SKIMS Underwear and Shapewear Review
My Honest Review of
SKIMS
Let’s talk SKIMS, the brand that has taken the undergarments world by storm. To be transparent, I haven’t had the best luck. After two failed attempts, I’m trying again, and after much more research and review reading this time, I’m excited to share an updated review with you. If you’ve followed the blog or me on Instagram for a while, you’ve heard me say that shapewear (and undergarments in general) will never be a one-size/style fits all approach. I wear everything from a large to a 3X in different undergarments. It takes a little trial and error, which is okay!
Before we begin, I also want to reiterate that you will never hear me suggest that one particular style is the best, as undergarments are 100% preference based. What are my favorite and works best for my body type and preferences may not be the best for you. I believe that no one needs to wear them, but if you choose to wear them, I think it’s great to have options! With that said, I’m willing to try all of the things in hopes of making your trying/buying experience a little bit easier and sharing my professional opinion so that you can determine whether or not an item will work for you! In case you missed my previous shapewear guides, I highly recommend checking out this beginner’s guide to shapewear and undergarment solutions and your 15 most asked undergarment questions.
Full disclosure, I am partnering with SKIMS today on Instagram for a video try-on of some of these pieces but wanted to share a more in-depth and candid review here on the blog for future reference. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own and unfiltered by the brand.
on a support scale of 1-3
I like to rate the support of shapewear on a scale of 1-3, it’s helpful to think of them as level 1 as smoothing, level 2 as shaping, and level 3 as sculpting. For more context, I like to wear level 1 or 2 daily and look to level 3 for special occasions or specialty garments. Overall I find the Fits Everybody and Seamless Sculpt Solutionwear collections fall between a 1-1.5, I will go into greater detail below. If you’re looking for something wearable every day, these pieces may be for you. If you’re looking for the maximum amount of support, this collection may not be the best option for you. Let’s dig into what I tried.
FITS EVERYBODY BANDEAU BRA | ONYX 2X
FITS EVERYBODY HIGH WAISTED THONG | ONYX 2X
SCULPTING BRALETTE | SIENNA 2X
SCULPTING SHORT MID THIGH W/ OPEN GUSSET | SIENNA × 2X/3X
what skims i tried
For this third attempt, I decided to focus on the Fits Everybody, Cotton Collection, and Seamless Sculpt Solutionwear. SKIMS has grown significantly since its launch with over 17 different collections of basics, loungewear, active wear, adaptive wear, underwear, swimwear, and supportive shapewear. I wanted to focus on shapewear, solution pieces, and underwear for this review. After looking at the reviews and sizing charts, I decided to size up from my usual size L/XL to a 2X/3X in all pieces. For the most part, all items still required some wiggling and effort to put on. Taking the items out of the packaging can be alarming because they look TINY. After hyping myself up, I gently worked my way into the pieces, carefully not to rip the delicate fabric and wearing them around the house so that I could form an opinion on whether or not they were a win for me.
Here’s what I bought and a quick blurb about each item.
BRALETTES
If you’ve read any of my recent wire-free bra posts, you know that when you forgo wires, you forgo separation and your opportunity for the best lift and support. As someone who is large-breasted, I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing most of these options outside of a low-impact/lounging/travel situation.
FITS EVERYBODY CROSSOVER BRALETTE | ONYX × 2X
ran small on my 34J/36H bust, but considering no wires, moderate support.
SCULPTING BRALETTE | SIENNA × 2X
fit nicely, the fabric is very light and breathable but also very see-through (wearing nipple covers in the photos above) but a good lounging option for me, I wore this on vacation underneath pajamas when we were traveling with a large group. Low/moderate support. This was probably the best one I tried.
FITS EVERYBODY SCOOP NECK BRA | OCHRE × 2X
cups ran small and shallow, very soft fabric but I could’ve sized up.
FITS EVERYBODY BANDEAU BRA | ONYX (two sizes) × XL + 2X
If you’ve read my strapless bra guide, you know I am passionate about properly fitting strapless bras. Considering that there were no wires on this bra, I was pleasantly surprised by how nicely this compressed my chest. This is not it if you’re looking for a strapless bra that will lift and separate. But if you’re looking for a bulk-free option underneath super flowy or even fitted dresses, this may be a good one to consider. I tried the XL and it rolled on me (sign of a poor fit) so I tried the 2X and it worked nicely.
UNDERWEAR + SHAPEWEAR SHORTS
SCULPTING SHORT MID THIGH W/ OPEN GUSSET | SIENNA × 2X/3X
these were probably my favorite thing from my SKIMS order. As I mentioned above, I like to rate shapewear on a scale of 1-3 for support, 3 being the absolute maximum amount of support. These I’d give a 1.5, they offered a little smoothing and shaping with the maximum amount of breathability. They did run a little long on my legs, so I can only wear them with below-the-knee length options or longer. The open gusset allows you to go to the bathroom without pulling down all the way, but I didn’t think they were that difficult to pull on and off. They have a thin silicone-like line on the inside of the waistband to help keep things in place, and worked nicely with an underwire bra. You can see this fit me much differently than it fit the model!
SCULPTING MID WAIST BRIEF | SIENNA × 2X/3X
I wanted to love these, but they didn’t work well for me, the top part had great support and compression, but the underwear area kept rolling on me. If I were to size up, I’d lose the compression at the top, and if I sized down, I think it’d give me wedgies.
SOLUTION SHORT #2 | UMBER × 2X/3X
I shared these on my shapewear guide from last year, so I was excited to finally try them on again in a new size. If you’re wearing a high-slit dress, I think these are a fabulous solution piece. I’d give them a 1 on the supportive scale, but for a creative solution piece, I think this is a fantastic option. It also comes with the other leg exposed called Solution Short #1.
