Let's be honest, everyone has one of these items of clothing in their wardrobe.

By JACQUI PORTER

I have a favourite dress. It’s black, fitted with lace sleeves and a gorgeous detailed back.

As soon as I saw it I fell in love.

There it was, displayed centre stage in a swanky boutique (you know the clothes are a bit more posh if they come from a ‘boutique’ rather than just a shop). It looked at me, willing me to whip out my flexible friend Mr Credit Card and take it home.

I promised myself that I would find the perfect place to wear it. Weddings, parties, dinners out, I knew the dress would be perfect for everything, and it was.

The problem was that every time I put this thing on, I could no longer see the gorgeous fabric, the delicate lace, the eye-catching details on the back. All I could see was the lumps and bumps that every bit of material seemed to cling to, leaving me feeling awkward and uncomfortable. And so, every time, without fail, back it went into the wardrobe.

And so there it stayed – hanging beautifully, looking amazing, but never seeing the light of day. I think there came a point where I just gave up and conceded defeat. I thought about selling it, giving it away. I figured that it was so beautiful someone should at least be able to wear it. I just wanted it to be me.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this series of posts is sponsored by Nancy Ganz. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.

I knew I would never wear it, but I just couldn’t bear to part with it on the off chance that it magically decided to shape shift into something that actually suited me.

Until one day, when I was staying at a friend’s house prior to a hens party. Out she walked in what I now know to be the miracle of shapewear, to iron her dress for the night. She looked amazing in a blue bandage body con, despite having a small human only 7 months prior. I knew I had to try some, and so I raced to the shops the next day and purchased my first pair of shapewear.

I kid you not; I think the angels sang that day. Or at least I did as I shimmied my way into these lump-smoothing babies and tried my dream dress on for the millionth time. It FIT. It was smooth, sexy and amazing and I didn’t feel like I needed to spend the night with my arms crossed over my post baby belly.

That weekend I made an excuse to go out with my husband, we hit the town and I felt like a million dollars. I was a convert.

From that day on, I was a changed woman. Having had a taste of the magic of shapewear I shopped up a storm and found that not only could shapewear assist in the dress situation, it could help every single item of my clothing look so much better than before.

I started assessing all my clothes for new life. Things that I filed away in the, “when I’m skinny again” section of my wardrobe came out. Items of clothing long forgotten about because I thought there was no way I would ever do them justice post-children.

Let’s be honest, most of us know the exhausting struggle to squish into skinny jeans, especially ones that have just come out of the dryer. Oh such a delicate flower I must have looked as I swore, wiggled, jumped, inhaled, exhaled, swore again and lay down on the bed trying to shove myself into skinny jeans. By the time I’d got myself into the jeans, I’d usually be too exhausted to go out. Honestly, that was a tiring performance.

Perusing the shapewear aisles and seeing that there were in fact options to go under jeans was life changing. I know this sounds a bit dramatic but it’s so true. No more bulging zipper, chunky lumpy thighs. Quite frankly, I’m starting to think I could give Liz Hurley a run for her money in some white jeans
Do you have favourite item of clothing you can’t bear to part with?

Check out some of our favourite celebrities rocking their skinny jeans…

Nancy Ganz is Australia’s #1 shapewear brand. Its latest innovation, Nancy Ganz SLIMS, is 50% thinner than regular shapewear.

Listening to what women want, Nancy Ganz is designed in Australia for the Australian & New Zealand body type.

Mamamia readers can use the coupon code MMSAVE to enjoy 25% off when shopping online at NancyGanz.com.au until 30th September 2014 (see website for full T&Cs).

Nancy Ganz shapewear and swimwear is also available at Myer, David Jones & leading retailers in Australia and New Zealand.