I tried on shapewear from Skims and Spanx. I had no trouble picking my favorite — and it was half the price of its competitor.
Growing up in the early 2000s, the name Spanx was pretty much synonymous with shapewear.
Founded in 2000 by Sara Blakely (who is now worth an estimated $1.2 billion), the brand sells a variety of shapewear products in different styles and compression levels.
I ordered the SPANXsculpt OnCore high-waisted mid-thigh shorts (80% nylon and 20% elastane) for $78. I really appreciated that the shorts were available in petite sizing since shapewear typically runs long on my 5-foot-2 frame.
It also came in four colors and eight sizes, ranging from XS to 3XL. I ordered a petite large in the "soft nude" colorway.
Overall, I wasn't impressed by the level of compression.
The Spanx website advertised these shorts as providing "targeted tummy control for a flat stomach."
Unfortunately, though, I wasn't impressed by the level of compression these provided.
Did it suck me in a bit and smooth out my stomach? Yes. But did it make a big enough difference for me to justify wearing it all night? Not really.
I also wasn't a fan of the elastic band on top of the shorts that only ran along the back half of my body. I still found the shapewear rolled down along the top as I moved, which was both uncomfortable and a bit annoying.
Otherwise, though, the shapewear was fairly comfortable. The shorts part of the shapewear generally stayed in place on my legs, and I didn't feel the need to pull down or adjust the fabric.
Next, I tried on a similar garment from Kim Kardashian's brand, Skims.
Skims was co-founded by Kim Kardashian in 2019 and has quickly become one of the biggest names in the shapewear market. The brand is now worth billions.
Many of my friends rave about Skims, but I had a disappointing experience with the brand in 2022 when I purchased my first pair of shapewear. Unfortunately, the garment ripped as soon as I put it on.
However, my experience with Skims' customer service was great, and I was sent a new pair at no charge.
With this in mind, I was excited to give Skims another try. So, I bought the sheer, seamless, high-waisted mid-thigh shorts (78% polyamide and 22% elastane) for $38.
This pair came in six color options and nine sizes, ranging from XXS to 4XL. Petite options were not available.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Skims shapewear.
My first thought after pulling these tiny shorts out of the bag was that there was no way in hell I'd be able to squeeze into them. They looked much narrower than the pair I tried on from Spanx, and I was a little nervous I'd rip them.
To my surprise, though, they slipped on effortlessly and were incredibly comfortable.
Like the Spanx pair, these shorts had an elastic band around the top. This time, however, the band stretched the entire width of the garment.
Although it still rolled down a bit in the back, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the shorts stayed in place.
The best part was that, despite offering "midlevel compression," I thought the shapewear smoothed out my belly nicely. I'd be really curious to see what the stronger levels of support can do.
The only downside was that because I'm only 5'2, these "mid-thigh" shorts came close to touching my knees. So, I probably couldn't wear these with a shorter dress.
I'd definitely buy another pair of Skims in the future.
Overall, I was incredibly impressed by Skims' shapewear. Aside from being a bit long on me, these shorts fit beautifully, and I could definitely see myself wearing these comfortably for hours on end.
The best part? The Skims shorts were about $40 cheaper than the Spanx version, which made me feel like I got a great value for the price.
I'd love to see Skims offer petite options in the future. Until then, for shorter dresses, I'd definitely consider adding the brand's high-waisted briefs to my collection.
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