Read on for my thorough review of the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa lace petticoat shapewear size 18/46. This is the first shapewear offering from the renowned Polish lingerie brand so find out how it ‘shapes up’!
Polish lingerie brand Ewa Michalak have brought out a number of new items over the past few months, and the one I will be reviewing today is the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa (the direct translation is ‘Lace Petticoat Shapewear’).
Image courtesy of Ewa Michalak
This is Ewa Michalak’s first shapewear offering, and I have to say I was impressed with the photos! It looked really pretty and as if it would provide a decent amount of support and smoothing. I was offered the chance to review the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa, and of course I said yes! I asked for it in a size 18/46.
The Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa slip is made from fabric with limited stretch so that it provides a decent fit but also compresses one’s bumps and curves where necessary. It’s a ‘wear your own bra’ kind of item, which suits me down to the ground as the built-in ones are never anywhere near large enough in the cup for me. This way, I can wear whichever bra I want and also adjust it however I desire.
Please note that in the photos below I am wearing my Ewa Michalak PL Laguna bra 36K/80K, my amazing Prague Lady Microfiber Opaque Hold-ups from The Big Tights Company, and some huge stiletto heels from Primark.
Hopefully this isn’t TMI (too much information) but I am intentionally wearing no knickers in these photos as I wanted to show the full smoothing/shaping effect that the slip provides without any other influence. As you can see from the photo collage above there is a built-in gusset to the slip, which is no different to a body/bodyshaper, so briefs are optional.
Initially, it felt like the gusset hadn’t quite been positioned in the right place within the garment and that it didn’t have enough depth to it. I must admit that it felt rather uncomfortable to begin with and I kept fiddling with the slip to try to make the gusset sit in the right place. I began to wonder if this was yet another garment that wasn’t shaped for my awkward body but fortunately my persistent fiddling with the slip and adjusting the gusset paid off as after a little while it became much less bothersome. Phew!
I must start off by sharing with you how very difficult it was to get the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa slip on. It really was quite the struggle! In the end I found it worked best to step into it and pull it up over my hips and tummy until it was in the correct position, although this did take an awful lot of pulling and tugging and perseverance. However, once it was on and I saw how it looked on me I knew it had definitely been worth the effort, no matter how exhausting it was.
I really love the vintage underwear look that the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa shaping slip provides. It’s not quite a girdle, but there’s a very strong girdle style to the design and cut of the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa. The slip really is tight and thanks to its double layers of shaping fabrics it does a great job of smoothing out the majority of one’s lumps and bumps.
The Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa’s stretch lace is very pretty, and combined with a single – and in some places double – layer of thick black stretchy fabric it is very much a piece of firm control shapewear. With me I think the fact it’s probably a bit too tight on my hips also contributes to the smoothing/supporting effects of this shapewear slip.
I donned my bra before putting on the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa slip, but of course ‘wear your own bra’ shapewear like this can be worn in any way you choose so it would work equally as well if you prefer to put your bra on afterwards. I found the side boob and underarm areas of the slip helped to add a bit of extra va-va-voom to my boobs as my bra and boobs were being pushed inwards a bit from the sides. Hello, extra cleavage!
The Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa has fully adjustable straps that are quite a bit thinner than those I am accustomed to on EM bras, but despite that they do not dig in or cause me discomfort.
I wanted to show the lacy front sides of the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa shapewear slip in their full glory, so I pushed my hold-ups down a little and took a few more snaps.
Perfect! By pushing them down I was worried my hold-ups would look like Nora Batty’s tights but thankfully despite the fact they got a touch wrinkled they didn’t look too bad at all. I think showing just a touch of flesh between my stocking tops and the bottom of the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa shapewear slip is pretty darned sexy! I shall have to hunt down some hold-ups that come up lower than these ones.
For me, however, the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa didn’t work well enough overall. My main problem is that although the slip is offered in dress sizes from 8/36 to 20/48, as you can see from my photos that I am a very different dress size on my waist compared to what I need for my hips.
I requested the size 18/46 in the hope that the waist wouldn’t be too big, but unfortunately this did indeed turn out to be the case and at certain angles the slip hides how much I go in at the waist as it just skims over it instead of sitting flushly against it or even providing a cinching effect. I suppose this wouldn’t matter if I was wearing the slip under a tight dress as I could cinch my waist with a belt, but it’s still rather frustrating.
This is not an issue that is exclusive to the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa shaping slip – I experience it with all shapewear (and indeed most clothing) that sits on the waist – either I go down a size or two for my waist and find the item is too tight on my hips, or I size up for my hips and find my waist is swamped. Oh, the problems of being an ultra curvy woman!
Since first publishing this post, I have been asked a few questions about recommended sizing for this shapewear slip. If you’d like to give this item a try but are unsure about sizing, hop over the the item page and have a read as Ewa has tried to cover off as many FAQs as possible.
For sizing specifically, she says: I suggest going for the same size you buy Effuniak briefs or size down. Do not try down to size down by two or more sizes, as instead of hiding skin folds you will highlight them even more. The elastic fabric of the slip will cut into every fold when it is too tight and the effect will be the exact opposite of what the slip was made for.
In conclusion I think the Ewa Michalak Modelująca Halka Koronkowa is a good first shapewear offering and despite my never-ending quandary of whether to size for my hips or my waist I think it generally does a pretty decent job of smoothing and supporting the lower half of my body. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Ewa Michalak comes up with next – I have seen pictures of a corset on social media so I’ll be itching to give that a try if it’s ever made available to the general public.
What new lingerie/shapewear items would you like to see next from Ewa Michalak? Let me know by commenting below. Personally I’d like them to design a sleep bra, a decent sports bra, a bra-sized body, and also a vest with a built-in bra in both wired and non-wired options. I’m not looking for too much, am I?!
