I don’t often shop for shapewear with clients because I believe that as far as possible one should go without. It’s not all that comfortable and you’ll overheat wearing shapewear if you run warm. That said, I do have a list of shapewear recommendations based on positive feedback from my clients who do wear shapewear. And a handful of them wear it daily. 

• TC Wonderful Edge High Waist Shaper: The shaper holds you in a little more than Spanx, but does stop your circulation. It STAYS UP, and the waistband does not roll down. Very smooth and comfortable as far as shapewear goes. 
• SPANX Thinstincts Mid Thigh Shaper: This is the shaper that some of my clients wear daily because it’s super thin, skimming but not tight, and feels like a second skin. It’s not as girdling as the TC High Waist Shaper, and a good way to go when you’re not after all that extra structure. 
• TC Under Bust Camisole Shaper: The design is genius because your bust can breathe and keep the shape of your bra. No “uni-boob” effect. It also effectively smooths out the contour of your back. 
• Spanx Open Bust Boost Camisole: Here’s the same genius design by Spanx. It has the same smoothing out effect both back and front. This style doesn’t hold you in as much as the TC version, but some of my clients have found this style a little more comfortable. 
• TC Waist Cinching Shaper: This little number is amazing because it covers the midriff and nothing else. It has boning which provides extra structure. However, it does not work if smoothing out your back is a prerequisite. It’s cut too short for that and merely focuses on flattening the tummy area and adding waist definition. 

As a general rule of thumb, buy the size you normally wear in shapewear. Sizing down is often counterproductive because it adds lumpage and bumpage to your silhouette. And while sizing up is more comfortable, the result is usually not as effective.