Support Solutions, with Marianne

Hi Ladies,

I recently received this email from “Trisha”  on a subject that I hear about quite often:

Marianne- i like to wear high waist underwear to smooth out my middle. But one problem that i have with any high waist underwear that i buy is that the waist always rolls down. It’s annoying because the rolled up part of the high waist creates bulges under my tops… and it’s embarrassing having to pull it up all the time.  And it’s not like i have some real active job where i’m moving around a lot, i just have a desk job. That high waist just keeps rolling down like it’s running away from my boobs help!!

Well Trisha, high waisted shapewear is definitely a great call for smoothing out your midsection and eliminating muffin-tops.  However, when you shop for it you need to make sure that it has at least one of two features - I suspect that the pieces that you own have neither:

1) A waistband over 1″ in width

or

2) Boning along the front of the midsection

#1 will go far towards preventing roll-down, as you can imagine with the wide elastic waistband holding the garment up.  However if you are wearing the wrong size - too big or too small - the garment will still roll down because there’s nothing structural built into the high waist to stop the fabric from creasing downwards.

#2 will guarantee that your shapewear does not roll down.  No matter what the boning is made of it will keep the high waist right where it’s supposed to be, all day long.  This is most effective when complemented by an inner lining in the high waist section of the garment.

Here are examples of shapers that meet the two points, respectively: #1, wide waistband; #2, boning

Good luck to you Trisha, don’t give up on high waist shapers - you have the right idea!

Best,

Marianne

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Hi Ladies,

I’d like to share an email that I received earlier this week from Janice in Texas:

hi marianne- i am in desperate need of a butt lift! i have a naughty habit of eating cookies late at night, and i need a brief that can help ease my guilt during the day by shaping my cookie-dough filled butt!  how do i find a good butt-lifting brief?   thanks!  -Janice

Well Janice, while I do not necessarily endorse naughty eating habits that benefit the shapewear industry, I can definitely help you find a good brief!

What you want to look for you in your butt-lifter is a strong, wide stretch band that runs under the bottom and up to the waistline.  This lifts the bottom for a younger look in jeans, which is always nice!  It’s also a plus in your butt-lifter to have a “molded seat”.  This means that the back panel of the brief has essentially been pre-stretched to fit your bottom - just like some bra cups are made.  This ensures that your bottom is shaped properly and not just flattened out.

Va Bien’s butt-lifter is called Fanny Fabulous and like most control briefs out there, comes in a traditional cut, a high waist cut, and a cut with legs.  I wear the version with legs because it has a ’sweatpants’ type comfort that I really enjoy.

Best of luck to you Janice!  Have that cookie at night… but just 1 ok?

All the best,

Marianne

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Hi Ladies,

First off I would like to apologize for my absence lately!  Things have been just wild (in a good way) in the office, and I have not had a moment to make any posts!

Last week however I received a call from Lorie, who is getting married this summer (I’m so excited that we’re getting into bridal season!) and I just had to make a post about her lesson learned.

Let’s take a step back first.  Lorie started shopping for a foundation (a bodysuit, bustier, etc to wear under your dress) back in January.  She gave me her measurements, described her dress, and pointed out the specific bodyparts that she wanted to control.  Her primary concerns were her tummy, her bottom, and her thighs - and she wanted extra firm control, no sissy stuff!  She described her dress as lightweight, clingy, and strapless.

My recommendation to her was Va Bien Style 1294, which will shape her perfectly in all those areas, and is strapless.  It also features a light touch of lace for a cute fashion look.

Now, back to Lorie’s phone call.  She sounded a bit unhappy on the phone, and told me that although her bust fit perfectly into the bodysuit, the material was bunching up around her tummy.

It turns out that she is 4′11 tall!  Ladies, bodysuits come in bra sizes, and although the length (the “stride” in industry speak) is graded as sizes increase, there is no way for brands to accommodate everyone.  Those of us who are not very tall should stay away from bodysuits and opt to combine a control brief with a supportive bra.  Some control briefs are high waist and can run all the way up to the bra, for the same effect as a bodysuit on a shorter woman.

So, I advised Lorie accordingly - she picked up the control brief and bra - and now she’s happy again and off to her dress fitting.  Good luck to you Lorie!

Best,

Marianne

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Hi Ladies, this just in from Tania…

Hi Marianne

i am going to be wearing a Chinese Cheongsam (traditional dress) with a low cut back and high slits. It will have built-in bra cups so I won’t need a bra but I would like to still wear something for firm tummy control and smoothness that won’t show up above the low back or on the thighs. I am also concerned with the waistband rolling. What kind of product do you recommend I select? 

Thanks!

- Tania 

Dear Tania,

Sounds like a wonderful outfit!  You must send me a photo!  I recommend a highwaist brief, which can provide roll-down in two different ways.  1) it can have small bones placed vertically from the waistband down, or 2) it can have a nice wide waistband.  In Va Bien these features are found in Va Bien Style 3766 and 1586 respectively.  3766 has small thin bones in the waist area which will prevent rolling.  1586 has no bones but a wide band which will hold you in, plus it also lifts the derriere. The fabric is super comfy microfiber.  If you give me your measurements for hips and waist I can tell you what size to buy in either styles!

All the best,

Marianne

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