It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of shapewear. I love the 1950s nipped-waist silhouette and wear a lot of wiggle dresses that benefit from a good foundation (and no VPL). That said, I see shapewear as a smoothing, shaping garment, not a miracle fix. I don’t really subscribe to the whole ‘magic pants will make you thin’ idea – this is about creating a shape with the curves you have, not making them disappear completely!

In the past I’ve tried – and been impressed with – pieces from the previous Gok Wan collection for Simply Yours. I was recently offered the chance to try something from the new range, and I jumped at the chance to see what they’d done to improve it.

After trying the corset and the slip last time, this time around I decided to go for the bodysuit, called the ‘Curve Controller‘. I went for the black, which has a nude trim and animal print detail, but it also comes in nude and turquoise.

My first impressions were that, once again, the product was high quality (to match the fairly high price tag). A lot of thought has been put into the construction to make sure it works for larger sizes, and the detailing gives it a bit of edge. Though you’re never going to want to slip it on for a hot date, the body looks less matronly and a bit more alluring than some shapewear, and the nude trim is a nice touch. The back has a long hook-and-eye fastening which is tricky to put on, but works well once it’s fastened to keep everything in place. There’s also ruching down the bum to hug curves – great under trousers or very fitted dresses.

The powermesh inside is the bit that does all the hard work, helping to create a smoother line under clothing. Luckily, it does this without feeling too tight and sweaty. It’s constrictive, yes, but it’s not like wearing a corset – you can still slouch a bit and because it’s a bodysuit, you don’t get the irritating roll-down (or fleshy overhang) you might get with big knickers.

For the redesign, the powermesh (which was hot pink in my older pieces) comes in animal print. I guess this is a bit of a marmite design detail. I love a bit of OTT glam so it gets my vote, but others might think it’s a bit much, and I’m not so sure it works on the turquoise version. But the main thing to consider is that it doesn’t show once the garment’s being worn, so it’s just a little bit of fun!

I was glad to see one of my least favourite elements of the previous range – the jingly bell on the centre of the bust – had been ditched in favour of a little ‘G’ charm. It’s meant to stand for ‘Gok’ of course, but since we share the same initial, nobody need know that!

The other good news, for me at least, is that the style of the bra on these pieces has also been changed. It’s gone from a plunge to a balconette, which I find a much more comfortable shape. However, I did find the cups on this body to be a bit big and quite…pointy! Once I was in it was fine, because the cups are smooth, have small half-cup pads and maintain their shape, but I think I could have easily gone down a cup size, maybe even two.

A close-up of the cup and internal powermesh

The body itself runs fairy true-to-size, bearing in mind it’s shapewear so it’s meant to be tight-fitting. That said, it comes in cup / back sizes rather than dress sizes, and if you’ve been measured for a bra somewhere like Bravissimo where they fit very close to the body with small back sizes, you may wish to go a band size up or fastening up the hook and eye closure will be a nightmare. I went up one band size and the fit was perfect (though that may go some way to explaining why the cups were a little big).

The final consideration with this body, of course, is the gusset. It fastens with a hook and eye mechanism too, which I have to say is the biggest problem for me. It’s a complete nightmare when you’re in a public toilet trying to contort yourself to fasten it! I would have much preferred good quality poppers or press-studs, though I understand why the hook and eye has been chosen. As shapewear is so fitted, there’s a lot of pressure on the seams and joins – poppers may well have just popped open all the time, and the hooks do hold it securely. It just takes some getting used to. And I definitely wouldn’t recommend it if you know you’re going to be out drinking!

I’ve worn this body a few times now, mostly under close-fitting dresses to give a bit of a smoother outline down my torso. It’s comfortable, it does the job it’s supposed to and it never budges. On the downside, it’s quite hot (rest assured it will not be worn to any Summer weddings if the weather continues to be as beautiful as it has been) and the hook and eye gusset takes a lot of fiddling to get used to.

