Shapewear Notes From the Myli Campaign

This piece follows a paid campaign I shot for Myli, an Indian shapewear brand. That is disclosed at the top of the page and here, because you should know it before you read a single opinion of mine.

A category bought quietly

Shapewear in India is bought quietly and complained about privately. Women wear it under sarees and lehengas for hours, in heat, and then talk about it only among close friends. That silence is why so much of it is badly designed.

What I actually care about in shapewear

• Whether I can sit down comfortably for two hours.
• Whether the edges roll, because a rolled edge shows through silk immediately.
• Whether I can breathe deeply enough to speak on a stage.
• Whether the fabric survives Indian heat without becoming punishment.

Compression that promises a dramatic change of silhouette usually fails at least two of those.

Good shapewear should let you forget it exists. That is the entire brief.

Smoothing rather than shrinking

The pieces I keep reaching for smooth a line under fabric rather than attempt to make me a different size. Under heavy silk, that is all that is needed, because the fabric itself is doing most of the work.

Sizing honestly

I size up rather than down, always. Compression sized too small does not create a better shape, it creates a visible line and a long evening.

The wider point

I said yes to this campaign because the brand photographed a body like mine without apologising for it or hiding it in a corner of the frame. Whether a particular garment suits you is personal, and shapewear should be a choice you make for comfort or for a specific outfit, never something you feel obliged to wear.