WITH the party season well under way, you may already have a few lumps and bumps that weren’t there when you tried on your little black dresses a few months ago. But before you ditch the cocktails and canapes this Christmas, take a look at the new shapewear in the shops and online. With a few clever tricks, these new garments can hide a multitude of sins. They can smooth out the lumpiest figure, nip in expanding waists and make you look up to two sizes smaller.

Experts recommend you go for a size bigger than your normal size to ensure you’re shaped, not squeezed, and you can still sit down, stand up, dance and breathe. It sounds obvious, but they suggest you try all garments on in advance to avoid last-minute disasters and they say mesh breathable fabrics are best if you want to dance all night and stay fresh.

I asked a panel of testers to try a few different styles and this is what we found.

Six of the best

IF it’s a waist you’re after, look no further. The Miracle Suit Ultra Smooth waist cincher which sits snug beneath the bra and above the pants looks fantastic under dresses.

The Northern Echo:
Miracle Suit Ultra Smooth waist cincher £32.95 (shapewear.co.uk)

It stays put whether you sit and eat seven courses, or boogie till 4am, and it gives really good back support too. Available in black or nude, it costs £32.95 from shapewear.co.uk

BELVIA’S slimming shorts raised a few eyebrows with their pouches for our bum cheeks, but once we’d got them on, we realised how many jobs they do. Not only did they flatten our stomach, waist and thighs, they also hid bumps and bulges. Best of all, their silicone waistband made sure they stayed put and there was no rolling. We wore them under an evening dress for a winter ball and we felt – and looked – 10lb lighter.

The Northern Echo:
Belvia slimming shorts £19.99 (JMLdirect.com)

We just hoped no one got to see them. Cost £19.99, JMLdirect.com IF your party is more about standing around looking gorgeous than dancing, the Naomi and Nicole Amazing Light adjustable rise slip will smooth out your waist area and flatten and lumps and bumps. You choose how high up your waistline you want it, and once it place, it doesn’t move. Our tester tried it in medium and felt it gave her a fantastic silhouette under a bodycon dress. A word of warning though – the thick band of elastic that stops it from riding up is restrictive if you want to do anything more than a stationary wiggle on the dance floor. £21.95, available from shapewear.co.uk

FED up of holding your tummy in all night? Let the Skweez Couture peekaboo slip do the hard work for you. This nude slip was a hit because we could wear our own bra with it, yet it still hugged us in all the right places. We chose the tighter Skweez which offers trimming and slimming – perfect for its night out at a restaurant and a karaoke bar. It didn’t ride up and it made us feel slim and sexy.

The Northern Echo:
Skweez Couture peekaboo slip (qvcuk.com)

This is one to wear with kneelength or longer dresses as it’s almost kneelength itself. £66, qvcuk.com

THE Belvia Shapewear top is great for layering under daytime clothes – ours was in black and wore it with a fine wrap dress for a Christmas lunch. The straps were comfortable and didn’t dig in and the special weave meant the top didn’t ride up. £14.99, JMLdirect.com or from Boots or Debenhams.

The Northern Echo:
Belvia Shapewear top £14.99 (JMLdirecto.com)

MAGIC knickers meets Italian luxury in Vercella Vita’s pants. With a seam-free waistband, these nude and black pants slimmed down our tummy and hips and looked gorgeous under a flared dress, but there was a slight VPL under bodycon frocks. We had them in Small (size 8-10), and they were a lovely fit.

£41.88, qvcuk.com