Kim Kardashian West has already taken over your makeup collection with her KKW Beauty empire, but now she’s gunning for your underwear drawer. She just launched Skims, a new brand of shapewear offered in nine different colors that includes bodysuits, shorts, bras, bralettes, push-up bras, and more. The prices start at $18 and cap out at $98, and the sizes range from XXS to 5XL. Now that we have the basics out of the way, it’s time for the real test: What do real women think of it? Well, I got my hands on the items before they launched and tasked four of my co-workers with trying them out and reporting back with their thoughts.
Before we get to our reviews, here’s how Skims describes the impetus behind the brand on its website: “Searching for the best shapewear and underwear over the years, Kim became frustrated with the lack of options available and couldn’t find anything that offered the right support, coverage or shade,” the site reads. “This led her to cut up and dye pieces at home, sewing them together to get the solutions and results she wanted. Skims is Kim’s answer to shapewear that actually works. Designed to smooth, enhance, lift and tone—each piece has a solution for every body.” Scroll down to see what five Who What Wear staffers thought of the items.
“I wear a lot of denim, so I knew I wanted to try out a brief to help slim my hips and booty to fit into a pair of jeans I haven’t been able to wear comfortably in about a year. I was truly shocked at what a difference the Skims Sculpting Mid-Waist Brief made. When I slid my jeans on over them, I didn’t have to shimmy as much as I normally would. What’s more, when I buttoned my pants closed, I realized there was about an inch of room in the waist that definitely was not there before. My hips, booty, and post-lunch abdomen were, as the kids say, snatched. I will say, though, that the second I sat down at my desk, the part of the brief that covered my tummy immediately started to roll down. I readjusted them, and they stayed up fine, but for the sake of not having to play with my undergarments at work all day, I think I’ll save these for a night out where I’d mostly be standing.”
“At first glance, they looked really intimidating and so tiny, so I was really nervous about trying them on. They were surprisingly easy (for shapewear) to put on. I thought there was going to be a lot of yanking and pulling and contorting my body, but nope! After putting them on, I did feel like I had to catch my breath for a bit because they were so tight. They definitely got the job done, though—smoothing everything out and sucking everything in. I don’t know if I’d be able to wear them for the whole day (I can’t wear any kind of shapewear for the whole day), but for a few hours to an event or a party? I can handle that.”
“It was extremely comfortable in the legs and bust, and I liked that it smoothed out my belly button, but the fact that you have to take everything off to go to the bathroom makes it pretty impractical for everyday use for a pregnant lady.”
“Don’t let the miniature-size pieces fool you. They will stretch out more than you think. That said, once I squeezed myself into my Skims, they definitely did the job and smoothed everything out—whatever annoying stomach bloat I had was virtually deleted. I wore mine underneath a dress to attend a wedding, and unfortunately, the high-waisted briefs bunched way up over my hips while I was seated, which made things pretty uncomfortable. So I’d say for standing and taking photos, I’m all for these, but in my experience, they weren’t the best design for lots of movement.”
I’m self-conscious about my hips and actively avoid wearing all formfitting dresses, so I was excited to try these shorts out. I tried them with this Reformation dress and was really pleased with how I still looked like myself, but a better version. I definitely felt like the shorts smoothed me out a bit, and I can honestly say I felt more confident while wearing them. Dare I say I might actually be tempted to buy more formfitting clothes now?
