control provides the highest level of support. Next, think about what areas of your body you want to smooth and support. It could be your stomach, your waist, your thighs are all the above. Just getting clear on compression and the areas of your body you want to focus on can make shopping for shapewear less overwhelming.

And my top two tips when shopping for shapewear is to try on when you can to buy true to size. Don’t make the mistake of buying your shapewear a size smaller in hopes that the compression will make you fit smaller clothes. This actually results in creating bumps in places you don’t. And also, don’t buy a size up if you’re nervous about the discomfort, this’ll make the shapewear move or roll down. And when you’re trying on the pieces, do the different tests of doing any movements you’d do during your day to make sure it’s fitting properly and not rolling or cutting into the skin.

The key to shapewear is wearing the correct size. So make sure you know your right bra size and your waist and hips measurements to determine the best size when shopping.

If you have any questions about this video please leave a comment or send me a direct message and I’ll answer you asap or if would like any help with your personal style or your wardrobe, reach out through my website.

Work with me! As a personal stylist and style coach, I believe you deserve to feel amazing in your clothes and have a wardrobe that you love to wear. With my guidance and expertise, you’ll have a closet that works and a style that makes you feel confident and fabulous!