The Girdle

The girdle is probably the most misunderstood undergarment. The name itself had become devalued over the years to the point where some couldn't even utter the word, referring to it as the "G-word," and manufacturers created new words to replace it, such as long leg shaper, control brief, body briefer, thigh shaper, controller, etc. The popularity of Spanx has allowed the g-word to come out of the closet and it's becoming a more common word again, especially with the over 50 and under 25 crowd. Over the years the most common complaint about girdles was how uncomfortable they were. Those complaints can exist today also. From our perspective, our biggest complaint about those who complain about girdles is that the same selectivity that is given to bras is not afforded the girdle. We don't typically say "this bra's wicked tight, I'm just not going to wear one." We work at finding one that suits our need. It may take some time, as well as trial and error, but we ultimately find a good fit. Shapewear is no different.

Finding a Fitting Fit
No two bodies are exactly alike, and we all have different tolerance levels. I'm often asked for recommendations. I can sometimes make recommendations based on what the customer has worn in the past, what their measurements are, what feedback we've received from customers, and my own personal opinions. I do see a lot of mis-information out there. One common comment I've read on blogs and forums is that a girdle just re-distributes the fat - like pinching a long balloon in the middle and seeing either end get larger. It's often referred to as a "muffin-top." More accurately, it should be referred to as an ill-fitting girdle. A properly fitted girdle does not redistribute fat. We've all stood in front of a mirror and looked at our bodies. Invariably we suck in our stomach to make us look better. When we do so, where does the "fat" go? In! A properly fitted girdle does the same thing, with much less effort. If your shapewear creates a muffin top, it's because 1. The girdle is too tight; 2. The rise isn't high enough; or 3. a combination of one and two. Torso length is often overlooked when it comes to girdle fitting. If a waistline girdle is too high, you will likely get roll-over, as this type of girdle typically does not have boning in the waist area. Back in the 50's and 60's many girdle styles came in different torso lengths. This is much less common today, so you have to be more discerning. We received a funny email from a customer recently, complaining about the Cortland 5041 girdle, one of our most popular girdles both in terms of sales and customer satisfaction. She said that she ordered a waistline girdle (which the 5041 is), not a hip hugger and that we misrepresented the girdle in our write-up. Well, obviously this person has a very long torso and is not well suited to this style (BTW, we do not list all long torso styles, so if you need help, just call or email).

FIRMNESS
Shapewear comes in different levels of firmness. Generally they are: light, moderate, firm, and sometimes extra firm. These levels can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. As a rule, I almost never recommend wearing a firm control garment if you've never worn a girdle before. On more than one occasion I've had a bride-to-be say (I'm paraphrasing here) "my wedding's coming up next week and I need the tightest body briefer you have! I've gained some weight since my final fitting and my dress doesn't fit right!" In all cases they had never worn ANY type of shapewear before in their lives and now wanted the tightest garment we had, to wear on the most important day of their life! A disaster in the making. Chances are they had not gained as much weight as they had thought AND a less severe garment would do the trick. This is what we needed to convince them of (and did).
So, can a girdle work miracles? A properly fitting girdle can take inches off your waistline, tummy, hips and thighs. In practical terms, if you have a dress that you can no longer get into, a girdle probably will not help. It may allow you to get into the dress, but chances are the dress will be too snug. If you have a dress that you can get into, but is too snug and doesn't hang right, a girdle can be your best friend. If you have a fitted dress that just doesn't fit quite right, again, a girdle can work wonders. In terms of numbers, I took my measurements without a girdle, then with a Playtex "I Can't Believe it's a Girdle" brief. I lost nearly 4 inches off my waist, 1 and a half off my tummy and 1 inch off my hips. As I'm writing this, I just happened to think of a near wardrobe disaster from a company Christmas party a few years ago. I had a top and gauchos picked out for the party and everything fit fine. However, I neglected to try on the gauchos with my body briefer (Va Bien 1292) prior to going to the party. The briefer worked TOO well and my gauchos wouldn't stay up. I ended up planting myself in a chair all evening. I had to hold them up as I walked and when I did walk my gauchos became palazzo pants!

Measuring Up
Body briefers, corselettes, bodysuits and all-in-one girdles are sized by your bra size. So for example, if you wear a 36C bra, you would choose a 36C body briefer. However, a body briefer also has to accommodate your tummy and hips, so sizing can be more difficult. In our 36C example, if your waist and hips are larger than average, you may want to look at a 38B (yes B, not C, but that's a topic for another day). Torso length is another factor in body briefers. The hook/eye crotch closures are there not just for convenience. They are the torso adjustment. Unfortunately, this adjustment is limited. In the end, if you have a very long or a very short torso, a body briefer may not be your best option.
Girdles and other shapers are usually waist-sized. That is, they're sized by your natural waist measurement. By natural I mean not sucking in your tummy when measuring. You should also measure your hips at their widest point. If your hips are more than 10" larger than your waist measurement, you should go up one size. There is no torso measurements for girdles, but as noted earlier, it is important to get the correct rise. Some manufacturers do have long torso options for certain styles, so ask if you're not sure.

Vintage Girdles
There was a time when nearly all intimate apparel manufacturers had shapewear lines (no, they didn't call it shapewear back then, nor did we call them vintage!). Apparel companies included Warner's, Gossard, Carnival, Playtex, Peter Pan, Kayser, Vanity Fair, Real-form, Bestform, Bi-Flex, Exquisite Form, Strouse Adler, Maidenform, Promise by Poirette, Hollywood Vassarette, Perma-lift, Lily of France, Silf Skin, Flexnit, Olga, and countless others. Many of these then well-known manufacturers faded into history, others merged with other companies, and a number of them just plain stopped making girdles. We have sold vintage girdles for a number of years now. We are often asked to compare then versus now. During the 50's and 60's, wearing a girdle was nearly as common as wearing a bra. At the same time, fashion was changing radically (e.g. think June Cleavor meets Twiggy). As a result, there was a dizzying selection of shapewear styles on the market. Today, girdles are no longer an everyday garment for most, and fashion is less at odds with itself. There is less variety in shapewear today, but there is still plenty of selection to meet your needs. Materials have changed over the years also. Rayon, rubber and other materials gave way to nylon and spandex in the 60's - lighter weight and longer lasting. In my opinion, shapewear is not as stylish as it once was, but certainly from a functional (ability to shape comfortably) point of view, it's better overall today. In terms of styling, manufacturers back then had a lot more leeway in style design, as one never wore a dress or skirt without a slip, so show-through presented less of a problem. Today, manufacturers focus on smooth, seamless and even tagless designs to meet current fashion needs. I do expect to see more of an emphasis on style (without losing those traits just mentioned) in the future.
Back in the 50's and 60's, most girdles had garters (or suspenders, if you prefer). With the increased popularity of pantyhose, garters/nylon stockings sales plummeted. Garter girdles have shown a resurgence of late, especially with the under 25 market, and for use in bridal and evening wear, but no one is expecting to see them become mainstream everyday wear again. Rago and Venus of Cortland make many current styles of girdles, briefs and body briefers with garter tabs so that you can add garters when needed, but wear sans garters and nylons for everyday wear.