Support Solutions, with Marianne

Hi Ladies,

I received this email from “Laura” recently, thought I’d share it with you!  (Just FYI, when a name is in “quotes”, it means that the person requested anonymity.)

Dear Marianne,

I recently purchased a new little black dress for an upcoming charity benefit.  It’s this cute versace number, found it on www.saks.com:

 

Now I just need to find the right foundation to wear under it, and was hoping that you could help me out.  I definitely want to have a nice smooth silhouette when wearing the dress, just like the model in the picture!  I think a slip would be best.  I’m not full figured, but I can use a touch of help in the right places so I can’t wear just a bra… spkg of which I’m a full 34D… that’s another problem - most of the slips that I’ve found don’t support me enough.

Thanks in adv for your help.

First off, how about her new dress?  Fabulous.

Now for her foundation.  She mentioned a slip and is on the right track.  I’m glad that she came to me because it’s not always easy to find the right one.  Just like bras, bustiers, shapers, etc, slips are often challenging to choose from.  They come in a variety of lengths, sizing structures, necklines, degrees of control, and more.

Let’s start with lengths.  Most slips that you’ll find on the market are measured from either the center bust (lowest part of the neckline) or the top of the side seam (next to the underarm), down to the bottom of the slip.  Half-slips are of course an exception, since they start at the waist.

I found Laura’s dress on on saks.com to check the specs - they say that the dress measures about 23″ from the waist down.  Looking at the dress, that means it probably measures anywhere from 30-36″ from the center bust down.  So, what length slip should Laura wear?  Obviously, it should be shorter than 30″ down from the center bust or side seam - but how much shorter?  I would say that 6″ shorter is a safe distance, so a 24 or even a 25″ slip should work.  If the slip is too short, it will ride up quite a bit, so she should avoid “mini slips”, which measure around 18″.

Now onto the neckline.  This part is much more simple.  Her dress features a scoop neckline, and so should her foundation.  Some slips come with v-necks, that’s clearly not what she needs here.

Regarding bust support and sizing structure, most slips out there are sized either by dress size or Small/Med/Lge/etc.  However, some are sized by cup size, like bras - this is the sizing structure that Laura should look for.  A slip that is fitted to her bust, with bra cups and underwires, will keep her perfectly lifted comfortably throughout her charity benefit.  At Va Bien, we built our patented ultra-Lift bra cups into our slip, with women like Laura in mind.

As for control, Laura should look specifically for a “control slip”.  Many, if not most slips out there are intended to hang loose on the body.  A control slip however is made of stretchy, figure-hugging fabric designed to slim and smooth the body to varying degrees, depending on fabric content and the cut.  Usually levels of control are indicated in product titles, such as “moderate control slip”, “firm control slip”, etc.  From what Laura said, it sounds like she needs a moderate control slip, as she needs just a “touch of help in the right places”.

Best of luck to you Laura, enjoy your event!

Marianne

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Hi Ladies,

First off I want to thank all those who participated in my first live chat session last Friday.  It was a pleasure advising all of you on your innerwear issues!  I thought I’d write this post to share one of the questions that was asked; it’s not a typical request for advice, but rather a factual question - why not switch things up a bit, right?

The question: why do some panty styles start at Size 5, while others start at 1 or even 0?

Well, the panty sizing scale was formulated over 50 years ago, and since then many apparel sizing scales have trended downwards.  Some panty manufacturers did not participate in that trend and their scales still start at 5.  Others did, and theirs start lower.  Most brands have avoided the confusion all together by switching to a lettered scale (Small/Medium/Large/etc).

Now, why did apparel sizing trend downward?  Some say it’s because of “Vanity Sizing”, an alleged marketing ploy designed to ”trick” women into feeling good about wearing a small size number, even though the product is actually bigger than that size number was years ago - or because the same size in a different brand is smaller.  Do any of you wear the same dress size that you did 20 years ago, even though you have gained weight?  Were you ever surprised to fit into a certain size in one brand because you could never fit into that size in another brand?  Some call that Vanity Sizing.

Others do not agree that the fashion industry uses Vanity Sizing as a psychological tactic.  They argue that sizing evolves to serve the best interest of the consumer by reflecting differences between brands and their respective demographics.  For example, if a brand’s customer base grows wider over the years - as was the case in the US over recent decades - sizing should adjust accordingly.  Or, they argue, if one brand’s customer base tends to be much thinner than another, its sizing scale should reflect that as well.

The concept of Vanity Sizing presents a big debate.  Please feel free to add your comments - I know that sizing is something that everyone needs to vent about sometimes!

Best,

Marianne

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