A Myriad of Stripes and the Ups and Downs of Shapewear

July 3, 2016 / 59 Comments

I was going to write a 4th of July post for today, but frankly I’m kind of over all of the red, white, and blue outfits…I personally have been wearing some version of red, white, and blue for the past 5 days! I love the color combination, but now we are entering overkill territory. So here is some black and tan for you all! Happy Independence Day, America!

I bought this striped maxi dress about a year ago from Cato Fashions and this is the first time I am wearing it…because it required some serious shapewear and I have been somewhat shapewear-averse. Until recently. A good friend of mine swears by corsets and waist trainers and I finally caved and asked her to explain the ups and downs of this waist training endeavor. She has had tremendous success with a latex waist trainer; however, I am allergic to latex, so this was not option for me. Plus I just get too dang hot and refuse to wear this kind of shapewear daily. But, she did introduce me to the wonder and joy of a simple shapewear corset for certain outfits.

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Previously, I had tried shaping underwear and Spanx type shorts, but they always seem to roll back down under my belly. You all know what I’m talking about, right? Then not only is it not doing what I want it to do, it’s making me uncomfortable with that rolled up piece of fabric sitting just beneath my gut! And then I spend the entire day pulling and tugging at my shapewear. Fail!

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So I decided to try this corset idea. I headed out to Kohl’s a few months back to try on some corsets for shaping not for waist training. I discovered this Maidenform Shapewear Instant Slimmer Waist Nipper. It sits just beneath the lower underwire of my bra, so absolutely no rolling down occurs. Plus it has boning which also keeps it in place all day long. No more tugging and pulling. It is fairly lightweight and breathable so I don’t get incredibly hot. And it has front hook and eye closures for easy on and off. Those are the ups.

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Now the downs of this corset…while it squeezes in all that belly flab that can make me appear 7 months pregnant, that flab has to go somewhere else, right? The laws of physics dictate that. So where does it go? Well, for me, it goes out the bottom and out the top. So I end up with unflattering saddle bags just below my hips and a giant roll of back fat pouring out the top! So now this needs to be rectified with more shapewear!

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To smooth out the saddle bags, I then need to add shapewear shorts. Which doesn’t bother me so much because I prefer to wear shorts under dresses and skirts anyway…to prevent thigh chafe (you thick-thighed ladies know what I’m talking about) and also to prevent unexpected flashing of what’s under my skirt or dress (you ladies with small children know what I’m talking about)! So saddle bag problem solved! But what about rolling back fat?

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This particular dress, while it is very flowing at the bottom, it is super fitted at the top. So when I tell you there was back fat, I am telling you there was a gigantic flabby roll of unflattering cellulite busting out of the top of the corset to the point that it appeared as if I had some sort of back deformity.

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So I needed a way to resolve this back issue. Enter this striped sleeveless cardigan. I was amazed at how the stripes on the cardigan were the exact same stripes as the dress especially since these two pieces were purchased from different retailers. And I wasn’t sure about pairing them together for a super stripey look, but I went for it anyway! And I kind of liked it. Plus the cardigan has that cool Aztec pattern on the back to break up the stripes a bit.

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Outfit details:
Dress:Cato Fashions (from last year, but check out the adorable maxi dresses they have this year here). You can also check out some of the cute maxi dresses I have for sale at Shop Shelbee Lane!
Cardigan: MUDD from Kohl’s (from last year)
Sandals: American Eagle Shaylee Crochet Flat in Natural from Payless
Necklace: I have had these two strands of mini seashells probably since high school. Here I knotted them around my neck because they kept getting caught on my boobs when I wore them the traditional way!
Corset: Maidenform Shapewear Instant Slimmer Waist Nipper from Kohl’s

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Would you pair this many stripes together? Also, what are your experiences with shapewear? Do you wear it or not? Have you ever put on an outfit and looked in the mirror and thought, “Hmm. That looks really cute. If I were 7 months pregnant!”? That has happened to me too many times!

Shaping up on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with: These Fabulous Link Ups Where I Link Up

*This is not a sponsored post. I found this Maidenform corset on my own and purchased it with my own money. I am just sharing my experience with this particular type of shapewear.

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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