Recently i've found shapewear has become a desirable garment but if you'd have asked me three years ago if i ever thought at twenty years old i'd feel the need to wear shapewear, i'd have said a flat no. Surprise surprise, bodies mature. Three years ago i was still rocking a concave stomach, however now, like the vast majority of women, i carry a layer of fat on my stomach. It's not a great amount of fat, but it is present and when coupled with my poor posture (many years of ballroom dancing and now i can't seem to break the habit of arching my back, all day, every day) my protruding stomach is greatly noticeable. Obviously this is most noticeable to me. We're all hypersensitive to changes in the structure of our bodies and we all also view our bodies from an unfortunate angle so i'm anticipating the "You don't have a tummy"/"You don't need shapewear"/"You're making others feel bad" comments and that's understandable but what's worth remembering when you read this review, is that what's important to me is how i view myself, in my natural, non-posed posture, in my daily, non-static environments. So whilst i work on adding some muscle tone to my stomach and whilst i struggle through a bout of terrible, spontaneous bloating on the regular, i've been on the look out for something that's just going to smooth everything down and do a wee bit of sucking in so i don't feel absolutely ghastly when i catch myself in the mirror thirty times an hour, at work.
When dMondaine contacted me i had the initial "who are dMondaine and what do they do?" moment that i have with a lot of companies that contact me. After clicking through to their webstore i had a little hallelujah moment. Granted there is a decent amount of beige going on, the seemingly "go to" colour for shapewear (many companies operate under the assumption that beige is an appropriate nude colour for all women. I'm sure if we all compared colour charts against our skin many of us would find much more suitable shades, other than beige. Especially those with darker skintones) and one colour i absolutely dread, the actual garments completely redeem themselves. It's a great sign that style has not been compromised for functionality when my first initial thoughts are how amazing ALL the slip dresses would look belted, with a chunky knit cardigan and in my everyday wardrobe. So much so that i can't help but feel like all of my little black dresses (and i only own little black dresses) are inferior in comparison to their Rita slip.
Needless to say, i was impressed and i'm still impressed.
Naturally i was super excited when i arrived home the other day and found these waiting for me, clothes *were* removed as soon as i was safely past the threshold.
However when i first saw the Lana kickers, i was crestfallen, especially after spying the small on the label. They were tiny, i was pretty convinced they'd never get passed my bum and if they did, well the next time i was desperate for the loo i would be in danger of not being able to pull them down in time (i am an old lady when it comes to bladder control, yes). I was ecstatically proven wrong though. Obviously, if you hadn't already clocked from the photos adorning this post, the knickers fit. And comfortably. Usually in high waisted knickers, to keep the shape there's only limited stretch and in one direction so getting them on and off is a bit of a faff. With these, there's stretch in all directions and once on, nothing feels too tight or digs in. And yet, they are shapewear and they do indeed give shape. The diamond design on the front, whilst fabulously geometrical, subtly pulls in my lower stomach and disguises the part of my body i feel needs it the most.
The Bridget bra is adorable. I love the sling shape of the cups and the fact that there's no underwire only a band of elastic and yet i get a nice lift that, if i had a larger chest, would most definitely be the makings of some cleavage. The design of the cups and the fabric used means that it fits my 30B chest with all the fabric lying flush against skin but i'm damn sure it would also fit a larger chest, there's room in here but not in an uncomfortable, it doesn't fit kind of way. This seems to be the nature of the design, the cups seem to be suited to hold many sizes that fall within the Small, Medium and Large range.
I think the reason i'm so impressed with dMondaine is that they managed to break every negative i'd associated with shapewear. Their garments are stylish, unique, comfortable, well fitting and are suitable for small busts. Not to mention the Lana knickers give me a little bit more confidence in my side profile, which was my ultimate goal.
If you'd like to invest in your own dMondaine lingerie or read about the technology they've employed in their designs you can do so on their website here.
Has anyone else considered or owned shapewear and did it help boost your confidence?
*These items were sent to me free of charge to review. All opinions are my own, i am genuinely very impressed.