A waist trainer is a must-have piece of your holiday and winter wardrobe (actually, it’s a must-have for all year!). But can it work well under every type of outfit?

To understand how to make the most of your waist trainer for everyday use, it’s important to have a good grasp on several factors that will help you enhance your look for any season:

• How committed you are to a waist training regimen
• Choosing the right waist trainer for your body type
• Your personal style and fabric preferences

Once you know your preferences and needs when it comes to these factors, working waist trainers into your wardrobe is much easier. Use this handy guide to see how these factors play a distinct role, and then find our specific tips for how to wear waist trainers discreetly underneath your clothing.

Your Waist Training Commitment

Knowing how often you’ll be wearing the shapewear can greatly affect your wardrobe decisions. To wear a waist cincher under clothes, it’s helpful to know how often you’ll be wearing one and thus how many you should own. Not all are created alike, and the more frequently you wear one, the more likely you’ll need to have multiple options in your closet.

To get the maximum results from waist training, we recommend following a plan in which you wear a waist trainer for about 8–12 hours a day. This ensures that you’re getting maximum compression around your core, which stimulates thermal activity and contributes to your waist-slimming effort. (Not sure how to begin? Start here.)

If you’re committed to an everyday plan, you will want at least two waist trainers to rotate through your wardrobe, in order to alternate them and let them rest. Giving your waist trainers a break allows them to contract and breathe for the best results—and you can also keep them clean. It also gives you the opportunity to try different colors and materials. At the very least you should have a workout band for when you’re exercising and then an everyday trainer for the rest of the time.

On the other hand, if you’re not entirely committed to a daily waist training practice yet, you might only have one waist trainer in your wardrobe that you pull out for workouts or special occasions. In that case, you might want to make that selection carefully depending on when you want to wear it.

Choosing the Right Waist Trainer for Your Body Type

Do you know what your basic natural body type is?

In order to find the best waist trainer for under clothes, it absolutely has to fit correctly, so that it enhances the curves you have. Otherwise, no matter what you wear on top, you’re not going to get the most flattering results. Knowing your body type when choosing a waist trainer is vital.

Every body type is naturally beautiful, and each comes with its unique shaping challenges. But in general, every body type can benefit from wearing a waist trainer. If you need to create curves, cinching of the waist can better emphasize your hips and your bust. Conversely if you are already very curvy, a waist trainer can help you smooth and control those curves. And pretty much everyone benefits from a slimmer, flatter tummy and smaller waist measurement.

Knowing your body type helps you select the best waist trainer for your needs. For example, if you need extra bust support you may want to choose a vest-style waist trainer. If you are on the short side you may choose a petite waist trainer; conversely if you’re tall, you may need a long torso variety.

Once you’ve selected the ideal waist trainer for your body type, make sure you know how to put it on and that it fits correctly. Follow our sizing charts posted on the product descriptions. We have carefully curated each garment on our website and have adjusted the sizing charts accordingly. Make sure that you have measured the narrowest part of your waist, about two inches above the belly button, and that you’ve chosen the matching size on the chart. Choosing a garment that fits perfectly will ensure that your clothing falls in a flattering way over the top.

Here are some trying-on tips for when you receive your order:

• If you have a hook-and-eye closure waist trainer, start fastening from the bottom of the garment around the narrowest part of your waist. As you work your way up the cincher, pull it down over your abdomen.

• If you are using a lace-up corset, use a mirror or find a friend to help you try it on. Make sure the front is clasped first. Tighten the laces in back by starting from the top and bottom and working your way towards the center.

• Never force what doesn’t fit. While your waist trainer should be tight, you shouldn’t have to yank on it to put it on—otherwise you risk damaging the garment.

• Be sure to break in your garment before you start a waist training regimen. Wear a latex waist cincher for an hour or two at a time for a couple of days before you start wearing it for longer hours. A steel-boned corset needs to be worn several times, loosely, for about an hour at a time, before you can tighten it all the way.

Planning for Your Personal Style

How you prefer to dress is a huge variable when it comes to how a waist trainer will work underneath your clothes. Some questions to ask yourself when pairing your clothes with a waist trainer include:

• Fabric: will you be wearing thick or thin materials? Note that if you wear very light materials, the hooks on a waist trainer may show through.

• Color: are you wearing light or dark? If you’re wearing light or sheer fabrics, a colorful print or dark colors on your waist trainer can show through.

• Cut: are you wearing fitted tops or dresses, particularly those with lighter fabrics? It’s possible for the seams on a waist trainer to show. And obviously crop tops don’t pair well.

If you have some clothing styles that might pose some problems with waist trainers, don’t worry. There are some ways to still make it work.

Sneaky Tips for Wearing a Waist Trainer Discreetly

If you want to commit to daily waist training, but some of your personal style doesn’t seem to work well, don’t despair. There are some ways to continue wearing a waist trainer without sacrificing your favorite outfits.

• Use a shapewear alternative on the days when you are wearing thin or light-colored fabric in which a waist trainer might show through. We have a variety of seamless waist-slimming garments that will still provide compression around your waistline without showing. Try shaping panties, bodysuits and high-waist shaping leggings, to name a few. By wearing shapewear instead of a waist trainer on some days, you won’t set your waist training efforts back.

• Try a no-closure waist trainer, which won’t have any of the seams and hooks that would show through your clothes.

• Make sure you’re choosing a color and pattern that won’t pop through. Many styles of workout bands are designed for showing off at the gym with colorful prints, but they aren’t ideal underneath a white blouse.

• As mentioned above, rotate several styles of waist trainers through your wardrobe. Nude and black waist trainers are ideal for everyday use.

• Incorporate waist trainers into your personal style, rather than trying to conceal them! Many women are embracing the fun prints that you can show off at the gym or out on a run. You might also enjoy the vintage look you can get from a lace-up corset used as outerwear. Simply put it on over a thin lacy blouse.

Wearing a waist trainer under your clothes can be a little tricky if you’re not accustomed to it, but once you’ve figured out how to make it work, it shouldn’t be difficult to incorporate it into your personal style effortlessly.

Even if you discover that you’re not wearing certain styles of clothing as often as you used to, you might find that it’s worth it just because of the flattering benefits to your waistline. And don’t forget—it won’t completely set you back to skip a day of waist training every now and then, especially if you’ve been very committed to the practice. After all, why work so hard when you can’t show off your tiny waist off in swimwear or your cute little top?

Finally, if need more specific style suggestions, particularly for special occasions or simply finding the perfect waist trainer, our customer service team is happy to help. Our expert stylists use waist trainers and other shapewear themselves and can give you the specific advice you need to perfect any look, no matter what your style. Contact our team – we're here to help!