Your Guide To The Comfiest Shapewear This Spring

I know what you’re thinking: is shapewear really a thing again? Whether this category of underthings gives you flashbacks of following your mum around the department store, or the mid-noughties era of bodycon dresses and micro mini skirts, it’s safe to say that we’ve now entered a new, more progressive age of shapewear. 

Pioneered mainly by Spanx, the shapewear industry has, in recent years, welcomed brands like Heist, Skims and Sheertex, all of which claim to prioritise their wearers’ confidence and comfort rather than the perceptions of others. From smoothing bodysuits, to streamlining knickers, to your classic under-dress slip, there are now tons of actually comfortable shapewear options you can choose from.

And if you’re feeling conflicted about wanting to streamline your curves while maintaining a body-positive mindset, you’re not alone. But there’s no right or wrong here; you can go braless or you can wear a control bodysuit under your dress. What matters is that you're doing what makes you comfortable.

So, whatever you want to call it – whether that’s “shapewear” or “foundation-wear,” and ideally not Kim Kardashian’s “solutionwear” – we’ve rounded up the six types of shaping underwear to consider sporting this spring and summer, plus the brands that you can shop now.