Shapewear skirt slip or half slip is designed to be worn underneath skirts. These shaping slips extend from the middle of your waist down to either your mid-thigh or your knees. The length to which half slip shapewear extends varies among styles in order to accommodate multiple skirt lengths—from mini to maxi skirts.

This skirt-compatible shapewear offers sculpting coverage for your legs, backside, and lower midsection. Half slip shapewear lifts and shapes your rear end, smoothes your thighs, and flattens your lower tummy for a sleek finish under form-fitting skirts.

Full slip shapewear offers full-body coverage that slims and sculpts underneath tight dresses. Shaping full slip styles extend from your bust down to your mid-thighs or knees, so they can be worn underneath a short cocktail dress or a full-length formal gown. They are usually held up by straps, although some styles are strapless.

These full body shapewear pieces target your entire midsection, as well as your bust, backside, and thighs. They smooth your thighs, sculpt and lift your backside, slim your waist, conceal your love handles, flatten your tummy, and lift and shape your bust. Full slip shapewear smoothes, slims, and sculpts any and all problem areas from your thighs up to your bust to eliminate your insecurities and help you feel confident and sexy in whatever dress you wear.

When you wear a strapless or sleeveless dress, the straps of full slip shapewear will likely be visible underneath your dress.

If you want to keep your slip shapewear hidden, try strapless full slip shapewear. This slip shapewear offers the same coverage as classic full slip shapewear, except it is strapless in order to remain invisible underneath more revealing strapless and sleeveless dresses.

4. Backless Slip Dress Shapewear

Full slip shapewear is great until you want to wear a low back or backless dress. Classic full slip shapewear would be completely visible underneath these revealing dress styles, but backless slip dress shapewear is designed to stay hidden underneath low back and backless dresses so you can enjoy discreet shaping coverage under any dress.

Aside from its lack of material in the back, backless slip dress shapewear is designed just like classic full slip shapewear. It extends from your bust down over your thighs and slims and sculpts every area between.

5. Bra Slip Shapewear

Yummie Bustless Slip &68.00  (Available in Nude & Black)

Not all slip shapewear includes coverage for your bust. While most slip shapewear covers your bust, many styles include just a thin layer of material in that area to avoid flattening the shape of your breasts.

Bra slip shapewear are full slip shapewear pieces that feature a built-in bra for added support and shaping coverage. With these styles, you don’t have to worry about wearing your own bra underneath your shapewear; so many layers can get bulky and cumbersome. Instead, bra slip shapewear lifts, shapes, and supports your bust to minimize bouncing, maximize comfort, and ensure a smooth, rounded finish under any dress.

Other Shapewear Options to Wear Under a Dress

Slip shapewear isn’t the only shapewear pieces you can wear underneath a skirt or dress. While slip shapewear looks flawless under some skirts and dresses, it can bunch up or slip out of place underneath some styles. In these cases, going with a different shapewear style is probably your best bet.

The shapewear styles below are some of the best pieces to wear underneath a form-fitting skirt or dress without showing telltale panty lines or disrupting your sleek look with a bulky finish.

Bodysuit Shapewear

Bodysuit shapewear offers a sleek, ultra-smooth finish under even the tightest skirts and dresses. These shaping bodysuits target your midsection to flatten your tummy, slim your waist, and eliminate visible love handles. Many bodysuit shapewear styles also provide shaping coverage for your backside and bust in addition to your midsection.

If you’re worried about your slip shapewear sliding out of place and creating a wrinkled, bulky look underneath your skirt or dress, try bodysuit shapewear instead. 

Shaping bodysuits hug your figure like a second skin and fasten between your legs like panties, so they never slide out of place. They are ideal for wearing underneath very short skirts and dresses because they will never show under the bottom seam of your dress and they look just like regular panties if your dress happens to flip up. Bodysuit shapewear styles guarantee a smooth look that never reveals your shapewear, so you can dance the night away without worrying about your shapewear showing or bunching up underneath your cocktail dress.

Different shapewear slip styles target different areas of your body. It’s important to determine which area of your body you want to slim and shape before choosing which piece of slip shapewear to buy.

If you just choose shapewear randomly, you probably won’t be happy with the results. It’s not enough for your slip shapewear to look smooth and discreet underneath your skirt or dress. It needs to target your areas of insecurity in order to really give you the results you want. Be honest with yourself about which of your body parts you want your shapewear to focus on the most, and choose your slip shapewear style accordingly.

2. Don’t Flatten Your Curves

Yummie Smooth Solutions A-Line Slip $68.00

Available in Nude, White & Black

The point of shapewear isn’t to squash your curves, it’s to smooth them and give your figure a clear, shapely outline. Slip shapewear that you wear underneath a dress or skirt should provide gentle compression and light shaping. If the shapewear you choose is too small for you, fits too tightly, or provides excessively heavy compression, it can end up flattening your curves instead of sculpting them.

If your figure looks flat underneath your skirt or dress when you’re wearing slip shapewear underneath it, chances are good that your shapewear is too small. Make sure that you choose shapewear that fits you correctly. Well-fitting shapewear should not feel uncomfortably tight or make you feel like you’re being suffocated. Instead, it should feel like a gentle hug and fit snugly—but not uncomfortably tightly— around your figure to create a smooth and shapely finish.

If trying on a bigger size doesn’t fix your problem, you might want to try a different style altogether. Some slip shapewear pieces offer compression that is too heavy for some women’s curves and create an under many dress styles. Give your curves room to breathe in shapewear that offers more gentle compression.

3. Try it On With Your Dress (or Skirt)

Commando Tummy Control Full Slip $98.00  

(Available in Nude & Black)

You can’t know for sure how a piece of shapewear will look under a certain skirt or dress until you try them both on together. Never wait until the last minute to try your slip shapewear on with your dress or skirt. Some of the best slips and shapewear styles are not compatible with certain dresses and skirts. As much as you smooth and adjust, some shaping slips will always bunch up, look bulky, or show telltale lines underneath some dress and skirt styles. If that’s the case with your shapewear, it’s something you want to find out about s soon as possible so you can make some adjustments to your wardrobe choices.

Most women match their shapewear to the dress or skirt they want to wear, but don’t be afraid to choose your dress or skirt based on the shapewear you like best. The way your shapewear makes your body look likely determines how confident you feel no matter what you’re wearing on top. If you love how your figure looks in a certain piece of slip shapewear, prioritize your shapewear and don’t choose a dress or skirt that doesn’t accommodate it.

Take your favorite slip shapewear with you when you go shopping to make sure it looks smooth and discreet underneath the skirts and dresses you try on. If you’re shopping online, just make sure you try on your chosen shapewear with your new skirt or dress as soon as it arrives.

4. Consider Other Shapewear Styles

Yummie Hidden Curves High Waist Thong Shapewear  $52.00 ( Available in Nude & Black)

Yummie Seamless Cotton Full-Back Bodysuit $34.00 (Available in Nude & Black)

Slip shapewear looks smooth underneath most skirts and dresses. However, it does have the potential to appear bulky under some styles depending on their length and cut and how tightly they fit your figure.

If you just can’t seem to find a piece of slip shapewear that works with your skirt or dress, don’t be afraid to branch out to alternative options. Classic shapewear pieces— like the bodysuit shapewear, shapewear shorts, and tummy control bra detailed above —are more compatible than slip shapewear underneath certain skirt and dress styles.