Spot the Spanx: no more secrets
Not even slender celebrities would brave a red carpet without them these days
THEY’RE our secret weapon in the fight against flab. A firm favourite in underwear drawers, Spanx have been slimming down thighs, nipping in waists and smoothing out stomachs for nearly two decades.
Even slender celebrities – from Gwyneth Paltrow to Beyoncé – wouldn’t brave a red carpet without them. Sales of the shapewear are soaring, with global sales at £176 million a year.
But, as many have learnt to their cost, Spanx aren’t always as “secret” as their wearer intends. Last week, Zara Phillips unwittingly revealed hers while curtseying to the Queen at Royal Ascot.
How should you stop your Spanx from showing? Why do skinny women insist on wearing them? And where on earth does all the fat go?
Far more than just pants
Spanx come in a dizzying array of shapes and sizes, but broadly fit into five types.
First there are shorts, which cover the body from the hip to mid-thigh. These are the most recognisable Spanx, beloved by stars such as actress Gillian Anderson, who admitted at this year’s Golden Globes that she always wears them.
Second, there are high-waisted pants – Bridget Jones-style control knickers – which simultaneously compress the stomach and bottom.
Third, there’s the “firming camisole”, a skin-tight vest designed to suck in flab around the waist, hips and stomach.
Sharon Webb, head of lingerie buying at Debenhams, says Spanx that target the waist are performing “particularly well” as they help women attain an hourglass figure.
Finally, for those who need extra coverage, there’s the bodysuit (with or without bust support), which covers everything from the shoulders to the thighs; and the slip, almost identical but with a skirt on the lower half instead of shorts.
Go wild with leopard print
If you’re bored with black and nude, don’t despair. Since 2009, Spanx have been sold in various colours and finishes, from red and blue to lace and leopard print.
The colourful range has proven popular with A-listers. Actress Jessica Chastain wore a purple pair, perfectly matched to her Givenchy gown, to Cannes in 2013.
Coloured Spanx are nicer to look at, “but women invariably walk into a shop and go straight for black or nude”, says lingerie expert Claire Franks. “The colour doesn’t really matter unless you’re planning to show them off.”
Other trends include a printed lace effect, which gives the appearance of lace while remaining seam-free, and sheer Spanx, designed to be worn under flimsy fabrics.
Supersuction and seamless
The sculpting power of Spanx is all down to the fabric they’re made from: a unique blend of nylon, polyester and elastane (also known as spandex) that works as a compressor. It’s elastic enough to fit over your hips and thighs, but sufficiently rigid to keep your flab in check underneath.
Rather than being fashioned from one piece of material, like tights, the material is cut and sewn together. The resulting pattern allows designers to flatten problem areas and enhance curves at the same time.
To avoid seams, the fabric is joined using an ultrasonic sewing machine, which uses high frequency acoustic vibrations rather than heat to fuse two pieces together.
Spanx come in three suction levels: “medium, super and super duper”. The higher the level, the more rigid the fabric, which can make it incredibly hot to wear.
A lightweight alternative containing breathable Lycra was launched in 2012.
Where does all that fat go?
One of the enduring mysteries of Spanx is where on earth all the fat goes. Surely squashing it down in one area makes it spill over into another? Not so, experts say. Spanx are designed to catch fat and hold it in a smaller area, pushing it into spaces in the body where there is lots of muscle, such as the abs.
“It’s like sucking your stomach in in front of a mirror,” says Claire Franks. “It doesn’t mean flab starts appearing on your back. It’s just lifted up and into the rib cage.”
Some varieties also claim to move excess fat directionally, accentuating parts of the body that you want to look fuller.
The pants, for example, are designed to move fat away from the upper thighs and stomach and towards the bottom cheeks – a feature beloved of prolific Spanx-wearer and reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
It began with metal girdles
Spanx stem from a long tradition of women using shapewear to slim their silhouettes. Early versions in Ancient Greece and Rome used metal girdles, linen waist binders and bodices stiffened with paste.
“It was common for women of all ages and classes as there was no other way to support the bust,” explains Gillian Proctor, principal lecturer for contour fashion at De Montfort University in Leicester.
“Corsetry lasted right through until World War I, when steel was diverted towards the war effort, and they began to look for alternatives such as bamboo.
