What We Love: The support around your chest is fantastic, and the crotch portion has a clasp closure, rather than a clip closure. The versatility, practicality, and comfort were unequivocally unmatched compared to other notable garments at the time, which led to further re-takes of the bodysuit. Is it fair to say that this bodysuit ranks high in sex appeal? Featuring a criss-cross design with a peak-a-boo cut-out on the chest, this daring one-piece is strictly reserved for special occasions. The bottom is held together through three hook-and-eye closures. They make trips to the bathroom much easier, but they do require a bit of time and fidgeting to manage each time. On occasion, we found that one hook would undo itself by the time we got to the second hook, which left us attempting to hook all three at once. This left us awkwardly wiggling around in the bathroom stall before we could finally exit. The long bodysuit: Considered a great way to retain body heat, we highly recommend layering this one-piece under trousers and sweaters during winter.

The number one rule in choosing the right shapewear for you, as Palep explains it, is to “not go tighter than your size in hope of ‘extra shaping.’” Shapewear will already come with sculpting effects, and sizing down will only cause discomfort. Instead, consider the occasion you hope to wear this to and choose whether you are in need of shorts, a bodysuit, or a bodysuit with shorts attached. Denise advises to consider the compression level, as you want to “be sure it’s holding you in at the right spots and letting you breathe everywhere else.” Not everyone wants the same level of compression, she continues, so decide whether you want to be cinched in or simply smoothed over, and shop accordingly. When worn underneath a dress, it successfully blurs out any dimples, while also forming a clean line from our hips to our thighs, with nothing hinting at any garments underneath. It reached down to our mid-thigh level, but on petite women, this can feel a little longer. The silky-feeling fabric even feels great on the skin and doesn’t leave us ready to tear it off our bodies after a long day’s wear. And in the process of removing it, we found that the shorts roll off like butter in one swift movement. Once off, we did however notice some markings on the skin around the waist where the band was.What We Love: They have very minimal contouring effect, and can be worn daily for some smoothing effect. So, we’ve covered the basics of how to wear a bodysuit. Ideally paired with trousers, skirts, and shorts, there are multiple outfit options to consider. As a corset, this option functions more as a waist-trainer than shapewear, but it effectively cinches your body into an hourglass figure. Getting through the many tiny clasps at the front is a bit of a hassle, but once accomplished, we found the corset to sit snug along our stomachs and work exceptionally well in highlighting our waist and hips. We found that even our girls get a gentle push-up effect when combined with a bra.

Shapewear should stretch and mold along your body, so the two common materials you will find are nylon and elastane (sometimes referred to as spandex). These help to create a more “contoured or streamlined shape,” explains stylist Lara Betiku. Some brands add a little cotton into the fabrication for some additional softness, or replace the nylon with it completely, which you can see in the Wolford 3W Stretch-Cotton Bodysuit and the Commando Classic Control Short. The brand offers one of the widest size ranges going up to 4XL, as well as a petite and regular fit, which rivals Skims. We appreciate that it has multiple adjustable elements, too, to almost give you a customized fit: the shoulder straps and gusset can both be fixed to fit you how you’d like. Instead of buttons, the gusset actually has clasps similar to a bra band, making it significantly more secure, too. Disposable fashion is so last season. Bodysuits, like any other wardrobe staple, should be viewed with some sort of respect. Their level of versatility is often valued, especially when you consider the number of impractical garments on the market. The unbuttoned method: We’re fully aware of the uncomfortable nature of wedgies and camel toe. If you’re adamant about not buttoning your bodysuit, be prepared to wear a belt to prevent the gusset from riding up. What We Love: This option smoothes out any small bumps to create a singular line from waist to legs.The evolution of the bodysuit continued into the 1870s, where French acrobat, Jules Léotard invented his very own snapsuit fit for gymnastics.

The long-sleeve bodysuit: Cable-knit sweaters can often look too bulky. If you prefer a slimmer alternative, we recommend opting for this one-piece cut.When we want something with a little more contouring power, we turn to the SuperPower Short from Honeylove. With targeted, level three compression around the waist , these tummy control shorts provide some intense shaping on the body. While wearing these shorts, we noticed suctioning just about everywhere, but the tummy-controlling properties were particularly brought to life through the criss-cross bandaging around our midsection. Combined with the side boning, it really created an hourglass figure and cinched in the waist. The mesh is also very strong on the legs, despite looking deceivingly sheer, and helped smooth out our hip dips impressively. Our entire torso, hips, and butt area were expertly sculpted. We loved how this shapewear evened out our bodies to create a smooth figure, but more than that, we adored how near-invisible it felt once on. We practically forgot we had it on thanks to the extremely comfortable fabric. The only reminder of its existence was that the shorts tended to show from underneath a mini dress as they are a bit long. And going to the bathroom requires a bit of patience with this one; the crotch does have two flaps that can be pushed aside when you have to go. But unless you are extremely skilled at maneuvering through this opening, you will be required to take the whole piece off to use the toilet, which can be a major hassle. We had rather mixed feelings about this, as it took some patience and practice to use the opening flaps. We almost preferred taking the whole thing off, however time-consuming, just to not ruin the shapewear in the process of using the toilet. Dresses and tops with low-hanging fronts require shapewear with an open bust, if you plan to wear it underneath. With the bust portion uncovered on this piece, you have some more freedom to show a little cleavage, should you wish to do so.

Everything about the Wolford 3W Stretch-Cotton Bodysuit impressed us from the stretch to the feel to the aesthetics. The ultra-soft cotton and elastane blend truly feels like a second skin, so much so that we felt like we could easily sleep in it and wake up with no markings. Much like the Skims option, it doesn’t feel too restrictive, but it does come with stronger compression in the midsection accentuating our curves and smoothing our tummy a little more. We still consider this to be a level two compression, though, because it does not fully alter your shape, but it feels firmer than a level one. They’re typically slim-fitting in silhouette since wearing one prevents any unnecessary bulk when worn under pants or skirts. Spanx: Get up to70% off Undie-tectable Thong, Suit Your Fancy Strapless Cupped Panty Bodysuit, and more shapewear at spanx.com Once on, we were delighted to see what a remarkable job it did of smoothing our legs and waist. We tried on many shapewear, but this one provided one of the most noticeable visual changes to our bodies. We found no lumps or bumps while in this, and it really improved the way our clothing looked over it. As an added bonus, the opening under the chest worked hand-in-hand with our favorite bra to gently push the ladies up. The only thing we would change here is to add an opening around the bottom to make trips to the bathroom a little easier. While the garment doesn’t take a lot of work to slide off and on, it’s simply a hassle to first have to remove our top to get the straps down and perform our business. What We Love: These biker shorts are very gentle and lightweight, making them a perfect summer option.We’ve discussed this sculpting bodysuit many times in the past, even naming it the best shapewear that Skims has to offer, which, for a shapewear-heavy brand, that’s a tough feat.