Wanna See The New Bodymax Shapewear Slimming Undershirts for Men? Here Are My Initial Thoughts

4/4/10 – Marks & Spencer Announces New Bodymax+ Seamless Shaping Vests. Available Online April 6, 2010!

I’ve gotta be the luckiest guy in town!  As you know, Marks & Spencer recently launched their new Bodymax men’s shapewear line of undershirts and they’re offering them at an amazing price range from $19 – $24 USD. Well, color me lucky when I found out that a friend of mine bought some from their online store and had them shipped from Warrington UK to here in the states. He gracious offered to send them to me temporarily to photograph and try out! (It’s just too bad I have to send them back)

I was able to check out three of them – two bodymax crew necks (one white, one black) and one bodymax tank/singlet. Total cost with shipping was £57.00 ($92.34 USD, or around $30 per undershirt delivered). Here’s a bunch of pictures (click on the thumbnails to see larger high-resolution pictures):

Measurements/Specs (all sized Medium):

	Black/White Crew	Tank Top
Fabric Contents	95% Cotton / 5% Elastane
overall length	27.25″	25.75
width (underarm to underarm)	15.75″	16″
width (bottom)	15.75″	16″
shoulder strap length	5″	2.5″
sleeve length	7.5″	NA
Double-layer front panel (midsection flattener)	Starts around upper middle ab area and curves down around waist and midsection

Initial Thoughts:

1. Excellent construction. Shirt panels are all sewn together  with a flat seam to ensure maximum comfort. Looks similar to how RIPT Fusion has slimming panel around midsection, but slightly different design
2. Nice looking design. The curved panel design around the upper abs gives the illusion of more definition around the abs.
3. Shirts are not difficult to get on and off. Fabric offers a good amount of stretch so you don’t feel like you’re struggling to get this puppy on.
4. Fabric is a little itchy – not as soft and smooth as I normally like. Might have to throw it in the wash before I could wear them for a whole day
5. Outer shoulders bunch up a bit in the corners. This might go away after washing too.
6. Sleeves are excellent length (short enough to not peek out of my short sleeve shirts) and fit snug and close around my biceps, but not too tight.
7. I feel good support/compression in the upper middle ab area, lower ab, and around the side back areas in my love handle area. The added support in these areas keep me conscientious of my stomach area and my natural reaction is to hold my stomach in some. It’s like a constant reminder, in a positive way.
8. Good flattening effects in the chest/nipple area. Noticeably masks any excess chest flab.
9. Because of the fabric content being made mostly of cotton, the bottom of this men’s shapewear undershirt lays nicely and does not roll up.
10. Tank design is nice – kinda like the way it looks on me :) hmm, might I become a tank top/singlet/wifebeater convert? I don’t know! I just got mrs. tug’s “professional” opinion and she said the wider tank shoulder straps look a little strange. Note: this is a support tank so they definitely won’t be as narrow as regular tank top shoulder straps because that would provide enough support in the chest area.
11. I really don’t get much, if any, slimming around my mid-section, but I’m more on the slender side so this garment would likely offer some slimming for those with a bigger mid-section. Truth-be-told, I probably could have fit in the small M&S Bodymax.

Overall Opinion: Although I did not see any midsection slimming effects from this garment (maybe not the shirt’s fault) and found the fabric to be a bit on the itchy side, I could see past those two slight negatives because of the very affordable price point of $30 USD (inclusive of shipping). For those looking for a lesser-priced slimming undershirt that will offer moderate slimming, but reasonable flattening and smoothing effects, fork out the bucks and go over to M&S online and buy a couple of these.