Earlier this year, I went to the Phoenix Comicon. While there, I saw so many different costumes, I was a little saddened that I hadn’t geeked out myself. But it came down to this: I don’t feel comfortable wearing tight costumes, because of my computer belly.
So, this summer, I decided to try something new. Leonisa is a brand of women’s wear that recently opened a men’s wear department dubbed “Leo.” They have a lot of underwear, but I was focused on the shape-wear. I tried the Leo Torso Toner. It is a shape-wear product for the abdomen, chest, and back, advertised to reduce one’s girth up to two sizes. It is a blend of 82% polyamide, 16% elastine, and 2% cotton.
It was a bit awkward to put on the first time, as the front had three hook and eye clasps normally used for women’s bras. After fastening these clasps, there is a zipper. I hesitated here, because the zipper ends between the pecs, and is slightly prominent. I had no problem wearing it under button-up shirts, but I was nervous wearing it under my now-tight “Bazinga” shirt. After I got used to it, it was pretty simple to wear, and nobody could tell there was a zipper under my shirt unless I pointed it out.
The toner does, in fact, reduce my size. For my professional shirts, such as button-ups, I am about two sizes smaller, and more comfortable wearing a tighter cut. For T-shirts and the like, it doesn’t reduce my overall size, because I just cannot shrink my shoulders, but I am able to wear some of my tighter cut shirts, because my belly doesn’t make it “tent” in the front.
At $60, the price is a little more than I’d be comfortable spending on more than one, but I do get a lot of use out of it, overall.
The toner is completely machine washable, and I had no problem letting it air dry overnight. It is more comfortable now, after several washes, but it still provides the support it had when I wore it for the first time.
There was one big bonus that took me by surprise. I have idiopathic adult scoliosis, and it makes my back pretty sore some days. I wore the toner a few times, specifically to try out the advertised feature saying that it can “control posture and prevent back pain.” It works. Not every time, but most of the time. It is a great aid, and I can totally see why they also advertise it for use after surgeries.
I have yet to try this toner out in costume for longer than a few hours, but I definitely won’t be shy about trying it out under my Halloween costume this year!
Note: I received this piece from Leonisa for review purposes.
