Any thoughts about slips under skirts/dresses/advice needed - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Any thoughts about slips under skirts/dresses/advice needed

lyn67

Veteran

Hi Ladies, I was off on a short but beautiful holiday to the sea (Adriatic) and missed y'all but I hope will catch up on threads asap.:-)

When came back, and saw some of you are prepairing your closets for the new season(fall). I, too, found myself craving new colours and textures, and bought a very thin knitt dress, which is not lined. In order to keep the skirt from sticking to my legs I think I may need to buy a half(or a full?) slip in black, as dress is black, too.

Now, I do not have any experience with slips, as I was used to wear the skirts/dresses as they were purchased: mostly lined if wool, and not lined if cotton, or denim, or so. But this one dress has to got a kind of slip underneath, for sure.

Can you pls. advice about fabrics, lengths, quality pls?
Is a modern slip meant to be antistatic, and strechy in all cases?
If it's not antistatic and/or is strechy body con, would it ride up on my legs?

I saw on the ebay some very fine half slips(Charnos super fit) which tickle my fancy, but at 23" they are too long for my dress(a 20" will be enough I think, as the dress is knee length only)
Are the poly/satin slips ALSO good-and antistatic(even description does not say anything about this feathure? (I found a 20" length only in a poly/satin kind of fabric).

Are there any rules about how should a slip/half slip fit under a dress/skirt?
For. ex: how many inches shorter than actual hem shoud one buy for a slip/half slip?

Full slip or half slip? This is also a question!:-)

(I would preffer a half slip though, as then I could wear it with one another skirt and non black tops, too.)

Thanx so much for your answers.

Dressing

20 replies

Latest reply was from Diana

cade

Check the Wacoal website. Beautiful quality and fit.

Diana

Veteran

OK, so I think silk is the ultimate material for slips but it is expensive and very hard to find in shorter lengths so I generally buy the cheap half slips from target or amazon. They are poly or nylon which is not ideal but they do come in many lengths and do their job of preventing static, blocking transparency etc. I don't love the feeling of poly on my skin but since I'm usually wearing them with tights I don't really care. Cheap enough that you can experiment to find the ones you like. I like them to be around 2-3 inches shorter than my skirt, although if you get the lace trimmed ones, it's not such a big deal if they peek out.

For example:
http://www.target.com/p/vassar.....A-12908008

I don't like the tight, stretchy slips AT ALL. I am extremely anti-shapewear though, and do not want to be compressed in any way by my underwear!

As for full slips I have a couple but only wear them under dresses that are see-through. For preventing static, etc, a half slip is perfectly fine and much more versatile.

JR

Veteran

I am miles away from being a slip expert or a particularly savvy shopper, but I can tell you that Sears is one of the few places I have found that still carries a decent assortment of slips. We're not talking high-end, of course. They also have half-slips with tiers, so you can cut off a tier or two if you want it shorter. Keep in mind, I'm in Canada, but I assume the situation is similar south of the border.

Anonymous

I'm loving the look of a lace slip peeking out under a skirt!! Etsy has some great ones!

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Hi other Lyn - I use a lot of lace-trimmed slips under my shorter dresses to make them better for wearing to work - I order personally, from Ruche.

I find the dark grey gets the most use, but here's a link to the silver: http://shopruche.com/lovely-lace-silver-slip.html

I hope that helps!

Jem

Veteran

I've gotten slips from Kohl's when I've been in the states. Also, sometimes Ross has them. I like wearing full length slips with dresses and half slips with skirts. I have a bunch of them and wear whichever one works with the thing I'm wearing, so that probably isn't much help... A couple of inches shorter is probably good. BTW, it's really dry here so sometimes static is a problem. When it is, I put a safety pin in the bottom of the slip and it seems to stop the static.

shiny

Veteran

I have not worn an "official" slip in decades. Because I'm so petite, and they don't exactly make slips in petite sizes. I dealt with this for a long time by never buying a skirt or dress that didn't already have a liner. Or not buying skirts or dresses at all. Or -- and here is a useful tip! -- believing in the idea that if you wore the skirt or dress once or twice, and didn't wash it, it would get body oils on it enough that it would magically become anti-static. Just as wool sweaters worn against the body lose their itchiness.

The only time I wear a slip these days is in the winter when it's so cold I want the extra layer. And what I wear is a Victoria's Secret silk negligee that hits at just the right length, because it has adjustable straps. It has a 1-inch black lace hem, so if the hem happens to show when I sit and cross my legs, it looks intentional.

From my experience, Diana is right and silk slips work the best. This VS negligee is 100% silk but I've put it through the machine wash many a time and it's still just fine. Polyester just clings to you and drives you batty. What's nice about this VS version is that it can also easily double as sleepwear.

Okay I just went on the VS site to try to find something similar to what I have... and didn't have much luck. I've had this for over 15 years. And yes, machine washed it quite often but it's still just fine. I would say it is closest to a babydoll slip, silk. But because I'm so short, it hits me about two inches above the knee.

Diana

Veteran

Oh, just remembered I have this slip as well, which is a thicker and very nice material. But it is a full slip, and a bit too long for many of my dresses.

http://www.anthropologie.com/a.....;color=060

K. Period.

Veteran

I just bought a half slip a year ago because I suddenly found that one of my dresses required one. (When I pulled out my old one, I realized the interesting "texture" on it was not a pattern, but old elastic giving up the ghost. Yikes.) I was amazed by how much nicer slips are now. I bought a cheap one at Macy's that has a stretch elastic lace waist band. It has grippy elastic on the side that faces me so that it can be positioned up or down (shorter or longer) and will stay in place. I think it works really well. I bought it just tight enough that it wouldn't add any extra bulk, but not so tight that it was tight enough to ride up.