However, overall, I think the pros outweigh the cons by a huge margin and if you need something to wear under a dress with a close-fitting waist, it’s really good for creating a bit of an hourglass look. It comes in big cup and back sizes and is really well made to suit a more voluptuous figure.

Disclaimer: Simply Yours sent this product free of charge for me to review. However, the review is honest and I was not paid to publish it.

When it comes to bras that fit, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that only a handful of brands can really cater for the fuller figure. All of them charge upwards of £25 for a decent bra, so buying pretty new lingerie quickly ends up costing a fortune.

So I was happy to discover BraStop.com, who offer all the brands I’m familiar with (Panache, Kalyani, Freya etc) along with one I didn’t – Curvy Kate – with discounts all round. The money off ranges from a couple of quid to around 50% off, and with one Curvy Kate bra on special offer at £10 this week, I thought it rude not to give it a go…

I have to say I was thorougly impressed. First of all, with BraStop’s service. I didn’t specify next day delivery, but I ordered the bra in the afternoon, it was dispatched within hours and it was on my doormat when I got home the next day, prettily wrapped in tissue paper beneath the plastic shipping bag.

The bra itself was a real surprise. For £10, I wasn’t expecting much (I didn’t note the £26 RRP at the time). Even Primark charge £6+ for its D+ bras and I’m used to paying around £30 for Panache and Kalyani, but the quality was on a par with those other brands I’m used to. The choice of style is limited (there are about 6 bras in the range, all fairly similar) but each comes in loads of colours and prints so when you find the one you like, you’re set!

Like most of us, I vary between a couple of sizes depending on the brand, but I decided to go with the smaller back size on this occasion given that Curvy Kate is a specialist brand and they tend to be slightly more generous around the band than high street D+ ranges with their padding, frills and over the top detail.

I was right to do this. The bra I tried was called Portia, and I’d liken the fit of it to similar styles from Panache – the cups are quite wide and the back is fairly generous (if you’re between two sizes, go down as there’s quite a lot of stretch). Most importantly, it’s incredibly comfortable. I often find the bones start to dig in after a day’s wear but with this I couldn’t feel a thing. The straps didn’t slip at all, and nothing itched or rubbed. All in all, I was suitably impressed. It’s great to discover another brand that fits and flatters, especially one so affordable.

Prices on BraStop for Curvy Kate range from about £12 up to £16 and right now there’s free shipping with the code JAN10PAY. I’m definitely going to be investing in a few more!

disclaimer: I paid for the bra and received no incentive to write this. I just loved the brand!

Bravissimo has long been the secret haunt of girls with D+ boobs. Stocking all the big brands that cater to larger breasted ladies (Freya, Panache, Kalyani, Masquerade etc) in loads of back sizes (not just large, but small) and providing a measuring service that’s second to none, I know ladies who’ll sing the praises of this shop ’til kingdom come. In fact, I’m one of them! The Bravissimo angels can lift and support even the biggest boobs and sell pretty, not frumpy designs. And as if that wasn’t enough, they also sell special big boob clothing!

Offering up standard UK dress sizes with three choices of chest measurement – curvy, really curvy and super curvy – these clothes aim to avoid that annoying gape or pull that you find on the chest if you squeeze your D+’s into standard sizes. This is particularly useful on dresses and v-neck tops, which often end up revealing far too much bra as the standard cups strain on larger chests. Instead, you get custom-cut coverage, but without having to go bigger elsewhere. Lots are super-fitted and ruched at the waist for a gorgeous hourglass shape, too. The selection of secret support tops and nightwear is also great – after all there’s nothing worse than saggy boobs in bed!

Sizes go from an 8 – 16, so not particularly great if you’re a plus size, but with the generous cup sizes on these babies, you might well be able to fit comfortably into a smaller size than normal, meaning size 18s shouldn’t rule the range out if they have a store nearby where they can try on.

Right now there are various items on sale, including the lovely 40s style spot print dress’ for £39 and the fluted sleeve dress for the same. Outside of the sale, get a bit of Summer daytime chic in the incredibly flattering nautical striped jersey dress for £45.