SHAPING UP (house of fraser)

I’m going to a wedding in a  few weeks; in fact I’m the maid of honour.

The bride is skinny, superfit, and gorgeous, and I have to stand next to her in wedding photos that people will gaze upon for decades to come – the slightly dowdy mum of two who doesn’t just have a muffin top, she has entire fruit cake spilling over the top of her jeans. Terrific. 

After putting my body through two pregnancies in two years this is not something I can simply suck in (not if I want to continue breathing); I need something more heavy duty.

Hello Spanx. I have a feeling we’re going to be very good friends. 

I tried this famous SHAPE WEAR years ago and loved the effect but got frustrated with the way the waistband would ping down, like an out-of-control roller blind. But it seems those clever Spanx designers have been hard at work in these interim years, because the waist-shaping style I selected from House of Fraser fitted snugly, reigning in and smoothing the curves I didn’t want, and accentuating the ones I did. The top band ended just under the bust, which meant I could tuck it under my bra to really secure it in place. No more rolling, or pinging. Perfect. 

I took some ‘before and after’ shots, but to be honest they didn’t do the waist shaper justice. I’m guessing the reason for this is that the effect is a subtle one that smooths your shape, rather than changing it. In fact, I almost couldn’t tell you how I looked better, just that I did. My muffin top was camouflaged, my waist more defined, and the dress just fitted and looked better. Which just leaves one question…

… do Spanx make head-to-toe bodysuits, and can I have one in every colour, please? 

• shape wear was provided for the purpose of review