You look amazing! Such a shame they don’t make this in my size, although with shapewear I always feel like an overstuffed sausage!! xxx
Thank you so much! They may well extend their sizes in the future if this item is a success and there is demand for more sizes.
I know what you mean about shapewear – I think it’s about finding the item or items that work for you and not wearing anything that is so compressing that it causes discomfort.
You look fab! Totally agree with the lower hold-ups… swit swoo!I've never bought anything from Ewa Michalak but I get the newsletters and every time I read one of the emails and see your blog posts I'm so tempted. I'm a little unsure of the sizing and sadly that's put me off so far. Shame because the bras are beautiful! xx
Thank you for your lovely comment 🙂 If you're thinking of ordering from Ewa Michalak, do check out Bratabase as it's a very useful resource for helping you to work out sizing. And there's a lovely community on there too who are only too happy to help. Let me know if you do take the plunge! x
Thank-you so much for your wonderful reviews. It's great to hear about these bras before they appear on the shelf of the only retailer with them in Melbourne Australia. You write and review so well.I've been wearing Ewa Michalak bras for about a year now and I've just fallen head over heals in love with them. I used to wear Freya and Curvey Kate, but as I've aged and changed shape, and their basic shaping has changed I needed something more in and up, I have boobs people, I don't want them around my waist!As you mentioned, it would be FANTASTIC to see Ewa Michalak, someone who actually knows how to shape a bra, make a sports bra!I would also love to see some longlines bras for the bigger cups. With the weight of a JJ cup pressing the lower elastic edge of the bra into the skin, it can easily irritate the skin under the bust (and yes I've tried different fittings to avoid this, but it doesn't make a difference how tight or loose I wear a bra, and it happens with all brands) Freya made some longlines styles, but they refused to make them above a G cup, cup discrimination!
Thank you for your lovely comment, and I'm so pleased you agree about the sports bra and longline ideas! Who knows what Ewa will design next…
Oh wow, I had no idea EM were making shapewear now too until I read this blog post. They have really taken the lingerie world by storm!
Yes, they really are an innovative brand and never seem to stand still. I am so excited to see what they come up with next!
Such a neat piece of shapewear. I have tried these shaping dresses before and they roll up or don't smoothe or don't do anything much at all. Good to see this one really is the business. One thing you didn't mention is if the skirt is restrictive when walking and if it moves around at all?P.S I would love to see a lovely body made by Ewa Michalak. She has all the beautiful fabrics, it could be fabulous.
I don't find the skirt restrictive for walking around at all. However, when wearing a fitted skirt a visible indent can be seen on my thighs where the shapewear ‘skirt’ finishes when I sit down (and therefore when the fabric of the dress or skirt I am wearing is more stretched across my legs so this indentation is caused by pressure/tightness). This isn’t helped by the fact I have meaty thighs! I don’t think it makes this shapewear any less wearable but it’s something to bear in mind.
Lovely photos, shame it did not work for you. I have the same problem with all lower-body shapewear… my hips are very wide but fairly incompressible, so if an item is big enough to even put it on, it does nothing for my tummy area beyond barely-noticeable smoothing… it just slightly rearranges my softish midsection into more of a cylinder, which I don't feel to be a huge improvement. If you ever find a ready-to-wear shaping design that is suited to a bigger hip-spring I will be the first to buy!
Thanks Wendy. It's a blessing and a curse to be so shapely, isn't it? Surely designers must be able to come up with something that does the job for us small-waisted-large-hipped ladies?
This is great. I have been waiting to see your review of this before I buy because I wasn't sure about it. But I always trust your words because I know you will be truthful with what you write. I will be buying this shapewear dress as soon as I get paid 🙂
Thank you for reading my reviews. I do hope you are pleased with this when it arrives and that it works well for you.
Fantastic review, I love the level of detail you have provided. It is so useful to me as I live in South Africa so it is expensive to get items shipped here. Your blog lets me know if an item will work for me before I’ve even bought it. That’s some level of trust right there!! Thank you for your hard work, it must take hours to do all the photos and make them into collages, then write up your reviews. Your efforts don’t go unnoticed by me! SK x
Oh wow, thank you so much for your very kind words, Stella. Sometimes it can feel like a bit of a thankless task doing these reviews as like you say it takes a LOT of time and effort but it is all worth it to read comments as lovely and supportive as yours. I hope you’ll continue to find my posts useful.
Blimey! You even make frumpy old shapewear look good! You should be a plus size model, your gorgeous body and detailed reviews could sell me anything. My husband keeps telling me off for buying things that I’ve seen on your blog and I always blame it on you ha ha ha! This shapewear will be my next purchase! Jeni xoxo
Thank you so much. I like to add some finishing touches so what I'm blogging about looks at its best. I am sorry not sorry for causing you to buy some of the things I blog about. Please let me know how you get on with this shapewear slip!
This looks fantastic! I saw Ewa brought this out a few weeks ago and I wondered if you would review it on your blog. I didn't want to buy it until I heard what you thought of it as you are the bra and shapewear guru!!!! I have a thicker waist than you so I think I will give it a try. I don't mind my thickness and curves but sometimes when wearing a tight dress a girl needs a bit of smoothing ;o) x
This will do a great job at smoothing you underneath a fitted dress. Do let me know how you got on with it if you bought it.
I'm in two minds about this one – I've 10 inches difference bust-waist-hips so am unsure whether it'll fit too well. However, it looks bloody awesome and I'm debating getting it come payday.
I have a 19" difference between my waist and hips and it works pretty well on me, so I reckon you should go for it! You seem like the perfect candidate for it.