Underwear secrets for red carpet confidence?

Red carpet and award season is upon us. Such a great excuse to get dressed up and wear
party frocks. Party frocks chosen but then what about the underwear?!

Underwear or lingerie as it has become known is really is the foundation to looking and feeling amazing.
Wear the right underwear and you feel good, confident and calm.
Wear ill-fitting or the wrong underwear and you will be fidgeting, adjusting your dress all
evening and you will just not feel as composed as you really should.

In this blog I am talking about the right kind of underwear for making the clothes on top look even better. The right underwear for making what’s underneath more exciting and which is definitely termed ‘lingerie not the less glamorous ‘underwear ‘ is a whole another blog post….
With that cleared up we can focus on how wearing the right underwear can make you look a million dollars even if you only spent a few quid on your outfit.

The key to all underwear choice for women is of course wearing the right bra and a good fitting bra is a huge topic in its self so that will be the subject of a separate blog. Watch this space!

This blog assumes you have been professionally fitted for a bra and that you are wearing the correct size so that it will compliment your choice of additional lingerie to assist in making that red carpet gown really wow!

Underwear can make clothes fall better, fit better, feel better and of course look better.
Underwear in recent years has of course got more complicated, really as a result of there being so much choice. However, that is a good thing because there is almost a piece of underwear to enhance most areas that many women seem to have an issue with.
But despite all the choice just some of the more simple pieces can make a big difference to your look.

The simple slip/ petticoat that maybe your mum or grandma recommended you wear way
back when, which of course you refused to do at the time ( except maybe for that very brief
fashion trend of visible petticoat beneath s full skirt in the 80s !!!) can create a much better
silhouette than not wearing one.

They help fabric skin over your body and over visible panty lines and bra straps.
They mean you may not have to dry clean your dress as often.
They make an unlined dress look note expensive.
Choose a neutral colour and you can wear this simple item under many dresses.

My preference is the reversible M&S slip which comes in varying lengths sizes and colours
and had adjustable shoulder straps. You can view the reversible slip here.

If you want your undergarments to do more work for you then it is has to be shape wear.

Your choice of shape wear will depend on the look you are trying to achieve and the style of
dress you are choosing to wear.

Development in dress fabrics and design have meant the choice of how a dress is worn and
is structured is now endless. Strapless was previously seen as a challenge but now we have
dresses with cut outs, projections, no fastenings, seamless and the list goes on. To maintain
our modesty, underwear designers have to keep up with dress design to ensure underwear is
available that can be worn invisibly beneath some of the more challenging dresses. There
are of course those bold women amongst us who find it easier to ditch the underwear
completely, but if going commando fills you with dread, keep reading!

So what you need to think about is, do you want to:

• Sculpt a waist?
• Create smooth lines?
• Control your tummy?
• Shape and smooth legs and bottom?

To address some of these issues, some of the options are:

• Bodies
• Full Slips
• Half slips
• Knickers
• Tights
• Shorts
• Basque
• Vest
• Corselette’s
• Girdle
• Full body suits
• Waist Clincher
• And the list is ever growing, yes confusing I know!!

So knee jerk for many will be oh yes I need all of those! But key is to look at what you
want to wear. Put your dress on and focus on how great it looks. You wouldn’t have bought
it if you didn’t like it or think overall that it suited you trust yourself!
Then think how the dress could fall even better.

• It is pulling at waist?
• It is hugging over your bottom half too much?
• Could some areas look smoother?
• Would it fall better if it had a more even look over curves?
• If you are going out shopping take the dress with you, ask the opinion of the shop assistants.

The choice for evening dresses is vast now but as a guide:

For a body con or tight fitting dress either shape wear full slip, like this one – click here
or shorts – click here

If you have more of a prom style dress you may need a waist cincher style – click here to view

If you have full length fitted gown, control tights or if you have statement sandals you want
to wear, try footless like this one – click here

There is lots of choice it terms of where you can purchase shapewear and this includes
online or on the high street. High Street wise, M and S are of course always a staple but all
the department stores have an excellent range these days and Wolford are a good high end
retailer. Online, Figleaves offer a wide selection and brand names I recommend include
Spanx and Wolford. With shapewear it is often a case of you get what you pay for. Yes it
may seem like a bit of an investment but firstly it will make you feel incredible in THAT
dress and of course you can wear it again and again. It is an investment not a one off.