Shapewear is a necessary evil to help many of us achieve the perfect look under our clothes. Shapewear is designed with the intention of smoothing out bumps and distributing weight to the right places to give us the ideal body shape, which right now, is the hourglass.

Finding the right shapewear depends on a few criteria. It depends on your body shape, your desired results, as well as the outfit you plan to wear, and how long you plan to wear it for. Buying the right shapewear is hard. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know which is best for our unique needs.

Sizing

Some of the biggest mistakes that people make when buying shapewear is selecting the wrong size. The best shapewear is snug and formfitting yet soft and comfortable, and shouldn’t cut off circulation or leave red marks on your body. Many people may think that they should go down a size in order to achieve their desired effect, but all this will really accomplish is creating more bumps than you were already dealing with and may cause pain and difficulty breathing. If you are in pain, are finding your movement is restricted, or are having difficulty breathing, increase the size of your shapewear.

There are also three types of compression that shapewear offers, although some brands may offer more than three if they want to be hyper-specific. Low compression shapewear is the safest option for everyday wear. It gives a smoothing effect while being the least restrictive. It may not give you the perfect hourglass figure, but it’ll hold everything in place while still being comfortable.

Medium compression is more shape enhancing, and you’ll find it offers less movement than its low compression counterpart. This is also generally safe to wear for long periods of time but will be a bit more uncomfortable and is generally best for when you’re wearing something form-fitting and want to accentuate your curves.

High compression shapewear provides a sculpting effect perfect for the red carpet. This is the most restrictive shapewear available and is also equally as uncomfortable. This shapewear should only be worn on special occasions, and only for a few hours at a time. It’ll give you the body shape you’re looking for and give you a huge confidence boost when you wear it to a special event.

Desired Effect

Depending on your body shape, you may want the shapewear to target a specific area of your body to create the effect of something that doesn’t stand out naturally. For instance, shapewear is great for enhancing your natural waistline to make it look smaller and more defined.

Desired effect can also refer to your outfit, as different outfits will call for different kinds of shapewear, and most outfits are also designed to flatter different parts of the body.

Full Body Shapewear

This is the shapewear that is most recommended for special occasion sculpting, and usually comes in two types, bodysuits and slips. Ideal for dresses, this type of shapewear compresses and smooths all-over, rather than targeting one area. However, full-body shapewear regardless of compression level, is considered more restricting than shapewear that is only designed to target a specific area.

Torso Shapewear

Torso shapewear is intended for those who have a larger, more emphasized upper body and chest, above the waistline, with a slimmer lower body. This kind of shapewear can also be good for those who do not have emphasis on either their upper or lower halves, and also lack a defined waistline.

Torso shapewear comes in the form of tops, bras and corsets. Shapewear tops like tank tops or camisoles provide support and hug the upper body in a way that makes it appear smaller while offering more coverage beneath sheer fabrics. There are bras that are similar to sports bras, that give extra compression and support where it’s needed, and of course, corsets for cinching your waist.

Bottom Shapewear

Bottom shapewear is generally intended for those who have a more emphasized tummy and lower half, below the waistline. This is the more common type of shapewear available on the market, so you have lots of options to choose from.

Bottom shapewear can come as underwear, shorts, or skirts, depending on what you’re planning on wearing. They can also be high-waisted or mid-waisted, depending on your desired effect. Shapewear underwear comes in both thong and brief styles and provides a smoothing effect around the stomach, hips and waist. Shorts are best for dresses and skirts and are best at smoothing the stomach, trimming thighs and lifting your bottom. Skirts are for providing support under tight skirts and dresses, and smooth out the hips and stomach.

Lily Frances | Contributing writer