Share me…00000I have said time and again that I LOVE curves. Women should see them as a blessing instead of a curse etc., etc., etc., however sometimes we can need a bit of help to create that perfect silhouette. I am not a frequent wearer of ‘control pants’… they can be pretty uncomfortable and constricting, and potentially a bit of a waste of money. They do, however, hold a dear place in my heart for when sporting a skin-tight number or for a quick ‘LBD’ fix after a big roast dinner. Clever underwear can transform you: clothes hang better, they smooth out your shape, my posture even feels improved with the extra support. I wear anything from a UK size 8-12 and I still (probably) couldn’t live without them.
With a new pair of ‘Trinny and Susannah’ control brief in the pipeline, there is no time like the present to determine if a control pants really work… and b do you really need to spend out a fortune for a pair of ‘hold me in’ knickers? I have tried a fair few pairs in my time, from the seminal ‘Spanx’ to the bargainous Primark copy-cat renditions. In my opinion, you don’t NEED to spend a fortune on a pair of control pants. The only thing you really need to think about is what is your primary target problem area which you need to focus on concealing. I find my Primark pair perfectly adequate for concealing a bit of a bloated stomach, and at between £4-£5, are well worth the money. They have a wide selection from thongs, briefs, high-waisted briefs, even higher-waisted briefs (which go all the way up to the bra band a la the Spanx ‘Higher Power’, the only difference being that they do not have the extra shorts-style support. Primark do, however, sell a waist-height short-style set, a seemingly perfect dupe for the Spanx ‘Power Panties’.
My personal favourite Primark pair, at a mere £4, is a dupe of these Spanx:
They are great because you don’t feel too restricted or get the tell-tale lines which wearing Power Panties can create. We have all seen the pictures of celebrities coming out their taxis with their Spanx on show! Wearing the thong version also prevents the dreaded ‘VPL’ effect commonly seen with brief-style pants. Here we face the dilemma most of us face when buying a pair of Spanx (or whichever brand you have gone for); the pros and cons of each shape style price brand. One type threatens to show under dresses through tights and the other to create a VPL from hell. Determining which shape is best for you is somewhat of an epic task. In my experience it is difficult to get a really great ‘all-rounder’ without spending the extra cash.
