MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

Are you paying attention to your back view?  Are you taking the time to make sure you’re wearing appropriate undies?

I see a lot of people in the street wearing great outfits, with very bad VPL’s. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are many women who do not check their rear view when they get dressed.  Your underwear should not cut into your flesh and create dints they should sit flat against your skin and disappear under your clothes.

I think often too, people are buying clothes without considering what underwear they’ll be able to wear underneath. There’s no point in buying a hot slinky figure hugging frock, if you’re not going to be able to find a suitable pair of undies that will make the dress look smooth against your body.

The same thing happens with jeans and pants.  If your knickers are too tight they can create an indent in your hip or thigh.  It’s important you take the time to spin around in the mirror and check what the view is like from the side and back, as well as the front,  before you leave the house.

Here are some underwear tips to consider

• If you can’t find a pair of underpants that flatter a particular item of clothing, you might be best to completely ditch them
• Next time you’re in the underwear section, ask the ladies working there to recommend their favourite undies for smoothing lumps and bumps under clothes
• If you have a bit of a tummy you’re conscious of, investigate tummy flattening undies. (Try wearing undies that go over the tummy rather than sit below it)
• Think about whether you might be buying your undies too small. Just because you generally wear size 10 clothes doesn’t mean your undies will be the same.  Perhaps a size 12 would be more flattering (I tend to go up a size if I’m wearing tight fitting pants so that I don’t have a noticable dint on my hip)
• If you always wear boy leg style undies, change it up a bit and try wearing a high cut style.  Maybe they’re a better option for your shape
• Don’t underestimate the benefits of suck-it-all-in shapewear
• If you do have a dress you need to find undies to wear underneath – take the dress into the store with you and ask for guidance from the staff

Don’t ruin an otherwise great outfit by wearing unsuitable undies.

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image via here

I wanted to show you these photos as an example of making sure when you buy a dress (or anything for that matter) that you always consider what underwear you’ll be able to wear under it.

In this case Meghan has worn a strapless bra – because of the boat neck.

(To be honest,  I think the visibility of the bra also has something to do with the fit of the dress. You can see it’s pulling under her arms and across her chest)

Recently I was shopping with a client in Camilla and Marc (an Australian designer) and some beautiful silk slip dresses in gorgeous colors caught my eye.  All I could think when I was looking at them, was what on earth would you wear under them.

*FYI – years ago I wore a similar style as a bridesmaid and I took it to a dressmaker and had her sew in a bra so that it became part of the dress.  By doing this, there were no signs of visible underwear under the dress at all. 

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Let’s face it most of us (including me) are guilty of wearing bras past their doing-their-job date.

One good way to check whether your bra fits you properly is to do the following test..

The Melbourne Cup Carnival is only a week away.  If you’re planning on going to any of the race days and in the process of putting together an outfit,  don’t forget to think about your underwear.

There’s no point wearing a beautiful dress if you’re not going to get the foundation garments right.

Think about it now. Have a dress rehearsal. Try on your outfit in good light and work out what you need. Don’t just leave it til the morning of the event to put on your dress and discover you have a revealing bra strap, a wobbly tummy (caused by flimsy fabric) or lumps and bumps around the thigh where the underpants dig into your leg.

You’ve gone to all that effort to put together something lovely to wear don’t spoil it by neglecting the little details.

*One of the best examples of wearing great underwear can be seen on Oprah here

TIP: If you’ve bought the outfit but not yet the underwear, take what you plan to wear to the underwear store with you.  Show your dress to one of the staff in the store and ask them to suggest what might work and then try the underwear and the dress on together.

You can read what styling services I offer here

Follow me on Instagram here