It shapes, nips and remodels your figure instantly, and reminds you to stand tall and be, well, elegant. XINDI SIAU puts the shapewear by D’Elegance to the test, and the results, she says, are amazing.
The idea of shapewear has always been like a dirty little secret – everyone needs and wants them, yet not many are willing to admit to owning any. Before they became a red carpet necessity, I always believed that shapewear was made to disguise flaws, rather than enhance the good bits.
However I have always been intrigued by these amazingly constructed pieces of undergarments. After all, there is something rather provocative about a lady in a bone corset and balcony bra that nips in her waist, lengthens her posture and pushes her décolletage to its fullest potential.
As someone with a petite frame, I could never find something that fit, and my first shapewear piece felt like a pair of exercise shorts. Subsequently, my various failed (and expensive) attempts involved those that pinched, rolled and basically just pushed the bulges around, and rather than achieving a desired streamline figure. I ended up suffocated, lumpy and extremely self conscious. Furthermore, having an active lifestyle. ie., fashion styling which requires a lot of leg work and teaching yoga part time, had me rather complacent.
After giving birth, although I was rather lucky in the weight department, my body shape had changed entirely. I had breasts (yay), and hips, tummy and inner thigh fat I never knew I had (not so yay). Toying around with shapewear, I velcroed, tied, wiggled, hopped and hooked myself into these, which felt like a punishment for vanity.
First Impressions
After chancing upon D’Elegance from googling shapewear, I was excited t0 give it a try, yet still scarred from past experiences. Will I find something that fits, is it going to be uncomfortable, and really, what can I wear with these?
D’Elegance operates strictly by appointment only. This is to ensure every customer gets their full customised experience and attention. As I was used to buying my shapewear on the sly, so this daunted me. However, this dread was laid to rest with the warm and friendly disposition of the fitting consultants at D’Elegance.
After a friendly self-introduction with my consultant, Angie, in a private room, I filled up a basic questionnaire about my lifestyle and expectations. Following this, we them proceeded to take my body measurements over some casual banter.
Fit, form, comfort and fashion
Long Girdle
Based on the measurements, Angie brought their basic set, consisting of a long girdle, bodysuit and bra. The high-waisted shorts was surprisingly easier to put on than I had expected. After adjusting it, Angie then proceeded to show me how it should be properly worn. For example, she highlighted where the moulding of the panty should fall under and over.
As D’Elegance founder Elida explained, using WinCool technology and a 3D sculpted cut, the shapewear suits our hot and humid climate, but also fitted to enhance our curves comfortably to lift and sculpt our individual bodies.
Hence, the panty was snug, but surprisingly light, and it did not cut into my flesh or show unsightly bulges. As a result, my hips and thighs were more streamlined than I expected, and my waistline was immediately reduced by two inches.
Fun Fact: This WinCool fabric can help reduce your skin temperature by up to 2 degrees Celsius when worn, keeping you cool throughout the day.
The Bra
Next came my favourite part – the bra. As a natural B-cup girl, I was mostly glad that I ended up fitting into their D-cup bra. Angie explained how our natural bust volume is (literally) spread thin over time, ‘escaping’ in bulges to the back and sides near our armpits.
With a few pulls, jiggles and tugs, we brought the girls back home to where they belong. The result: a fuller bustline, cleavage and no more back fat and underarm bulges. Furthermore, aesthetic-wise, their black balcony bras had somewhat of an old Hollywood feel which I love.
The Bodysuit
Finally, to pull it all together came the bodysuit. Initially, the idea of wearing a three-piece shapewear set, made me think I might feel like an encased sausage. I was honestly surprised to be shown otherwise. The bodysuit, made from the same Wincool material was snug but not uncomfortable.
What it did was streamline my body shape, as well as gently supported my overall posture. My body shape was visibly enhanced, I stood taller and my overall demeanour somewhat exuded a subtle new found elegance. I see why they call it D’Elegance.
Waist Slimmer
As a bonus, I added on an extra Waist Slimmer to my set. Offering similar support as the bodysuit, the Waist Slimmer and bra are in nature more restrictive due to its boning and hooks. The corset offers more back support and control to the waist and tummy – great for my postpartum tummy issues. I now wear these during the day, and it definitely helps with maintaining my posture and reminding me to keep my back straight. As a result, it prevents many common ‘mummy’ injuries.
Results
The D’Elegance staff recommends wearing the shapewear for six to eight hours per day, which is sufficient to give your body the support it needs. At night, instead of stressing your body with tight clothing or wearing lingerie with underwire, like me, you can wear D’Elegance bodysuit and girdle to sleep. These two garments were fairly comfortable to keep on during the day, as well as night, since they contain no underwire or boning.
As for the bra and Waist Slimmer, I could only manage up to four hours daily. But in its defence, I never like the restrictiveness of any wired bra, and spend most of my days in a sports bra. Hence the uneasiness was expected.
With D’Elegance shapewear on, my body did look slimmer and more evened out. Additionally, constantly wearing the pieces did make my waist and hips look smaller after two weeks.
My efforts took a pause on the 3rd week. Between being on a beach staycation with my family, and falling sick after, I left my shapewear hanging for a full week. My previous results took a slight fall, but that was kind of expected. As my consultant did mention, using shapewear is a lifetime commitment and not a quick fix. We have to be realistic with our expectations. Getting back to my shapewear schedule during my fourth week showed improvements once again.
Bottom Line
All in all, I like the shapewear from D’Elegance. They may not be the sexiest, nor most comfortable pair of underwear I own (not that I wear sexy lacy thongs), but they work. Compared to the various pieces I have tried over the years, D’Elegance stood out in terms of comfort level and effectiveness.
A Few Takeaways
- It take commitment to achieve the results you want. Wear them as often as possible.
- Be realistic. Wearing these daily while eating pizza in bed every night is not going to give you favourable results.
- Be smart. Wear those with hooks and wires on days that you do not have to be super Mum. I once wore the full set for a day of hectic errands, while strapping my 5 month old wriggly son on in a carry on carrier. I felt more robo-mom than super mom.
- Show them the care they deserve. These pieces are not cheap, so wash them with care. You will not throw a cocktail dress into the washing machine will you? Do not do that to your delicates either.
- It is worth the investment. Aside from it being the next thing closest to your bare skin. With all the technology and committed research taken to produce these essential undergarments, it is a small price to pay for your posture, beauty and self confidence.
- Don these in private. I have a very open relationship with my husband and even then, I hide in the bathroom when I put these on. Every lady needs some secrets. Flaunt them the results, but keep the process to yourself.
