Women's Summer Underwear

As hot weather nudges boomer women to shun constricting clothing, the season's body-conscious styles often make them wish for undergarments that will shape their figures a little.

Sara Blakely, founder and owner of Spanx, gets around the issue by seeking out shapewear made of lightweight, stretchy fabrics that smooth her out without being too compressing.  Synthetic blends with a high Spandex content (at least 15%) make garments stretchier and thus more comfortable.

Under skirts and dresses, she wears bodyshapers that end midthigh so that there aren't visible ridges at the pantyline.  With pants, she wears footless pantyhose (with some control support) that end below the knee, allowing her to bare her toes in summer shoes.

To beat the heat, Ms. Blakely sometimes puts on shapewear pieces that can be worn in lieu of other undergarments.  She often seeks out pieces that are made of fabrics designed to wick moisture away from the skin, making them feel less constricting.  These fabrics--which are usually identified on the tag--include CoolMax.

When choosing body-shaping underwear, she makes sure to try on the piece and take a close look at how it fits in the mirror.  "Turn to the side--you want to see whether it really flattens out your tummy but also whether it flattens out an area that shouldn't be flattened," says Ms. Blakely.

Source: Tricks of the Trade, The Wall Street Journal, June 21, 2007