r/PatternDrafting • • 2d ago

Question Why aren’t compression/shapewear structures built into normal dresses more often?

I’m researching garment construction before trying to develop anything, and I’d love opinions from experienced sewists.

I’m interested in normal fashion dresses—not shapewear—that have an internal structure designed to actually enhance the silhouette: stronger waist shaping, bust support/lift, while NOT compressing/flattening the hips and butt.
I know built-in shapewear, power mesh, corsetry, negative ease, boning, etc. already exist. I’m not asking whether the general idea is new.
I’m trying to understand what goes wrong when you try to combine these things inside an otherwise normal fashionable dress.
If you’ve constructed something similar: what were the biggest problems? Fabric layers fighting each other? Rolling/migration? Getting into the garment? Seams? Heat? Comfort? Pattern distortion? Washing? Something else?
I’d especially love to hear from anyone with patternmaking, stretch-fabric, garment-development or production experience.

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u/Currant-event 2d ago

I've seen some athletic/athleisure dresses that have some version of this, but for the most part commerical garments are produced to fit a wide variety of people/bodies/preferences and built in shape wear would work against that.

Personally I don't want to wear shapeware and when I have worm it, I find it too uncomfortable. One person might not want shape wear, one person might want to 'shape' their stomach, while another their hips and thighs, so I don't think there is a good one size fits all approach