Right, finally got my voucher on Saturday (thank you M&S) - could have so easily just fitted through the door ;-) and saved the loss/delay/hassle. Anyway, serious further shapewear research and buying has ensued since.
I spent some of my own money on the grape coloured Ultimate Magic Secret Support? Lace Shorts as they were in the M&S Sale last week and I wanted to ensure I bought them (as 1/2 price) whilst they were still available - just as well as there were certainly none left today when I went in. Also bought the Light Control Floral Lace Body in nude. I was not inspired to buy anything else from what is currently available.
Q1. Just remembered that I have an M&S shapewear swimsuit, bought last year or the year before, which is both figure flattering and makes me feel really good too.
Q2. Did you shop for shapewear in store or online, or both? Which method do you prefer for buying things like shapewear and why?
I did plenty of online window shopping, including watching the M&S shapewear video (helpful). The mantra "always wear your normal size - don't be tempted to go down a size as it will bunch up and look worse" advised by M&S and a shapewear-related article in The Daily Telegraph seemed like very sensible advice that I've adhered to.
I spent ages choosing the things I liked the look of to go with my posh frock but was slightly put off by some of the reviews. I was really more interested in the petticoat type shapewear or bodies rather than the more old-fashioned styles, but some negative reviews did influence my decision-making and I find it hard to ignore reviews which might suggest that an item wouldn't be a worthwhile spend!
Also passed some time (one before the voucher arrived and one for the purchasing of shapewear) lurking around our large M&S Lingerie Department. Found it really useful to be able to test elasticity/shaping qualities and the thickness of materials used in designs as the dress that I will be wearing my shapewear with has its own underskirt (albeit a very thin one) and I don't want to be swelteringly hot with too many layers on!
Did regret that I hadn't received my voucher earlier though because I felt obliged to buy something in-store today, given that this review is quite tardy. A lot of the slips that I had my eye on weren't available in my size and I needed to buy today as the event (and posh frock wearing opportunity) is looming.
Q3. Do you think there is enough choice in terms of styles, shapes, sizes, colours etc or not? How was the stock availability when you did your shopping? Were you able to get what you wanted in your size or not?
It makes sense to have items in basics colours but couldn't help but think that the whole shapewear area looked incredibly drab and colourless in comparison with the rest of the Department. Personally I think a lot women will choose to wear shapewear when they really want to wow in their clothes and I would have thought brides might be a target group. If so, you need to do more in cream/oyster/pearl type colours. Nude makes sense (although my DH considers it to be a granny colour and nothing will alter his viewpoint on this!) and black will always be more flattering, shapewear lingerie or no! But I think it is important that shapewear doesn't just make women feel better in clothes but makes them feel sexy too and I'm not sure much apart from the bodies currently fills that brief although some of the petticoats are nearly there.
I don't really see why the shapewear knickers can't be factored into other lingerie ranges along with other knicker types!
I found it somewhat odd that quite a lot of the shapewear doesn't seem to go beyond a D cup bra fitting; a tad strange since I think the bigger bosomed woman is more likely to be the one desirous of shaping structure in her undergarb!
Yes, more colour would definitely add to the shapewear range's appeal in general!
Q4. Do you think that the shapewear item(s) you bought were good value for money or not? Why?
I would not have paid full-price (£19.50) for the knickers but then I am quite frugal. Also, I have 'previous' with M&S lacy lingerie and when putting these on I could already feel that the sculpting of the knickers and associated difficulty in hoiking then over my bottom might lead to a rip in the fabric sooner rather than later!
The body (£17.50) I felt was fairly good value for money and would buy it in black too as I feel that would flatter my skin tone more than the nude which I had to buy to go under a cream dress!
I am not quite sure that I feel the items in the range are special enough to warrant their pricetags - sorry!
Q5. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the shapewear item(s) you bought and why? Is there anything you were particularly impressed with? Or anything you were disappointed by?
I have a pudgy tummy these days and the knickers definitely did the trick in holding it in. But I have an hourglass shape and have smooth (shelf-free) hips/thighs and I found that the knickers seemed to cause shelves unnecessarily when wearing a tight-fitting dress. They felt very comfortable but I will obviously not be wearing them with a tight shape-enhancing dress if I am aiming to flatter my figure ;-)!
The body looks and feels fabulous under my dress and looks nice as underwear in its own right too so that's a winner and as I said I will get it in black too methinks!
I was a bit disappointed that nothing else grabbed me in the available range but then I am quite hard to please!
Q6. Do you think there's anything M&S could do to improve the range? Do you think there are any items missing from it at the moment? If you were going to shop for shapewear again, which other retailers (if any!) would you consider buying from?
I think you need to liven up the range and maybe present it differently. I think the concept is brilliant but ultimately we women generally want to feel sexy in our undies as well as looking sexy when dressed up. I feel you need to have a rethink taking in some more boudoir-inspired waspies/corselettes (think Dita von Teese's take on underwear). I know that when I was doing my background research, I came across several articles reviewing shapewear products and some other brands seem to produce designs that tap into sexy and functional. A lot of the M&S designs do look scarily like the type of underwear worn by our grandmothers' generation and that is not necessarily appealing or relevant to women in the 21st Century!
Q7. Lastly, if it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend M&S shapewear to a friend? If so, why? If not, why not?
I would not dissuade anyone from buying M&S shapewear but I think it depends if a friend/relative wants function over form or the reverse. I think if you add a bit of va-va voom to the available range in terms of embellishment/colours/styles I probably would though! I certainly did find that both the items I bought made me feel nicely 'held in' which at the end of the day is what the shapewear is designed to do!