Posturing for the Future - The Up Couture Tee Shirt

The Up Couture T-Shirt in White: Gently reminds your posture to stay erect.

Paris, France I was somewhat conflicted on where to feature this new line of French - posture improving tee shirts. Paris is one of the top fashion capitals of the world second only to New York City. Also the clean white Tee shirt is a key staple in most fashionista's closets. James Dean made this simple style iconic along with his Ray-Ban Wayfarers! Still the Up Couture T Shirt offers something special and quite unique which I feel will help us fitness freaks stand just a little taller. This can also help take the pressure off our poor aching backs as good posture also translates to good health.

Up Couture T Shirts in black 3/4 sleeve and white short sleeve. Green Vesp by Vespertine.

Posture Perfect
I don't think I have to reinforce how important good posture is for athletic prowess and your over all fitness but keep this in mind: You get a new skeleton about every 7-8 years. If you are somehow molding your spine in a hunched position, it will actually GROW that way. Slouching can also make you appear to have a potbelly even if you don't! Ballet dancers often have ramrod straight backs well into their eighties because they practice good posture everyday. Poor posture also crowds your chest cavity, inhibiting the free flow of oxygen into the lungs. You're out running up and down hills...do you really need THAT going on? It's pretty simple but unless we remind ourselves each day to straighten up, we may be rounding our shoulders and crowding our airways.

Up Couture T-Shirt in a 3/4 Sleeve version.

How Do These Shirts Feel?
I personally wore the Black 3/4 Sleeved T-Shirt in the photo above for about a week. It is a size SMALL but fit me very well, especially for the intended purpose. It looks like a substantial, Spandex shirt but if you look inside, you'll see the posture-improving strips which make up the "framework" of the garment. The sleeves also gave my upper arms a nice firm support which made it perfect for weight lifting. You can feel the bands pulling your shoulders back gently throughout the day as a subtle reminder while not showing through the garment itself. If you have ever studied ballet, this shirt will remind you of the heavier Capezio dance leotards I would wear in class and for ice skating practice. Firm support and very elegant.

Look closely and see the blue bands of film added to the garment for posture support.

The Up Couture T Shirt Design Objectives from the Website:

1.     an extra-thin film, which would be both sown and bonded to the garment, and

2.     a film with perfect modulus and with a 100% recovery power – in spite of the fact that this version (100% recovery guarantee) was 5 times more expensive than the version which was losing 4% from initial point after each elongation

The Up t-Shirt had to be perfect, not close to perfection, in order to merit the gold medal in your closet.



Fashion Meets Function
This is definitely a quality Tee Shirt with just a little something more. If you are training in the gym, it will give you a bit of extra confidence to retain your form during a lift. If you are running, your shoulders will be encouraged to remain back which will greatly improve your breathing capacity. The same benefits can be had for cycling, hiking, skating, etc.

Front and Back of the Up Couture White Short Sleeved T-Shirt

Up Couture Designs 
Overall I am impressed with the quality and function of this shirt. No one can tell you have any "orthodics" going on but you will definitely feel more poised and elegant in your posture while wearing one. The fabric itself without the bands is very soft and thick. I've worn it in a number of activities and was very comfortable yet aware of keeping my back straight and shoulders back. These subliminal signals can even remain when you are not wearing the shirt which is the goal of any training device. Visit Up Couture Online to see more designs and details on their garments.