I definitely second no shapewear unless you really need it. Shapewear slips move around if they aren't properly fitted and squeeze no matter what. If you just want something to deal with it being see-through, then you just want a slip.

One more word of advice, check the transparency of the dress by wearing a black bra under it and taking a photo. It is pretty amazing what looks fine to the regular eye, but appears transparent in photos. If it is sheer enough to show your bra in the photo, you know you should buy a full slip or wear a cami with the half slip.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I am quite interested in silk for slips and underwear after reading through the undergarment thread. I did a search and found a few online sources.

The above knee silk charmeuse slip looks nice and is on sale.

http://www.wintersilks.com/pro.....PAGE=99999

Herroom has a few but they are very pricy. It is a good store though.
http://www.herroom.com/silk,slips,797,003,10.html

I'd be interested to know if you find anything you are really pleased with as a slip does seem to allow a dress to drape more gracefully and smooth a bit.

I bought a spanx slip and it is okay but not great.

deb

Veteran

I still wear pettipants. Yes, like from the 60's. I get them here.

http://www.essentialapparel.co.....AFC-Nextag

Vix

Veteran

I wear a lot of silk slips (some aging and babied since, as mentioned, it can be tough to find them at a decent price point).

FWIW, I find I prefer wearing the full slips under pencils skirts as well as dresses as most half-slips are A-line and have a tendency to twist and bunch.

anne

Veteran

I got by by wearing a slip style nightgown recently (I did have a full slip, but its neckline showed under the dress)

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I grew up wearing slips, and I can hardly bring myself to wear a skirt or dress without one. I'm old-fashioned that way! I generally wear a polyester satin half-slip, and I find it's best at 2 to 3 inches shorter than the skirt or dress, to prevent showing when move or bend. These old stand-bys aren't the greatest underpinnings for close-fitting knits, though.
My new favorite slips are stretchy ones in both a half and a full style, from Commando (bought at Nordstrom). They are not tight, so they don't have the shapewear feel at all, but they are smooth and close-fitting enough to go under knit dresses and skirts. For your dress, I would get a full slip if possible, so you don't create a line at the waist, and so when you raise your arms, your slip will rise up with your dress. Here's the one I got, I think: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/co.....60-0-0-1-1
I recommend taking your dress to the store and trying it on with the slips. Whatever slip will work under your knit dress will work under other dresses as well; a knit dress is the hardest test for a slip.
I love others' suggestions of silk--I'll have to try that!

lyn67

Veteran

Great knowledge and advices here, thanx you for introducing me into the know-how of wearring a slip!
Have to ruminate on these all before deciding.
Thanx for sharing!+++

JR. I'm in the EU(Hungary:-))so we do not have your shops like Sears, but no matter what, all of Your comments are imensely useful!!!:-))

Irene

Veteran

I just realized that is what I need to make one of my favourite dresses work (the skirt is very full and short so when the wind blows... well, you know. i would be greateful to have a short skirt underneath just in case). I don't know where to find them in Spain though, they are not very fashionable here and have never seen any in stores (except for shops that cater to elderly ladies -yeah, for real.)

velvetychocolate

Veteran

I had this exact issue last fall - it was my first time wearing a knit dress (unlined) with hose/tights and it was really irritating how the dress sort of stuck to the hose.

Diana suggested a couple of ideas from Target (big box dept. store here in the US). I ended up with this:

http://www.target.com/p/vassar.....A-13785926

That particular brand of half slip at Target comes in several different lengths and there are some that look more 'pencil' shaped than a-line shaped.

In any case, it totally solved the problem. To deal with static cling, I spray Downy Wrinkle Release on the slip before getting dressed. The Downy Wrinkle release stuff isn't particularly intended to be an anti-static product, but I figured that Downy is the brand name of a fabric softener, and it's original product was to help release static in the wash.

Here's that wrinkle release stuff:

http://www.downy.com/en-US/pro.....easer.jspx

It comes in a small travel-size as well.

Good luck with the slip search. Oh, and I agree with others that it's not all that fun or comfortable dealing with the stretchy/shaping type of slips. I do *not* like trying to wriggle into or out of of those. Much prefer "normal" slips

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Lyn, I hope you had a great time at your holiday

Regarding your question, I remembered a really useful post from adorable blogger Gracie where she discusses some undergarments. I hope it's of help.

(You might want to check Sal's post too - Gracie links up to it.)

DonnaF

Veteran

I personally prefer taffeta slips because they don't cling to anything, but mine are decades old as in probably 30 years old. They weren't the easiest to find then, and I would probably replace them with silk charmeuse. I have one that is like a split skirt so wider than pettipants, so it never ever rides up. I wear a slip under a couple of tight sheath dresses to keep them from riding up and looking too short.

Diana

Veteran

Oh, the other ladies have reminded me that I have pettipants as well, if you prefer that route. Personally I like the pettipants under skirts in the summer to prevent chafing/sticking, but with tights I prefer a regular slip since I think it looks flatter and is less prone to bunch up. If you get pettipants, get the nylon ones I linked below; cotton ones sound like they would be great but they are actually awful, very thick and bunchy. I would LOVE a split skirt slip like Donna mentions but I have no idea where to find one.

http://www.amazon.com/007Linge.....pettipants