Things are shaping up: meet the push-up bras for men

(courtesy of Spanx)

According to industry sources quoted in the New York Times, men's shapewear is booming.

Following the success of Spanx's compressing shapewear for women, it seems as if the men's segment is catching on, with the label's newly launched range of torso-forming undergarments selling like hot cakes.

"We are selling them as quickly as Spanx can make them," Nickelson Wooster, the men's fashion director at department store Neiman Marcus, told the Times, while David Witman, the men's general merchandise manager at competitor Nordstrom, added: "We've noticed, as good as in-store sales are - and they are good - the online sales are better. [Men] might be embarrassed to ask for it, but they want it."

"[Men's] shapewear is the next big thing," confirmed Michael Kleinmann, the president of underwear retailer Freshpair, citing successful brands such as Equmen and Sculptees, who introduced manly shapewear long before Spanx.

In fact, this trend has been growing quietly for the past decade, with "profile-enhancing" underpants or padded underwear by brands such as BottomsUp becoming increasingly popular.

Shop men's shapewear at http://www.spanx.com or http://www.freshpair.com. Prices start at around $50.