The Best Shapewear, According to a Fashion and Film Industry Tailor

Shapewear has a long history. In the 1300s, it’s believed people wore leather belts to cinch in their waists. Corsets came later, made from stiff paste, metal, then linen and whale bones. The desire to smooth out lumps and bumps while adding contour to our silhouettes has existed for—almost as long as we’ve been getting dressed.

Shapewear today is less constrictive and painful than the shapewear of yore and is now available in breathable, soft fabrics that feel more like a hug than a vice grip. (It’s the more practical cousin of lingerie and the more productive cousin of underwear.) If you’re in the market for some shapewear for yourself, here are some things to consider.

Our top picks for the best shapewear for women

What to consider when buying shapewear

What do you plan to wear your shapewear under?

Shapewear comes in many styles and iterations. If you’re looking for something to go under a specific dress, take that dress with you to try on options. If you’re interested in more everyday type items that can be worn with a variety of garments, look for shapewear camisoles and briefs.

What areas of your body do you want to target?

Many shapewear options are designed to target a specific area of your body, such as your tummy or butt. There are options with mid-thigh length shorts that also contour the upper legs, as well as brief styles that focus on the midsection.

How much compression are you comfortable with?

Most brands sell items with varying levels of compression from light to very firm. To figure out what’s best for you, you’ll need to try on your shapewear. Make sure to move around, sit down, and bend to ensure a proper fit.

How to choose the best shapewear for you

Remember that different outfits can require different shaping garments and it’s important to try on your shapewear with the clothing that you intend to wear with it. You also want to consider how much compression you want. The stretchier the fabric, the more give it will have. If you’re going for a sculpted, smooth look, choose something without a great deal of stretch. Lycra and nylon blends work well, as the Lycra provides the compression and the nylon gives the fabric a soft feel.

How we selected the best shapewear

Professional Experience

In addition to my work as a writer, my other career is working as a tailor and pattern maker for film, television, bridal, and fashion for the past 33 years. I have helped countless actresses, brides, and celebrities look and feel their best. In my decades on film sets and in dressing rooms, I’ve had actresses try on pretty much every shapewear garment there is and have received enough feedback on fit, comfort, and style to write a textbook—or two.

Expert Advice

I consulted other professional stylists for their valuable opinions and advice on choosing shapewear for their clients.

Online Customer Reviews

I read through countless online customer reviews from a range of sites to make sure my selections proved helpful to a wide range of people.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How do I find the best shapewear fit?

To find the best shapewear fit, you’re going to have to try on a range of options. You don’t want your shapewear to be so tight it causes stomach issues or pain—there’s a reason corsets fell out of fashion. Also, be aware of any places where rubbing or chafing may occur when trying things on.

“Identify your body measurements and problem areas you want to smooth out,” says Mikara Reid, CEO at personal stylist at MIIEN (pronounced mean) Consultancy where she “helps professionals be and wear a better version of themselves.”

Reid says that having your fashion system in place and knowing the goal of what you want to solve with your problem area will lead you to choose shapewear that will benefit you for the long term.

How do I know the right size for shapewear?

You should buy your size when purchasing shapewear. Consult the sizing charts for different brands as, like most everything else in fashion, they can differ wildly from label to label.

“Oftentimes people purchase a size too small because they think it should be extremely tight which is not the case,” explains Hailey Rizzo, founder of the style blog and YouTube channel, Feeling Good as Hail, “Shapewear shouldn't be super uncomfortable. If it’s too tight it can roll down so try on multiple sizes if needed.”

Scarlett De Bease, personal stylist at Scarlett Image Consulting often suggests an alternative to super compressive shapewear to her clients. She encourages them to size up in their clothing.

“Then the clinging and billowing are gone,” she says. “It also means being more comfortable and having the ability to eat while not worrying about the dreaded roll-down, buttons popping and zippers unzipping.”

She recommends wearing clothes that skim your widest part which helps you look thinner than when squeezing into shapewear.

“Which,” she says, “Makes us (she’s including herself in this) more fun to be around.”

How do you keep shapewear from rolling down?

To prevent shapewear from rolling down, make sure to purchase the correct size. Also, ensure it has a silicone non-slip underband at the openings. This will grip your skin and help the shapewear stay in place.

When clients inform Reid of this problem, she finds that, often the culprit is high waisted shapewear that is not fitted correctly around the rib cage.

“It might be stretched too tight because the size is too small. Or it might not be gripping well because it is a little bit too big,” she explains. Both problems cause the same outcome.

A tip she learned while taking some FIT NYC fashion classes and interning is to use hairspray on the inside of the band to help keep it from sliding or rolling down. This only really works if you know you are not going to sweat or get caught in any rain. Another trick she’s used while on photoshoots is to put a safety pin at the top of the support and attach it to the middle part of the bra.

Boning and thicker fabrics will also sometimes help to keep shapewear in place.