SHEER SCULPT LOW BACK SHORT | SIENNA × 2X
Another interesting, innovative solution piece, oftentimes brides will reach out and ask for low-back options, and I’m glad I was able to try this. I was unable to be on video/photographed in this one because it’s unbelievably see-through. It is very breathable, gives level 1.5 support, and would make a good solution piece. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyday wear.
CORE CONTROL BRIEF | SIENNA × 2X/3X
I REALLY wanted to love these, many of you ask for tummy support underwear that can be worn underneath jeans/pants, but I couldn’t wait to take them off. I think I lasted 3 hours in them before taking off, they gave me the most extreme wedgie of my life. If I were to size up, I’d lose the compression at the top, and if I sized down, I think it’d roll even more. Going to stick to my usual favorite tummy underwear.
FITS EVERYBODY FULL BRIEF | SIENNA × 2X
This is a completely different fabric than I tried above, it’s more lightweight and cotton-like. There’s no cutting or digging in these, they didn’t offer any sort of compression, but I did like these a lot.
FITS EVERYBODY HIGH WAISTED THONG | ONYX × 2X
Same fabric mentioned above, if you’ve been around here for awhile you know I am NOT a thong gal but I was SHOCKED by how much I loved this. It was super comfortable to wear, no digging or weird lines underneath. I loved how high-waisted it is and would re-purchase more colors… am I a thong gal now? TBD.
FITS EVERYBODY BOY SHORT | OCHRE × 1
The same fabric mentioned above and fit nicely, but I just don’t love wearing boy shorts, they tend to ride up in between my thighs. I preferred the brief/thong option.
I did want to flag their Panty Shop - 3 for $36 deal. You can mix/match different fabrics that you are receiving (i.e., Cotton & Fits Everybody) and shop by various coverages (i.e., minimum, medium, maximum) for all of your preferences!
DRESS/SLIP DRESS/BODYSUIT
FITS EVERYBODY SLIP DRESS | OCHRE × 2X
I often get requests for slip dresses so I wanted to try this one. I really liked the fabric and shade range of this one
FITS EVERYBODY CREW NECK LONG SLEEVE DRESS | ONYX × 3X
I threw this into my bag last minute, it’s currently sold out but, you can join the waitlist. It ran extremely small but it was a really nice fabric, supportive undergarments underneath are required.
SCULPTING BODYSUIT MID-THIGH W. OPEN GUSSET | SIENNA × 2X/3X
This style is just not enough support for me in the bust to make it worth wearing. I would much rather wear a mid or high rise short and my own bra. It’s also TINY, like it doesn’t even fit over my dog’s head but stretches out with careful effort. Bodysuits like this can be great to avoid all lines/bulk in the back area but it just wasn’t my favorite style.
FITS EVERYBODY CAMI BODYSUIT | UMBER × 2X
The fabric is really thin and shows everything, this wasn’t my favorite but it could be a nice layering piece for someone. It just wasn’t my vibe because I’d have to wear a bra underneath it.
COTTON RIB BODYSUIT | BONE × 2X
This is a part of their cotton collection, which is more focused around elevated basics, not shapewear whatsoever. I could’ve sized up in this one, the ribbed fabric was thin but comfortable.
FITS EVERYBODY CROSSOVER BRALETTE | ONYX 2X
SOLUTION SHORT #2 | UMBER 2X/3X
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I was pleased with my third attempt at SKIMS. Not everything was a win, but I was not expecting them to be. As I mentioned above, shapewear (and undergarments in general) will never be a one-size/style fits all approach. It takes a little trial and error, which is okay and normal! Once you figure out your sizing and accept that you may need to size up at least one or two from your standard, there can be some great options. They go up to 4X/5X, but I believe everything runs very small overall.
The fabrics are thin, which is great for comfort and breathability, but I warn you to be careful/delicate with wearing and washing. Because the fabric is so thin, it can easily be ripped and worn out. I recommend washing everything on delicate with Forever New wash and hang drying (ever the dryer). More on the importance of washing your undergarments properly here.
A positive worth mentioning is how many fantastic skin tone shade ranges were available. For me personally, I was able to order five different shades to see what I liked best. The sienna shade worked nicely on my skin tone, but I also like and will wear the umber and onyx shades. SKIMS has the most inclusive shade range I have ever seen from an undergarment brand. That is worth celebrating, and I hope other brands follow suit. They also have several pieces in their Adaptive Fits collection, which offers more accessible and adaptable underwear to those who may need or prefer it. SKIMS offers a good amount of maternity/post-partum pieces that I would be curious to learn more about on behalf of the mamas out there. In case you missed my maternity/nursing bra guide, be sure to check it out here.
SKIMS can be a good option if you’re looking for comfort, breathable, and low to moderate support. I’m also extremely impressed by the number of solution pieces (items made specifically to combat a problem) like the Solution Shorts and the low back options (mentioned above). I will continue to wear a handful of the pieces mentioned above, specifically the Sculpting Shorts and items from the Fits Everybody collection. Now that I’ve got a deeper understanding of the sizing, styles, and fabrics, I would be open to trying more, as it feels like I’ve only scratched the surface.
Have you ever tried SKIMS? I’d love to hear about your experience. What should I try next? It could be SKIMS or other undergarment brands you’ve been curious about. Was this helpful? I’d love to hear your feedback. Be sure to check out my IG Reel that I will be posting later this evening that will give more visuals, and for more undergarment-related content, be sure to explore more on the blog here! Thanks for reading.
xo CMK
Photos by Ryan Kell