Chiara’s girdle review shoot

The concept

It is almost a year since Chiara and I worked together. Consequently she is a little out of practice. She also admits to not doing any of her usual tummy exercises for a while and that it is a bit of a struggle for her to keep it tucked in. Now, if this were a bikini shoot then this would not be good. Neither photographer or model would be happy with the resulting pictures. However, a slim but slightly curvy tummy is perfect for a retro-corsetry shoot.

We’ve learnt after many years of retro photography that girdles actually look best on a slim figure that probably doesn’t really need one in the first place. However, to look really authentic, they also need to be tight fitting. The fabric should be stretched smoothly around the model’s figure. A baggy girdle – such as those in some modern shapewear ads – just look silly and frumpy. Therefore a slightly curvy tum struggling with a built-in tummy-control panel can actually give a girdle that subtle touch of authenticity. Well, that’s our excuse and we’re sticking to it! 🙂

So being the true professional that she is, Chiara she wriggled into three different unbranded Chinese made pantie girdles and we carefully photographed how each one moulded and shaped her figure. She used a pair of full-length mirrors in order to get her poses and body shape as she wanted it. Besides, being rather proud of what her mother describes as her “mandolin-shaped” bottom, Chiara was keen to see the effect that each garment had on her “rear view”. All three girdles are made to traditional designs, using various black lycra fabrics. To make things a little more interesting, we thought it would be helpful to take few notes regarding how each garment looked and how she felt wearing it.

The Verdict

1. HK black brief pantie girdle

This is made of a thick cotton rich lycra fabric with sewed in tummy panel. It just about came up to Chiara’s belly button. It gave really good control of the lower tummy. However it really needed to come up higher at the waist because Chiara had constantly to remember lift up her diaphragm to avoid unsightly bulges over the top.

• pros:-
  1. Excellent control for lower tummy
  2. Works well with additional waspie that hides “muffin-top”
• cons:-
  1. Too tight, pinches at the waist and thighs
  2. Looks and feels a bit uncomfortable
  3. Squeezes bottom too much – flattening rather than shaping it
  4. Too high on the legs – requires perfect bikini line trim
  5. Not high enough at the waist – Chiara constantly sucking in stomach to avoid “muffin top”

2. HK girdle with low-cut lace legs

This is made of a thinner shiny nylon/lycra material – similar to that used in many swimsuits. It has a classic bulb-shaped tummy panel made of the same fabric. This girdle really scores from behind. Its gentle fabric lifts and shapes the buttocks, making a nice bottom look really nice. Chiara loved it!

• pros:-
  1. Bottom looks very shapely
  2. Hips look great
  3. No problem with bikini line
  4. Shiny fabric is very flattering
  5. High waist and yielding fabric meant no “muffin-top”
• cons:-
  1. Very little tummy control – meaning that Chiara really had to remember to keep her tummy in
  2. Lace legs roll up

3. HK Girdle with normal legs and higher waist

This is made of a medium-weigh,t shiny nylon/lycra material – the type commonly used in control garments and thicker that used in many swimsuits. It has a complex and very effective reinforced area over the tummy and its design at the rear lifts rather than squeezes the bottom.

• pros:-
  1. Good “all-rounder”
  2. Fairly good tummy control – though not as good as girdle (1)
  3. Shapely bottom – though not quite as good as girdle (2)
  4. Higher waist hides “muffin top”
  5. Looks really good on film
  6. Looks good when worn with tight-laced corset. Has sufficient tummy control to stop lower tummy bulging when corset is tightened
• cons:-
  1. Tummy control quite not as good as girdle (1)
  2. Bottom not quite as shapely as girdle (2)