Archive for the 'Intimate Wisdom' Category
A Frank Conversation About Shapewear
January 13, 2011
I sell a lot of shapewear from many shapewear manufacturers at HerRoom. So, I’ve heard all the pitches as to why each brand thinks they do it the best. And, with some brands, I agree that their approach is unique. But, (and this is a big but) shapewear is not the panacea that many women think it is. It absolutely has limitations.
For starters, women need to understand that it can only reduce your measurement 1 to 2 inches at the most. This makes sense if you think about it. You know what a tourniquet is – a tightly compressed bandage you put on your body to stop the flow of blood. If your shapewear was too tight, your blood system could not function. This is one of the reasons why I get mad at my daughters when they put their elastic hairbands on their wrists; they are cutting off the flow of blood to their hands. This is also the reason why doctors don’t want you to wear tight knee-high nylons; this stops the flow of blood to small blood vessels in your legs.
So, now you get why shapewear has its limitations in terms of how much compression it can provide. But, here is another important point. You can not reduce body mass. A pound of flesh is a pound of flesh no matter how much you compress it. Think of it as a water balloon. You can’t make it smaller, you can only reshape it. So, let’s say you buy a biker short piece of shapewear. Yes, it will compress your tummy (assuming it comes up high enough) and your thighs, but at each end of this piece you will see a bulge – muffin top, and lines on your thighs. Your body mass has to go somewhere. It does not go away. One fact is true, the more you cover your body with shapewear, the smoother your body will appear and it can reduce the largest measuring points of your body.
A discussion of shapewear must also include a quick comment on fit. First, never buy a smaller size thinking it will give you more support. All you are doing is buying a garment that is too small for you. Buy your correct size. If your shapewear garment constantly rolls up on your legs, or rolls down from your tummy, your shapewear is too small; you need a larger size.
Having said all of this, I am still a believer in shapewear, and I wear it on occasion. It’s not because I am delusional, it’s because I am wearing something form-fitting and I want to look smooth. The other reason I wear shapwear is when I have a tummy and the garment I’m wearing will show this. A piece of shapewear helps to smooth my tummy. Also, because it is there pushing in on me, it reminds me to keep my tummy muscles tight. So, for me, it’s also a kind of silent posture reminder.
Shapwear comes in many control levels from light to very firm. The lighter levels are mainly selected by women to provide a smooth shape all day. A light to medium control camisole, for example, helps reduce bulging along the bra lines on your back. The firm to very firm should really be worn for no more than 4 to 6 hours – it’s event shapewear. Wearing this all day is a real challenge and a mental distraction because no one is truly comfortable wearing this level of support for long periods of time, and don’t even get me started about the challenges when going to the bathroom.
So, what shapewear brand do I recommend? Well, clearly every brand on my site. But, each has its own reasons. Let me enlighten you to a few. Alphabetically, let me briefly talk about BodyWrap, Cass, Rago, TC Fine and Va Bien.
BodyWrap is the original shapewear that actually knits in different levels of firmness throughout the shapewear piece. Made by a Canadian swimwear manufacaturer, it is a great product for women who want to keep their curves. It factors in having less compression in the bust, and bottom area so that these shapes can be shown off.
Cass Luxury Shapewear was the first to create garments that you can wear as outerwear but with compression built into them. So, instead of wearing shapewear AND a camisole, just buy one of their beautiful pieces and you don’t have to cover it up. The pieces look great on, and you look smooth.
Rago is one of the oldest and most traditional shapewear brands out there. The size range is vast going up to 9xl. Thier products are impressive pieces of construction with boning, non-stretch tape, and extremely firm fabrics being used to create their silhouettes. Spend the time to get into one of their garments, and you will know that you are contained with nothing hanging out.
TC Fine Shapewear specializes in firm control garments and does very impressive and very extensive wear testing before putting something on the market. They have an army of women who wear-test their garments and wash them repeatedly, then provide feedback. They boast that their products have extraordinary comfort given their firm control, use thin fabrics, give a tailored appearance, use invisible seams and do not ride up or roll down.
Finally, Va Bien is a terrific brand of shapewear owned and designed by the Gimble Family who are French. They specialize in shapewear that is also beautiful. You would never be embarassed being caught in your Va Bien shapewear. Thus it is a favorite for brides and their mothers and for other special occasions. But, you can also wear it for every day and feel like you are wearing something very beautiful.
With the New Year upon us, think about creating a new you, whether it be with exercise or shapewear or both.
Find all of these shapewear brands and more at HerRoom in these departments:
Shapewear
Follow HerRoom on Twitter for daily tips.
Posted by Tomima at 12:00pm
4 Comments »
What’s That ‘Measured’ Bra Image About on HerRoom?
