Do girdles and longline bras help?

Over the weekend, I received a comment to my Size 14? post from Darianna. I replied to her comment with another comment, but I am expanding that reply here today.

Darianna wrote, "Lately I have become interested in dressing more classy and sophisticated. I just want to ask you, 'Does wearing a girdle and longline bra help very much? Should I buy a Rago body briefer to make slipping on a dress easier or for how it shapes my male body?'

"Thank you, I respect your opinion."

Before I answer your questions Darianna, I want to say that my reply is what works for me and your mileage may, and probably will vary.

Dresses are designed for someone who is curvy, so I wear foundation garments to give me some curves. The longline bra lifts my breasts to make them more perky and tightens the area below my breasts to narrow my waistline. The girdle also flattens my belly and narrows my waistline.

Both the bra and girdle redistribute some of my fat to add to my hips and bust. Note that my natural breasts are big for a boy and nearly fill a B cup bra without assistance.

Anyway, my foundation garments do a good job of giving me a woman's figure that currently fits in a size 14 dress... not a baggy size 14 dress, but rather a size 14 dress that clings and shows off my curves.

Another note: Going from the size 18 and 16 (my sizes for decades) to a size 14 has eliminated all my back fat, which also eliminated the Spanx cami I had to wear to smooth out my back fat.

Without foundation garments, I would have to purchase larger sizes to fit my non-curvaceous body, that is, to fit around my waistline. Problem is that the larger sizes are still designed for a curvy body, so the larger size would fit my boyish waistline, but would be too big in the bust and hips — not a look I am trying to achieve.

So for me today, a girdle and a longline bra provide the best possible femulation.

Regarding body briefers, I have found that they do not do a good job of shaping me. I need something that is not so brief in its shaping powers — something more substantial like a longline bra and girdle.

If you are new to foundation garments, I recommend getting fitted by a pro in order to get the correct sizes. Look up local lingerie stores in the Yellow Pages and feel them out over the phone. Be up front and tell them you crossdress. Most are more than willing to help you out (and take your money), but occasionally you may run into a store that is not so open-minded and it is better to find that out over the phone rather than in person.

Good Luck!

Wearing Roz & Ali (Source: Dress Barn)

Lovely Mindy, a regular reader of Femulate