B Free Fashion, Lifestyle & Tips

Planning a wedding is certainly no simple feat. I think we’ve all seen 27 dresses enough times to know, am I right?

It can be stressful enough choosing the perfect dress let alone the right Shapewear to go with it. The last thing any bride wants is to find “the one” and have those troublesome lumps and bumps appear.

Well, fear not ladies! These tips and tricks of the trade will help you pick the best Shapewear to have those love handles pulling a disappearing act on your big day.

1. Choose your Shapewear separate from your bra

Let’s make this clear, girls! You shop the Shapewear separate to the bra. Do not try to buy a full body shaper. 

Fitting the best bra for your cup size and dress shape and separately finding the best shaped control garment(s) that would suit your body shape is much more recommended.

The reason for this is that every woman’s body is different; you might be apple shaped or a bit hourglass. Every woman’s breasts are different and one can even differ from the other! Ultimately if you shop for a full body shaper, you will end up having your breasts uncomfortably squashed (if you’re more top heavy) or giving yourself next to no shape (if you’re rectangular).

 2. Select the Shapewear according to the shape of your dress.

This is a very important step in the process. No bride wants her Shapewear to be peeking out of her gown on her big day. B Free has several options for low cut gowns and those that reveal more skin. 

For example, the Underbust range of Shapewear is perfect for strapless gowns as you get all the control and sculpting you need without any straps ruining the look. This range includes the Ultimate Stay Up Thong, Brief, Shorts and Dress variations. All of the underbust shapers have the option of adding clear straps, fabric straps or removing the straps altogether and going strapless. When you go strapless with the Underbust range, a hot tip is to pull the shaper all the way up and tuck the top edge of the shaper underneath your bra band. Paired with a great strapless bra, these underbust shapers won't be slipping down and will stay nicely in place for your big day.

The most suitable Shapewear for very low back dresses is the selection of mid waist shapers which will discreetly smooth you out. The collection of the Power Thong, Brief and Shorts offers a high level of control for your entire lower torso. It sits just under the waist and so remains subtle underneath your gown. These control garments also have a cotton gusset which promotes breathability and provides comfort on such a high intensity day.

3. Select Shapewear according to your body shape

I’m sure we’ve all turned to google to find out which fruit our body looks most similar to. As strange as it is, this information can be really helpful when selecting your Shapewear for your big day.

There are four main female body shapes you could fall under: apple, pear, hourglass or banana.

Apple shapes usually have great legs and carry all their weight in their tummy. If this is you, head straight to our maximum control Underbust  range that offers double layer tummy shaping for your midsection. Stay away from shapers that cut off at the waist as they won't give you the support you need. The best thing about your body shape is that the underbust shapers will hold firmly in place at your narrowest point (under the bust) and won't roll down. 

Inverted Triangle is when your shoulders and bust are wider than your hips. For this body type, the best way to balance out your broadness on top is by adding hip pads on the bottom. Our hourglass shapers will cinch your waist, and pad your hips and bottom for a beautifully balanced and curvy figure. Shop the Mid Waist Padded Shaper Set for low back dresses, or the Underbust Padded Shaper Set for dresses with a higher back. 

Pear (spoon, bell, triangle) is when your hip measurement is larger than your bust. If you already have a fairly defined waistline with a ‘lower tummy pouch’, we recommend the Power Shorts, Brief or Thong. The firm control of these shapers assists in smoothing and sculpting your lower torso and hips which may offset your waist and bust.   

Hourglass (opposing triangles) is usually described as the “ideal” body shape showcased by the likes of Kim Kardashian, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj etc. It is when your hip and bust measurements are close to equal with a smaller waist.

The Shapewear suggested for this body type is similar to that of the Pear silhouette. The Power Brief, Thong or Shorts would be an excellent choice since an hourglass figure wouldn’t necessarily require balancing out. The benefit of these shapers would be to smooth any bulges for more streamlined curves.

Banana (straight, rectangular) is when your waist measurement is less than 22.86cm smaller than your bust or hip.

The aim here is basically to create curves and definition on a body type that’s mostly just up and down. This could be achieved with any of the Underbust control garments which would suck in your waist and give you a more voluptuous figure. To further enhance the luscious curves resulting from the Underbust shapers, you can add a waist cincher and or hip/booty boosters.

