LONDON – For decades shapewear has been used to compress and cinch. But now there is a sub-genre emerging. Rather than shrinking a silhouette, it aims to add inches.
M&S has a bodysuit that features exaggerated padding at the hip allowing the wearer to create an hourglass shape, or at least the illusion of one.
Similar to how bra inserts, AKA chicken fillets, are used to add extra volume to breasts, the £28 (K724) “hip boost” features pockets on each side of the suit that allow the wearer to add in enhancing pads.
Charlotte Davies, the director of lingerie at the retailer, says the idea stemmed from customer interest in “solutions that offer subtle enhancement alongside everyday comfort and confidence”, with the trend being driven by the catwalks and celebrities.
The hip booster’s predecessors at M&S include padded bum shorts “to give the wearer a curvy, contoured look” and stick-on nipples for “a realistic raised profile beneath clothing”.
Kim Kardashian’s
THE GUARDIAN
