The Best Work Dresses with Built-In Shapewear

Hunting for built-in shapewear dresses for work? We haven't gone on a hunt in a long time, so I thought I'd round up a few of the brands I've heard about. Readers, what's your take on shapewear in 2024 — are you all about comfort, or do you prefer compression and shaping? Where do you look for work dresses and pants with built-in shapewear?

(We've talked about work dresses a lot here, including rounding up our favorite work dresses in general, as well as the best plus size work dresses. Other specific roundups we've done include work dresses with pockets, day to night work dresses, fit and flare work dresses, work dresses with matching blazers, colorful sheath dresses for work, and (over at CorporetteMoms), the best maternity dresses for work.)

Our Latest Favorite Work Clothes with Built-In Shapewear

As of 2024, workwear brands with built-in shapewear that we know of include Spanx, Yummie, White House Black Market, Honeylove, NYDJ, and Gravitas. (You can also try brands like ShapeLLX, Popilush, TA3, and SheWaisted, but know your office — bodycon dresses or slip dresses (with spaghetti straps) are not appropriate for most offices.)

For pants with “tummy control” panels, check out NYDJ, Lyssè, Wit & Wisdom, Briggs, as well as Amazon sellers Rekucci and Slim-Sation. For denim, check out Lee's Sculpting line of pants and Levi's Totally Shaping line. (Stay tuned for a full roundup!) Tuckernuck's compression knit pants are also among their best sellers!

If you're hunting on resale sites, keep an eye out for brands like NUE by Shani, ShapeFX, and MiracleBody (the swimsuit brand had a clothing line for a brief moment).

The Best Work Dresses with Built-in Shapewear

Let's take a closer look at the brands doing work pants and work dresses with built-in shapewear…

White House Black Market

White House Black Market has a bunch of dresses in their AURA sculpting line, including dresses with V-necks and mock necks, with sleeveless, short-sleeved, and long-sleeved options in regular and petites. Nice!

As they note on the site:

Made from a high-tech fabric to shape and smooth your body, all Aura dresses feature our exclusive power mesh lining, which also sculpts to celebrate your curves. Wear it in social settings or add a jacket and it's office-ready, too. Designed to be form-fitting, it runs true to size for a sleek, close-to-the-body look. If you prefer a looser fit, we recommend sizing up.

Spanx

Spanx used to just be an elevated pantyhose brand, but no longer! They've been coming out with pants, dresses, skirts, and more, and they're goooood — reader favorites, in fact. Many of the clothes boast a “hidden core shaping technology” — and note that their “smoothing premium ponte fabric conceals cellulite.”

You can find some Spanx clothing at department stores like Nordstrom, but the best place to check for all options is Spanx.com.

(I've heard that Quince pants are a good dupe for Spanx, but I'm not sure if that includes the compression.)

Project Gravitas

Featuring high-quality clothing made in NYC, Project Gravitas' pieces are meant to flatter every shape and figure. Many of their office-appropriate dresses and skirts have discreet shapewear sewn right in, made of a moisture-wicking material and offering medium control.

We've pictured the bestselling Lucille, which is made of wrinkle-resistant fabric and comes in three colors in sizes 0-3X. As they note, it includes their “Shapewear Secret”: “This piece is lined with our Light shapewear, your smooth — and cooling! — operator that works undercover to tame the tummy and hips for an unshakeable silhouette. Cue head turns.”

Yummie

Yummie has a fair number of office-appropriate dresses! I like that this mockneck has seamless construction, and it's definitely affordable — it's $29 (final sale only, alas) at Yummie.

HoneyLove

Honeylove is verrry close to the line of “not for work,” but here's why I'll argue this dress in particular is closer to “workwear” than not: Your bra straps are covered, and so is your back. I've also always been a fan of a not-too-low scoopneck.

The dress is $189, available in sizes XS-3X.

Popilush

I wasn't going to include this one, honestly, but some of the selfies taken by Amazon reviewers changed my mind… This dress in particular looks like a typical, conservative dress… but with secret shaping power! Note that this one comes with built-in shorts with a gusset for “convenient bathroom use.”

You can find a lot of the dresses at Amazon, or on their website.