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(Today Corporette is starting a new series on something near and dear to every woman's heart: lingerie. After all, every good outfit for the office starts with a great foundation.)
As the weather turns colder, I find that slips are an absolutely essential element to a number of outfits. Not only does it help prevent that fun “my tights are stuck to my skirt” moment, but the right slip can smooth out some bumps, or make a wrap dress “decent” no matter how you're sitting. Below, I pick out some of my favorite types of slips…
Psst: As of 2022, some of our favorite foundational garments include this line of waist-shapers, these comfy shorts to prevent chafing while wearing skirts without hose, this full slip for wrap dresses and shirt dresses, this half-slip to prevent clinging, these pantyhose, and this bra.
| Sometimes, just a simple slip is all you want, and this nice one from Calvin Klein fits the bill. I like that it doesn't have lace anywhere on it; the smooth fabric is great beneath jersey dresses (whereas lace can sometimes “show” beneath them), and the slight “mesh” at the top seems like it would be fine if your slip is doubling as a camisole. The lack of side slits in the skirt is also a plus from my perspective. This slip (also pictured in black above) is $48 at Freshpair. Solutions V-Neck Slip |
| I like this Flexees convertible slip dress for when you want your slip to have a firming action — it can be worn strapless (as pictured) or with straps, and it gently compresses. While in the summertime I tend to prefer things like the Higher Power with Tummy Control shorts, I like these kinds of slips for the fall and winter because it's much easier to wear regular tights or pantyhose. This slip is $55 (available in both black and nude). Firm Control Strapless Slip |
| Another great thing about slips is that they can sometimes double as sleepwear — I actually have this slip in black, and it's one of my favorite things to sleep in. (Something about the clingy top is both comfortable and flattering.) The double neckline is helpful, also — it's a V-neck if worn one way, or a square neck if turned around. It's $30 at Freshpair. Body Fresh Full 18 Inch Slip |
Lyssa
Really glad to see some attention paid to lingerie- it’s probably the thing I have the most questions about (and the fewest opportunities to ask them to people I know!)
One thing I’m looking for now that it’s getting colder is scoop-necked undershirts. I love to wear a long-sleeved shirt under my sweaters for extra warmth, but I can only ever find them with high crew-necks or v-necks. Neither works well if I’m wearing a sweater that doesn’t go all the way up to my neck (the crew is OK with a V-neck sweater, but very high, and the V looks silly with another V neck or scoop). I’d love one that was cut like a camisole, but am at a loss- any suggestions? (Since this isn’t really fasionable or structural in any way, I’d prefer to keep it cheap- in the Hanes type price range).
mbs
This might work. It’s not really an undershirt, in that you can wear it alone, but it looks thin enough that it would be a good layering piece. I bought a similar short sleeve one last winter, and wore it a lot under low v-neck sweaters.
http://www.landsend.com/pp/LongSleeveSolidModern1x1RibScoopTshirt~193413_59.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::GRH&CM_MERCH=IDX_00002__0000002040&origin=index
K
I am wearing mine today in navy! LOVE LOVE LOVE these! They are thin without being sheer and can definitely be worn alone without appearing indecent. The LE “Modern” Fit (aka Fit 1) is not boxy either.
L
Eddie Bauer Scoop necked shirts and tees!!! They are soft, well-made, and come in gorgeous colors that can be worn as outerwear in summer, and under sweaters in winter. I adore them. Plus, they’re constantly on sale online.
I personally like the 3/4 sleeve, but they come in long and short-sleeved as well. I have them in 4 colors!
Midori
I got some thin scoop-neck longsleeved tees at Old Navy for single-digit prices. They work quite well as layering pieces, and are practically disposable for the price.
Nonny
If you have access to a Uniqlo store at all, I love love love their heat-tech line – they have great scoop-neck shirts, long sleeved and short sleeved, and tanks, and they look quite decent so it doesn’t matter if someone sees them.
Jay
Am I the only Corporette who has neither owned nor worn a slip since elementary school?
E Anon
nope!
Anonymous
Haha, absolutely not! I have stopped wearing slips ever since my mother stopped making me wear them. =)
Chicago S
Not a slip girl
AIMS
I never even wore one in elementary school.
Cat
I definitely don’t wear full slips, but wear half-slips all the time. Probably because I also love jersey wrap dresses and wearing skirts with knit tights in winter, though — they are very helpful for making sure nothing clings where I don’t want it to and for putting a not-itchy layer in between my torso and the top edge of a wool skirt (even if lined, often the waistband is not).
Makeup Junkie
no slips here, but I wonder if I should get one for my jersey wrap dresses. I’ve never noticed a clinging problem with them though. Maybe I should get a slip skirt
Cat
maybe “cling” is the wrong word for the wrap dresses — more like, make sure that if I lean over, the edges of my underwear aren’t outlined on my rear, or that if I’m walking into the wind, that things aren’t outlined that I don’t want to be :)
Eponine
Yes, you should get one. I’ve posted this multiple times; it’s my pet PSA of sorts. I see a LOT of women wearing these dresses and they cling in a way that shows every. single. detail. of your anatomy. It’s not what you want people walking by you on the street to see.
