Crotch Gussets and Frankentitties: A Rago Shapewear Review

I mentioned last week that I had ordered some new shapewear, and it recently arrived. I've been test driving it for a couple of days, and I'm pleased to report that I really, really like it so far.
Rago is a pretty popular brand among vintage loving ladies, and for good reason. If you're not buying vintage girdles and don't want to drop the dough required for something like What Katie Did, Rago is really the way to go for shapewear. Their pieces use modern fabrics and technologies, but still have a certain old-fashioned charm.
I already own a couple of things from Rago - a suspender belt, which is super sexy and awesome, and their 1294 open bottom girdle,  which is great in a lot of ways, but also has some serious downsides. It does an amazing job shaping, and takes an entire inch off of my hips and thighs. Unfortunately, if I wear it on a normal day, when I'm going to do normal things like, say, walk more than 50 feet, I end up with enormous raised welts on the insides of my thighs because they rub together so hard. Taking off a girdle at the end of the day is always kind of a relief, but you shouldn't need lymphatic massage afterwards.
I still wanted something to smooth me out, though, and on top of that, I like wearing shapewear. I know some people find it really uncomfortable, but I kind of enjoy that squeezed feeling you get from it. What I ended up ordering was the Hi Waist Long Leg Shaper, and while I was at it, I grabbed their Long Line Bra as well.

The leg shaper has been a great choice so far. It's not quite as firm as the girdle is, but in my case, that's kind of a good thing. Because my hips and thighs are so much larger than my waist, not only is the girdle too tight in the thighs, it's actually not tight enough in the waist. The leg shaper takes about 3/4 of an inch off of my butt and thighs without squeezing my thighs too much, and also gives me a bit of a cinch in the waist. It doesn't ride up or roll down either. It comes up a bit higher in the front, which gives added tummy control, but I get a little bit of flesh pinched between the top of the shaper and the bottom of my regular bra while sitting. I can't really even call that a con, though, since it actually makes me sit up straight for once.
It comes with four garters, which I wasn't expecting, since it's not mentioned in the product description on Amazon. On the one hand, it's great - I can wear my stockings with it! On the other hand, if I'm not wearing my stockings, it's just something digging into my thighs. There is also a crotch gusset so you don't have to take the whole thing down to use the bathroom, but... well, let's just say that it doesn't actually work as well as one might like.

I added on the bra mostly just to get free shipping, so I'm very pleasantly surprised by how much I like it. My sternum protrudes just a little bit right between my boobs, and the bands for most underwire bras rub and irritate me there. Because of the construction, this one offers great support without the irritation. The cups are the "lift and separate" style, and there are horizontal seams across the cups, so they actually give me a pretty decent set of cone boobs. I know that might not sound like a good thing to everyone, but I really like it! Not only is it great for filling out those vintage tops and dresses, it works pretty well with the natural shape and position of my assets. Because it is lace, I would not recommend for wearing with a t-shirt, or other tops made from a light or thin material, because it will be highly visible. And this might be a personal problem, but because my boobs sort of settle in the cups as the day goes on, they start to wrinkle a little bit across the seam. The cups, I mean. Not my boobs, my boobs don't have seams. Although Frankentitties would be an awesome burlesque name, right? Anyway, I know that they make inserts for cone bras, and I might invest in some to get around this issue.

I know just talking about shapewear doesn't really give you much of an idea about what it's doing, so I put on my tightest, least forgiving dress with and without my new Rago pieces. You know, for science.

Without.

With. Obviously. Giant bra straps are kind of a give away.

Without, side view.

With, side view. Not a hug difference, really. If you're looking for more tummy control, you might want to look at some of their other products.

Without. My granny panties are doing me no favors here.

This is the shot that makes buying this stuff seem worth it. It doesn't make anything that much smaller, but it smooths out the little lumps and bumps that I have. Would I want to wear it every day? Hell no. Is it a great way to boost your confidence in a tricky dress, or feel extra sexy on a special occasion? Yes.

I don't spend a lot of time or money on underwear, but if you're interested in more vintage lingerie reviews, I highly recommend TheNylonSwish.com. She's a serious lingerie enthusiast, and she offers excellent and detailed reviews of her undergarments.