The Shapewear You Can Wear on the Outside

Elisa Dahan always had the idea of creating surprisingly comfortable, elevated clothes. In 2022, that vision came to life via Dodiee, a label that she describes as “knitwear and shapewear.” The pieces have sexy body-skimming appeal but are, at times, precisely tailored. Dodiee’s offerings include a long-sleeve cream pencil dress with saucy cutouts at the waist, an itty-bitty black bandeau top with a blazer to throw over it, and a curve-skimming maxiskirt. The more polished offerings, including a pair of flared black pants, can work for any boardroom, red carpet, and beyond.

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Dahan honed her craft over 20 years at the Canadian outerwear label Mackage, where she eventually became co–chief creative officer. “We were the first ones to do down jackets that are tailored,” says Dahan. “It is kind of a bit of who I am, in terms of the feminine silhouette has always been my thing.”

The designer thought of Dodiee—named after her mother who passed away when she was a child—back in 2014 and even trademarked it. Dahan wanted to find clothing that fit the wearer and not the other way around. She compares Dodiee’s body-hugging ethos to wearing a malleable bra. “In a cup size, you can pick A, B, C, D. I want to be able to do the same thing with clothes,” she says. “I want to make clothes that adapt to women.”

While there are plenty of shapewear-minded labels in the industry with the same goals, Dahan has an edge. She patented a knitwear technique that allows the fabric to have targeted compression spots instead of “having the whole garment pull you in everywhere,” she explains. “At the stomach and the hips, it’s more dense and therefore creates that compression and gives you this amazing silhouette,” says Dahan. “That was really the idea: Making women feel sexy, comfortable, and supported.” The concept—though not embedded in all the pieces—has yielded results. Early fans of the label include model Helena Christensen and actor Brooke Shields.

Ultimately, Dahan hopes that anyone wearing Dodiee can forgo traditional shapewear underneath while still feeling supported in its elegant daywear. “None of us like to wear these [shapewear] undergarments,” she says. “I think we all have beautiful shapes, and we just need to know how to showcase them and support the areas that need the support. That’s really the whole point of the brand.”