Eponine
Yes, you should get one. I’ve posted this multiple times; it’s my pet PSA of sorts. I see a LOT of women wearing these dresses and they cling in a way that shows every. single. detail. of your anatomy. It’s not what you want people walking by you on the street to see.
Eponine
Yes, you should get one. I’ve posted this multiple times; it’s my pet PSA of sorts. I see a LOT of women wearing these dresses and they cling in a way that shows every. single. detail. of your anatomy. It’s not what you want people walking by you on the street to see.
Makeup Junkie
I see you feel very strongly about this! I’ll get one, I’ll get one!!
Eponine
Haha, sorry this posted twice!
I just really feel bad for women experiencing this level of wardrobe malfunction. A slip will keep that dress from clinging, ladies!
Anonymous K
I feel bad for these women, too, particularly if they are otherwise very put together. I honestly feel most of them just don’t realize that their dresses are so clingy!
Anonymous
Love the half slip under wrap (and any other unlined) dresses!
KZ
nope. I remember hating them as a kid. But I think I really need to get some for some of my clingier dresses and skirts. I’m hoping quality has improved since i was a kid, because i seem to remember them either being itchy or actually making the fabric more static-y, and therefore more clingy.
Lawgirl
I have a black slip that I’ve had for over a decade, and no full slips. I think dresses are getting more gauzy and thin lately… JMHO , but my dresses from years past were structured, had lining and needed no slip. In fact, several years ago, a dress that needed a slip would appear cheap to me… My how things change!
Eponine
Try a silk one (wintersilks.com is a good store).
L
I never ever wear slips. They are a PITA!
CJ
I think I only ever wore one once as a kid, never since! Didn’t know people still wore them!!
Celia
I started wearing slips again this summer during my firm clerkship. I was in Texas, and a lot of our events were things like picnics where appropriate attire was a nice cotton or silk dress, and I discovered that a lot of my dresses from Banana Republic, J. Crew, BCBG and the like are sheer enough that you could see the silhouette of my legs under them if I was standing at certain angles in the light. Not so sheer that I feel the need to wear a slip under the dresses if I’m just out and about – but exactly the kind of thing I did NOT want the partners noticing while we chatted!
Preggo Angie
I never wear slips, but now that I’m pregnant I find them absolutely necessary as most of the dresses available (or that I’ll allow myself to purchase) is made from very thin, synthetic materials.
Forestgirl
I wear a (half) slip whenI’m wearing an unlined skirt with tights, to prevent the “cling” problem, but it never works perfectly because the slip has to be slightly shorter than the skirt in order to prevent the slip from showing, so there’s still some cling. Any ideas on how to get a better result (either with a specific type of slip or some other solution)?
I
I assume you mean static cling? If so, I highly recommend “Static Guard” spray. I would spray it on the inside of the skirt (depending on the fabric) or on the tights. It really works.
AIMS
I use static guard — spray it on both the tights & the skirts. Keep a spare can in the office. Works like magic.
Forestgirl
Not sure if it is exactly static–the skirt kind of sticks to the tights, and doesn’t fall straight down. But I’ll give static guard a try anyway–maybe the problem is static!
Suze
Use both – half slip and static guard. Takes care of all the ‘too clingy’ issues associated with unlined dresses.
Eponine
I have slips in different lengths – you can usually get 16″, 18″, 21″.
Samantha
You can also wear the slip slightly higher or lower (if the dress length is only a little bit shorter). I have a short slip that doesn’t ‘slip’ down even if I wear it up on my rib cage, and I have worn it low on the hip as well.
Celia
Any advice on where to find shorter slips? I’m having a really hard time finding those!
Humorless Anon?
Apologies for this potentially-ranty threadjack (as I do love me some good lingerie), but: I just read that Mel Gibson will be making a cameo in the Hangover sequel. I had problems with the first Hangover b/c of Mike Tyson’s cameo (he’s a convicted rapist, for cryin’ out loud), and, well, we’ve all heard what Mel’s been having to say lately (and I mean even without the phone messages he allegedly left for Oksana). Is anyone else frustrated/upset/anything by the fact that these movies that are so popular feature such horrible men? Anyone? Or am I overreacting and shouldn’t take it all so seriously? What say you, Corporettes?
AIMS
I wouldn’t take it seriously, personally, but if it does upset it, just vote with your dollars & don’t see the movie.
Eponine
I haven’t seen a Mel Gibson movie since his anti-Semitic rant a few years back. Vote with your pocketbook and don’t see it.
