Rosie Green: 'Can I learn to love my 90s bodysuit again?' - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Fashion Rosie Green ‘ Can I learn to love my 90s bodysuit again ’ By You Magazine - September 19, 2021 It was our trusty wardrobe staple back in the day and now the bodysuit is back. Rosie Green (who still has PTSD from a popper mishap) asks: do the 2021 varieties comfortably go the distance? Bodysuits are everywhere. The September issue of Vogue is full of them. And the autumn/winter catwalks had a cavalcade of statement ones, with the likes of Burberry and Balmain sending shimmering gold versions out for approval. Type ‘bodysuit’ into Net-A-Porter and you get 294 results: latex ones by Saint Laurent that come with their own cleaning kit, knitted ones from Miu Miu with a woolly gusset (not sure about the practicalities of that), sexy ones from Myla. Cindy Crawford. Photograph: WENN In the showbiz section of this newspaper I see J-Lo wearing a sleek black poloneck version to kiss Ben Affleck in. She’s teamed it with white paper-bag trousers and sky-high heels and her look immediately makes me crave autumn polish. Kylie Minogue. Photograph: UPPA/Photoshot Photo But I have mixed feelings about the return of the bodysuit. The good things were great. They were form-fitting and flattering, but not overly exposing. Chic, classy and cool, they created a neat silhouette and added streamlined polish to any outfit. I loved my aubergine one from Pineapple Dance Studios, which clung to my curves and smoothed over imperfections. Spanx before Spanx was a thing. For clubbing I had a see-through net one – under which I wore a Wonderbra (sorry, Mum). Halle Berry. Photograph: Francesco Da Vinci/Getty Images But it just wouldn’t be fashion if there weren’t also some… challenges. And they were not trifling. I am taller than average, so I spent a decent chunk of the 90s surreptitiously extracting fabric from my derrière. I spent yet more time wrestling with the poppers when I’d had a few too many sea breezes (so sophisticated). There may have been a few times when I failed to correctly refasten those pesky dangling flaps. And the memory of the last time I wore a bodysuit, in 1995, still brings me out in a cold sweat. Warning: this story is not for the fainthearted and involves distressing images. The item in question was a flesh-coloured number, which I wore under a sheer slip dress to a fancy fashion party. This nude body was tight. The fancy meal was plentiful. The laws of physics meant that as I stood up from the table, the bodysuit immediately snapped open. Thanks to its impressive Lycra content it rode up to my waist, revealing my ‘lady bits’ to the assembled company. I hurried out of the private dining room, only to be greeted by hundreds of eyes having tea in the foyer. So you can see why I might be a little apprehensive about revisiting the trend. I call YOU’s fashion editor Sophie Dearden, who it turns out has been wearing them for a while. She likes them a lot. Blessed with an ample cup size, she likes bodies as they make her feel ‘held’: ‘You don’t need to worry about constantly tucking in a shirt.’ She wears hers under a tux jacket and says they ‘pull the whole outfit together. They were a great option back when I was dating,’ she adds. ‘Sexy without being trashy.’ A Wolford poloneck body is great with jeans. Photograph: John Nguyen. Make-Up: Virna Midgley. Inspired, I buy my first new bodysuit in years from Wolford, the classic poloneck in black (I manage to find it at Bicester Village, for £95 instead of the usual £160). Now the kids are back at school, I road test it on a trip to get my hair done. I pull it on with minimal wrestling. I team it with high-waist jeans and it both flatters (the price tag reflects the quality of the fabric, which sculpts and smooths) and is on trend. I feel chic and pulled together. It’s a typical September day and it keeps me warm without bulky layers. It’s what the fashion cognoscenti would call a trans-seasonal piece. Win. For a dinner date, I wear a sexy body in the same way I might have previously worn a camisole. It’s a Myla number and the merest peek of lace peeps out from beneath a blouse. Again it feels like a win. For dinner out, a lacy Myla body beneath a blouse nails it. Photograph: John Nguyen. Make-Up: Virna Midgley. For a girls’ night I go on the hunt. My main criteria? I want to find