A friend has decided spur of the moment to get married. Tomorrow. I am standing up for her. I was asked to wear a solid color maxi dress. Any color but black. I tried six dresses on and they all make me look stumpy and pregnant. I am curvy and really need a dress that hits just above the knee. The empire waist and down to the ground look is not my friend.
Since I don't want to add to my friend's stress over the last minute nuptials, I picked the least offensive dress and am hoping that shapewear will solve the protruding belly look issue.
I brought home two different shapers. The first is a like a long camisole. Do I step into it? The second is a high waisted panty that goes mid-thigh. Which one should I put on first? Am I going to sweat to death on the beach?
Thanks!
H Looloo. I'm 12/14 (a 36D, almost DD and 39 at the hips). I really love the cutout maxi dress. I think my figure does better with a natural waist so this would fall better than the empire waist maxis. Thanks so much for sending the links!
Thanks for all the advice. I went through bizarre contortions getting into the cami by stepping into it. Sadly, they are not Spanx and it probably shows, but with both pieces on, the pregnant belly look is considerably reduced. I think empire waist is just a bad, bad look for me.
Oddly, once on, I thought they could actually be quite a bit tighter and I could still breathe, dance, etc. I had already popped the tags otherwise I would have returned them for Spanx in a smaller size (L not XL).
Still, I don't think anyone will ask me when I'm due (I am so NOT pregnant), so I'm happy. And hopefully I'll never be a matron of honor again.
The panty doesn't work well for me - I end up with what looks like a high muffin top. The long camisole piece - mine goes from just under my bust (with bra-like straps) to mid-thigh - works better, and I put it on by stepping into it, althought it is a tight fit to get the top over my hips...
When I show dogs, I wear shapewear. Always!
#1. if it is good & form-fitting, it should not make you hot & sweaty.
#2. Put it on underneath your pantyhose (if you wear it)
#3. high-waisted panty styles tend to "roll" down the waist if you bend over. I find if they don't go all the way up (just under the boobs), or have "boning" (plastic molds to keep it from rolling over) then it won't stay.
Not sure how "curvy" you are, but the best shapewear I found will go down mid-thigh (to prevent rubbing) & high on the belly w/boning. Depending on the outfit & shapewear pieces, I have been known to layer them!
Good luck, try them on & MOVE around, make sure that you can squat down, bend over, dance a bit, without worrying whether it will slip out of place. Nothing worse than wearing tight shapewear that rolls into a breath-defying donut around your waist!
T.
Have you already taken the tags off? If they're not real Spanx and you have a place where you can return them to and get real Spanx, do that. My go-to Spanx is a one-piece that goes from below the bust to mid-thigh. There are straps around the top that loop onto your bra so you can wear any bra you are comfortable in. It's expensive (I think mine was $75) but I wear mine almost weekly in the summer under knit dresses and it's a lifesaver. The legs don't bind or roll up and the top doesn't roll down. Similar ones I've gotten from cheaper brands never stayed where they were supposed to and were very hot and uncomfortable.
If you want to keep the ones you bought, the panty goes on first, then the cami. The cami can go whatever way you can get it on - I would think over the head would be easier than pulling it up over your hips. Yes you will sweat to death in those if they're not Spanx. If they are Spanx, you'll be a little cooler and drier.
The high-waisted panty is the one that will help you the most. I, too, am a curvy girl, but since I'm also really tall, I love maxi dresses. The high-waisted Spanx are my friend! :) Some outfits require me to double up on the Spanx (I just wear one right on top of the other!).
Have fun at the wedding.
Put the panty on first n see how it looks n then step into the CAMI one n seejhow they look together
There are different styles for maxi dresses. I am so sure that you can wear one with your figure. "Curvy" means little to me. Many women use it when they are merely lumpy and bumpy and roley-poley. What is your SHAPE?
What I like with a maxi dress is a Hanes legging that I can get at Walgreens. It goes from waist to just under the knee, and I love that. No creeping or thigh lines. I like Spanx, too, but the Hanes is my go-to for a dress that goes to my ankles.
Please keep in mind that shapewear is not plastic surgery. Sometimes you just need to put on a real girdle and where a larger dress. I see all the time women cutting off their circulation in order to "fit" into a dress that's too small and unflattering to begin with. If you have to sneak away to remove your under garment, for fear of passing out, then you are wearing the absolute wrong outfit. That will look very obvious if you show up and stand front and center in that.
Not having seen your particular body, I think that you will likely do best keeping it simple and showing off with your accessories. Get your dress one size larger than you would normally wear.
Bias cut works well for me. Check out this one: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/calvin-klein-bias-cut-maxi-dr....
Here are some other styles that might spark your interest and get yoru creative juices flowing:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/like-mynded-pleated-maxi-dres...
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/felicity-coco-ruffled-high-lo...
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/pleione-cutout-maxi-dress/358...
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/karen-kane-scoop-neck-maxi-dr...