December 08, 2010
Since the beginning of HerRoom, every bra on our site has included a front shot on a mannequin with a kind of grid overlay on top of it. I’ve come to learn that some women find it invaluable, but others blow by it or totally ignore it because they don’t understand what it’s telling them. Well, it tells you a whole bunch. Let me explain.
Here are two examples of some measured shots on our site. The one on the left is the Wacoal 65191. On the right is the Bali 3413. The horizontal line shows the breast apex line. This means this line goes through the points of the breasts. Most bra’s center panel comes up to this line as it almost does on the Wacoal. But, if you look at the Bali, you can see that the center panel is below this line. This tells you that a lower cut top can be worn with this bra. The vertical center line tells you the center panel of the Bali bra is about 3/4" lower. So, now you know how much lower on your chest the center panel will sit. This vertical line also allows you to measure the height of the center panel.
Let’s talk about the two vertical lines running through the apex point on each breast. These two lines tell you a lot as well. First, the straps on the Bali bra are very close to these lines. This tells you the straps are a center pull strap. If you have problems with straps falling off your shoulders, a center pull strap (meaning the straps are attached to the cup more in the center than to the sides) will stay up on on your shoulders. The Wacoal bra has wide set straps. This strap placement is great for necklines where a large percentage of your chest will be exposed.
Here’s what else these two vertical lines tell you – the cup coverage. The Bali bra is going to have more breast coverage. The cups come up 2 1/2" above the breast apex. The Wacoal bra has just 2" of coverage above the apex of the breast. Clearly, the Bali is going to give you good breast coverage while allowing you to wear a low v-neck blouse.
These two vertical lines also extend down to the breast crease line where the underwire rests at the base of your breast. On the Wacoal bra, there is a nice lace edge added just below the wire. However, on he Bali bra, you can see that they have built a lower band under the wire for additional support. This was probably done to strengthen the support of the bra since they lowered the center panel. For petite women, bras with a built-on lower band may be too much bra for them. This could be true for short-waisted women as well.
The next time you shop for a bra at HerRoom, I hope you will take a second to view our measured image. It goes a long way towards telling you how a bra will fit and look on you before you even try it on. No other site on the Internet gives you this information… yes, I’m tooting my own horn here. Okay, I’m stepping off my soap box.
Find these measured bra images at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Follow HerRoom on Twitter for daily tips.
Posted by Tomima at 8:16am
3 Comments »
Keeping Your Breasts Front and Center – Not East/West
November 23, 2010
Large breasted women (D cup and larger) have written reviews over the years complaining about their breasts pointing east/west rather than front and center in their bras. And they don’t like it for good reason – this causes breast tissue to move under the arms, which gets in the way and is not an attractive silhouette. Well, take heart if you are a fellow sufferer. This condition can be easily corrected by paying attention to the way your bra is made.
I am a big fan of "Bra Wizard" Beverly Johnson. I consider her our ‘Joan of Arc’ in leading the charge for better fitting bras. Beverly runs a bra-making school where she actually teaches a woman to make her own bras, www.bramakerssupply.com , and has written a book explaining in very technical detail how to fix fit problems. Beverly has several comments on how to get your girls back into the ‘headlight’ position.
.jpg)
The key is to understand nipple placement as breasts get larger. All of us pretty much have the same proportioned skeleton So, regardless of weight and breast size, the location of say a 5′ 4" woman’s nipples is the same as for other women her size. The skeleton does not grow as we add weight or grow bigger breasts. The nipple distance between your two breasts (once you pull them up and put them where you want them) is pretty much a constant – between 7" and 8". So, grab a ruler and measure this distance on you. As I write this wearing my 36C bra, mine are 7 1/2" apart.
Are yours a lot farther apart while wearing a bra? If yes, you are not in the right style of bra to maximize your figure. Getting your breasts together will make you look slimmer and more youthful. So, what do you need to look for?
.jpg)
You should be able to look at a bra and tell before trying it on where your nipples are going to end up. Breast tissue is very malleable. Therefore, it can be moved into the proper position with a great structured bra. Hands down, the ‘cut-and-sew’ or bras (like the upper photo) with seams in the cups will give you the best look. This is because the more seams a bra-maker uses in the cups, the more control there is over the shape of your breast tissue.You can tell by looking down on the seamed cup bra that your nipples are going to be front and center when you get it on.
.jpg)
Contour bras also have a pretty good record for putting the nipples in the right location on your chest. The thin layer of foam lining in the cups helps to stabilize the molded cups and keep breasts front and center. Seamless bras (like the lower photo) don’t offer enough structure to help with placement.
Great bras that make you look great come at a price. Spend the money! There is no other piece of apparel that you wear more. You deserve the best.
Find seamed and contour bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Follow HerRoom on Twitter for daily tips.
Posted by Tomima at 11:19am
2 Comments »
Entries RSS