a bodysuit that will a) make a statement b) work with a bra and c) not have a thong. I find the French brand L’Agence has a great range – including some great one-shouldered and spaghetti strap styles – that are gorgeously soft and cool in a sort of ‘off-duty model’ way. Trouble is, they also require a model’s perky boobs. And her bank balance. I find an Intimissimi black mesh panelled corset one that feels a bit Dolce & Gabbana and would look great with jeans. The label Commando is a great discovery, and has some stylish mid-priced ones. You do need to wrestle them on, but that’s because the fabric is satisfyingly supportive and gives you that ‘held’ feeling Sophie talks about. They’re edgier, coming in faux leather or covered in sequins, and look more expensive than they are. They have the thong, though. This shimmering, backless Oseree number is Rosie’s absolute favourite (even if she did have to ditch her bra). Photograph: John Nguyen. Make-Up: Virna Midgley. My absolute favourite is an Oséree gold sequined bodysuit that makes a real statement, and has a sleek, sexy backless design. I can’t wear a bra with it, but somehow it works. Then there’s a velvet scooped-neck style from The White Company (available from 10 October, great for the well endowed), and a Zara see-through lace one – which is rather fabulous, but I think I’ll leave that to the 20-somethings along with the leopard print H&M slashed-to-there body. I don’t really have enough shape tape or chutzpah. For work drinks a sequined Commando one is just the job. Photograph: John Nguyen. Make-Up: Virna Midgley. I wear the gold sequined one to a birthday dinner and feel fabulous. Then I wear a Commando sequined one for a work drinks do and am similarly enamoured. In conclusion? I can happily say I’ve moved on from the whole bodysuit-popping trauma of the past. The new varieties are chic, sleek, form-fitting and sexy without being tacky. Apparently puffballs and catsuits are the next 90s trends to return. I’m not feeling the urge to give those another spin… yet. BODYSUITS FOR EVERY BODY YOU’s fashion editor Sophie Dearden picks the most flattering style SHORT Look for bodies that fit your shape. You want to avoid sagging material. Size down if you need to achieve a more fitted silhouette. £9.99, H&M £45, All Saints £170, Jill Sander FULL FIGURED Try styles you feel really comfortable in. Bodies are amazing for wearing under things to feel secure and sexy and make great basics instead of tops that rise up. A lined body is really flattering and provides more coverage. £63, Skims £145, Wolford £64, wacoal TALL A lot of brands do tall lines (try Topshop, Asos, Misguided and Wolford) and a body is a key piece to shop wisely for. No one wants to be harassed by their clothing on an evening out: it should be comfortable and not ride up. £185, Alix £120, The Line by K £68, Skims BIGGER BUST Find a cut you love. You don’t need to wear styles you think are prescriptive due to your shape. However, try on a few to make sure you find a body that you feel supported and secure in, as otherwise you will just feel uncomfortable and at risk of spilling out. £19, Intimissimi £100, The Line by K £75, Reiss SLIM The best bodies for you are ones with stretch to ensure they fit your figure. A thick jersey is great for this. £55, Reiss £115, Viktoria & Woods £7.99, New Look RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Rochelle Humes has launched a gorgeous new edit with Next Shop the YOU Magazine Instagram YOU picks the best new-in buys from M& S Popular in Fashion Laura Jackson has teamed up with Next for the chicest knitwear January 22, 2020 Holly Willoughby’ s birthday dress is another Zara bargain February 10, 2020 The Instagram-famous & Other Stories wool blazer is back in stock August 31, 2022 Lorraine just wore Emma Willis’ Next collection from head to toe March 17, 2020 The prettiest spring dresses under £100 March 1, 2022 Everyone is buying Holly’ s gorgeous gingham Oasis dress May 14, 2020 13 bargain dresses to buy in ASOS’ s extra 20 per cent June 10, 2020 This £20 H& M dress is set to be the social media June 26, 2020 Stacey Solomon x Primark is back for a third collection with July 20, 2020 Searches for this perfect heatwave summer top style are up 5000% August 10, 2020 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. 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