4. Select Shapewear according to your dress fabrication

The majority of Shapewear on the market has seams in it. The least amount of seams you could have such as side seams or a centre back seam, but seams nonetheless.

Here at B Free, we believe Shapewear should assist and enhance in the most discreet way possible. This is why all our Shapewear is completely seamless. It is knitted on Italian circular machines to also achieve a high standard of quality as well as a high amount of stretch. This means you won’t see any annoying visible lines under your dress; you will just be perfectly smoothed and sculpted.

For very thin fabrics, however, our most recommended control garment is the Power Thong. The dual layer tummy control fabric still sucks you in but the thong prevents any panty lines from being seen, making it practically invisible Shapewear. 

5. Choosing the right size

You will probably fit in to all three sizes: your size, one size smaller and one size larger as our Shapewear is constructed with technology which makes it seamless and stretchy.

However, how much control do you want? Do you want it very strong to pull you all in or do you want to be comfy and just smooth your figure a little bit.

Ideally, you could bring in your dress and get fitted in it in store at 3 Russell Street, Hawthorn East. Alternatively, you might choose to shop two sizes for your dress and then you can always return the size that doesn’t fit as well for a refund.  

https://www.bfreeaustralia.com.au/pages/returns

6. Picking the best colour

Most of our Shapewear comes in two main colours: nude or black and in some cases an additional ivory tone. Some styles are also available in burgundy.

For light to olive skinned brides, any Shapewear in the nude or ivory would suit perfectly. For those who have darker skin tones, the black might be a better option.

7. Using a waist cincher to boost your look

Once you have achieved a sculpted and smooth figure, you can enhance your curves with waist cinchers, hip boosters and booty boosters.

B Free’s waist cincher can take your sexy new physique to a whole new level for such a big day. This compression belt will define your waistline with its quality ribbed elastic and flexible boning which provides comfort and support, as well as high control. It comes in both nude and black in small to X large with a wide hook and eye closure. It is definitely a more comfortable and affordable alternative to a more traditional corset which can be perfect if you have a tight wedding budget.

We do recommend that the waist cincher be worn over your chosen Shapewear to minimise any bulges and promote a streamlined look. However, if your gown is really slinky it can be worn underneath. The cincher should also be worn with an Underbust shaper so there’s enough area for it to sit on.

8. Take it up a notch with hip and booty boosters

To further increase your voluptuous body shape, you can try our innovative hip boosters! These pads just stick to your clothes or Shapewear, not your skin, and create lusciously full hips while highlighting your waist.

Now ladies, there is one more step to achieving that true hourglass silhouette. Just apply our booty boosters to take your look from curvy to Kim Kardashian! We should also note that our hip boosters can be used on your butt as well.

With this unique product, all you feel is lightweight foam padding while creating sexy bombshell curves.

They are ideal to pair with our control underwear and shaper collection; the brief, shorts or dress would all be suitable.

9. Benefits of the gusset

The majority of our Shapewear products have cotton gussets making it an option to not wear underwear to achieve a smoother overall look. In the variations which include shorts, a fantastic feature is the stretchy open gusset which provides easy access when you need to use the bathroom. This would be especially useful on your wedding day when you probably don’t have much time for bathroom breaks.

10. Introducing, the light weight Shapewear range

Feel smoothed and contoured in a way that you forget you’re even wearing Shapewear! Included in this range are the Ultra Light Shaping V Tank, Camisole, V Tank Slip, and Cami Slip. These shapers have a low control level which makes them perfect for when you just want a little contouring and smoothing. Their high density fabric is super stretchy and engineered control zones are able to make those rolls and bulges disappear. They come in black and nude in sizes S/M, M/L and L/XL.

An advantage of the high density fabric is that sizing can be really flexible! You could shop a size smaller and still fit into it; it would feel tighter but may provide more control.

We recommend stepping in through the neckline and pulling these shapers up.

There you have it ladies! If you follow these 10 insider tips and tricks, you’ll have the best knowledge for shopping our shapers for your big day.

If you are still unsure about choosing the right Shapewear, you can call us or send us a photo of you wearing your gown for a personal phone consultation.