Anonymous K
Yeah, it sometimes kind of upsets me. The same goes for Two and a Half Men with Charlie Sheen. And anything with Chris Brown. And it is beyond me how any woman could support Ben Roethlisberger. (I understand liking the team and cheering for them, but I don’t get specifically supporting him. And yes, I understand the allegations were never proven, but, as Goodell said, it’s a pattern of behavior with him…)
Anyway, my rant is over. I try to “vote with my dollars” when I can, but sometimes I feel our society is so anti-women that it’s impossible to not support any company, movie, etc. that I object to. It’s all about choosing your battles for me.
Anon
Exactly, vote with your dollars/actions. The only two players I put on my “do not draft” list for fantasy football roster were Roethlisberger and Michael Vick. I do not care how good they are in the pocket. Allegations unproven or not, Roethlisberger would likely be in jail right now if he didn’t have such a good arm.
CT
Don’t worry! According to Gawker (http://gawker.com/5670286/mel-gibsons-hangover-2-cameo-cut-because-cast-and-crew-hate-him) Mel Gibson has been cut from the Hangover 2! You’re not alone!
S
for scoopnecks- target has great ones. some have double cloth front, so appropriate to unlayer when hot etc. wore one today on business flight under a cardigan.
AEK
Anyone else not like “Freshpair” as a name for a lingerie website? For me it sounds like a name for pull-up diapers, or that old SNL commercial for “Oops I Crapped My Pants.”
hazel
I hate it too! Because for some reason makes me think of the opposite of fresh!
fresh jd
Exactly what I was thinking, hazel. Lingerie should ALWAYS be fresh!
Anon
I definitely don’t like it because my first reaction was that “Freshpair” sounds like something advertised as a special soap/shower gel for a man’s, um, nether regions…
govvie girl
That’s exactly what came to mind for me… ha ha!
m
HA! Did you see that the ad for them today features two pairs of athletic socks? As in “Socks! We’re talking about a fresh pair of SOCKS! That’s all!!!”
Frump
I wear slips all the time. Not only do they help a lot of dresses and clothes just lie better on my body, but they help to reduce wrinkles, they keep garments cleaner (they can sometimes help to wick away moister so that you sweat into the slip vs. into your outfits), and they prevent things like panty lines/bra lines/dresses showcasing “sitting down tummy rolls”/etc.
chis
i am not a fan of how “sponsor-y” corporette is becoming. maybe it’s just me but it seems that more and more posts are brought to you by so-and-so. i liked when it was brought to me by kat!
m
sister needs to make a buck. its got to take a LOT of time to run this site.
Parisienne
I am amazed – did not even know that “slips” (as opposed to a petticoat or whatever that half-slip is called) still exist. Hated them back when, and would not dream of wearing one now. I never see them advertised. never see it in the locker room.
Suze
Well, I have some experience with Freshpair. After one of my colleagues raved about success in bra purchases, I dived in deep and – after measuring exactly like the website told me to – I ordered like 6 different brands/styles and a couple of different size options (and I am in ‘median’ – 36/38 B or C) and not.one.of them worked. Could be anything/everything, and Freshpair was easy on the return (I paid shipping both ways). But I would not do it again…..time saved from online shopping = exceeded by return, etc. and still needed the bras.
j
Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I have come to love and depend on slips (I also hated them as a child – but I also hated dresses/skirts and they’re all I wear now). I usually wear half slips and relegate full slips to sleepwear. Along with making sure that everything lays right, they also are helpful in protecting some of the more delicate fabrics i wear from body oils and sweat. I tend to not really notice whether other women do or do not wear them, but for me, they’re a must.
kellyn
Funny to think of all the stuff kids generally hate, but love as adults. Primo example numero uno? Going to sleep! If someone told me to go right to bed after dinner as a kid, I’d be devastated. Now? I’d be elated.
Suze
Kellyn,I heart you times 2000! <3
divaliscious11
Why do none of these slips come in shades of brown? As a dress wearer, I DO wear slips, and am always challenged in finding brown slips. I actually like a couple of these, but ….
Amanda
Help, I bought a SPANX slip and the thing keeps riding all the way up. Any tips or recommendations for a slip that hangs relatively close to the body without lots of extra material but that doesn’t ride up?
Ru
Maybe you bought a size too small? Also, when I try slips (or even dresses) on in store, I make sure to sit down while wearing them to see how the fabric behaves. I’ve accidently worn spanx (camisole and full length slip) inside-out and it’s rolled up on me (which is how I discovered I wore them inside-out, lol).
JD
I went out and bought the calvin klein slip above in black last night. I’m wearing it today under a sweater dress that I normally could not wear with tights because of leg clinging problem, and I’m honestly not sure how I lived without it! It’s also smoothing out a few bumps I normally have in the dress. One of the best purchases I’ve made recently. Also, I bought it at bloomingdales, which is having a friends and family 20% right now through 11/14.