“The intervening years saw all sorts of shapewear solutions from bodices to inflatable rubber petticoats.
“Shapewear as we know it started with tights in the early Sixties,” explains Proctor. “With tights, women realised they could get a waist that looked good in a pencil skirt.”
A £1 billion success story
Glamorous Sara Blakely, 45, a former fax machine saleswoman, is the US entrepreneur behind Spanx. Struggling to find underwear to go with a pair of cream trousers, she cut the feet off a pair of nude tights – and inspiration struck.
In 2000, she ploughed £3 500 into a prototype and drove to all the lingerie manucturers in North Carolina to beg them to stock her product. One agreed when his two daughters fell in love with the idea.
Now, Sara, a mother-of-four, is worth £1bn and her 200-plus Spanx products are stocked in more than 40 countries worldwide.
Not just for the fuller figure
One look at the celebrities sporting Spanx, from statuesque model Heidi Klum to super-skinny actress Sarah Jessica Parker, begs the question, Why?
Experts say Spanx aren’t just for women carrying excess weight: they conceal underwear lines and make outfits more flattering for all.
Designer Michael Kors describes them as “part of every woman’s bag of tricks”.
At Fenwick in London, smaller-sized Spanx are the brand’s best-sellers. “There’s a real misconception that they’re just for dropping a dress size,” says Lizzie Faulder, intimates buyer at the store. “Spanx are about taking control of your body, whatever your shape.”
What to pair with your Spanx
While some designers rail against Spanx (A-list favourite Roland Mouret is said to have called them “sad”), others recognise that their body-hugging dresses and trousers are enhanced by shapewear. But which Spanx go best under which outfits?
Never wear Spanx shorts with anything shorter than a midi-length skirt “or you’ll flash them when you sit down or get out of a car”, says Mail style editor Dinah van Tulleken.
“The same is true if you’re wearing a pencil skirt with a split up the side.”
With dresses, she recommends the bodysuit over the slip. “The slip has no gusset, so you’ll have to wear underwear – which defeats the point. The bodysuit is fitted with shorts, so there’s no knicker line.”
Nor should we be averse to Spanx with trousers. The looser-fitting ones are designed for everyday wear. “They sculpt and shrink the upper thighs, as well as letting the fabric hang properly.”
And for men, it has to be Manx
The modern trend for male shapewear began in Hollywood, when body-conscious actors started demanding a little underwear trickery to help shift the kilos on camera.
In response to the flood of requests for extra large shorts and camisoles, Spanx introduced a range for men – dubbed Manx – in 2010. The products include slimming trunks, vests and T-shirts.
Sufffering for fashion?
Anyone who’s felt the constrictive squeeze of a Spanx waistband pressing into their middle will have wondered whether they’re doing any damage.
Doctors have warned against all sorts of ailments, from constriction in the legs that can lead to blood clots to yeast infections caused by sweaty skin. Neurologist Dr Orly Avitzur says that she has treated Spanx wearers for conditions including bladder infections, gastro-intestinal problems and nerve damage.
“You’re squeezing the body too much, so you are placing direct pressure on a nerve or squeezing internal organs.”
But Spanx denies any ill-effects. “In 12 years of selling shapewear, we’ve never had this issue,” the company said recently.
Controversial clientele
Experts are concerned that the trend for shapewear among the under-25s is warping their body image and could lead to problems.
Child psychiatrist Dr Ned Hallowell explains: “The damage is eating disorders – never being happy with your body.”
Embarrassed? No, happy to flash
The days of Spanx-wearers being furtive are long gone. Industry experts say Spanx are a veritable fashion statement, with celebrities deliberately flashing theirs to prove just how on-trend they are.
“Spanx are pride of place in our lingerie department,” says Lizzie Faulder of Fenwick. “Customers aren’t embarrassed about buying them any more.”
And this is a positive step for– body image, says Proctor.
“We’ve come to realise that shapewear isn’t about changing our shape – it’s about enhancing it. We get the feminine silhouette we want, with minimal effort.” – Daily Mail
The days of Spanx-wearers being furtive are long gone – celebrities are deliberately flashing theirs to prove just how on-trend they are…