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What is the Purpose of Slip Dresses?
If you find yourself questioning whether or not the younger generations know the difference between nighties, slips and dresses, you're not the only one. Although we appreciate new fashion having fun with traditional clothing, and seeing the beauty in something that was designed to never be seen. It does make it a little difficult when you’re shopping for yourself. If you're like us, you will begin to ask yourself, did we forget the purpose of slip dresses?
Slips make the perfect mediating layer between your underwear and outer layer. They are excellent to wear for comfort, to prevent mishaps, or even to protect your skin. The reason slips are so comfortable is that they are unrestrictive and lightweight to wear, especially when they are made from cotton.
Here at Cotton Dayz, all of our women’s slips are made from 100% cotton, so it's better for your skin and for the environment.
A traditional slip dress, also known as an underdress, is worn as a middle layer that mediates between your underwear and outerwear and has been around for centuries. As a mediating layer, slips have served many functions over the years.
It was found to be originally worn in the Middle Ages and was known as a smock in England and a chemise in France. They were lightweight, loose-fitting garments that served to protect women’s skin from the coarse fabrics of the outerwear. Some also believe that it protected them from the plague while bathing.
During the 1700s, the trend of underwear as outerwear first emerged for women’s slips. Queen Marie Antoinette and members of the French Court used to wear it as a leisure garment; however, when the Queen was painted in her chemise slip, the people of France believed it to be a scandal.
It wasn’t until the start of the 1900s that slips once again became popular as underwear, as the women of the time did away with the restrictive corsets and girdles of the Victorian era.
The loose-fitting, lightweight slip complemented the flapper dress perfectly. So perfect that the two garments are so similar that the 1920s are considered to be Western society’s second wave of underwear as an outerwear trend. However, with a slip underneath a flapper dress, the dress sits smoothly and elegantly along the women’s silhouette.
Slip skirts and dresses in the 1930s became even easier to wear as underwear with more stretch and comfort, while the ’40s and ‘50s brought more glamour to the slip. Slips became embellished with lace detailing or embroidery. It gave slips a kind of sexy allure that led to the 1950s trend of wearing a slip long enough that it poked out of the hemline of your skirt.
The 1990s brought the slip back with another wave of underwear as an outerwear trend, resulting in the outerwear slip dress we see in women’s fashion today. Despite a slip dress commonly seen as outerwear, there are still plenty of benefits of wearing a soft cotton slip dress under your outfit.
The many functions of a slip dress make it a must-have in your wardrobe. Women’s slips have been around for centuries; whether it is as outwear or underwear, there are a few reasons for it. Here are a few reasons why we think it has stuck around:
Slip dresses are perfect for smoothing out your silhouette. They stop any lumps or bumps showing through your clothes caused by lacey bras or even hide the VPL. A slip dress keeps your outfit smooth while you flaunt your curves with confidence.
Layering is always the key to staying warm in winter, and slip dresses are perfect to wear as an insulating layer. Not only that but our women’s slips here at Cotton Dayz are made from 100% cotton. Cotton is also a great insulator as it traps the warm air from your body between the fibres, keeping you nice and cosy.
Slip dresses can be worn under just about every style of dress, perhaps except for the ones with a shorter hem than the slip, although that was the trend in the 1950s. Not only can they be worn under every style of dress that you own, but also underneath any skirt and top combo.
Slip dresses are excellent at stopping your dress from riding up your legs; instead, a slip lets the skirt of your dress flow freely. A women’s cotton slip takes this one step further because the cotton fabric cannot hold a static charge. No awkward static cling or nasty zaps even in the cold, dry winter air.
Slips are great to wear as a mediating layer underneath sheer or unlined dresses. They can help to prevent accidentally showing more skin than you intended, particularly when the sunlight hits some fabrics. Wearing a slip dress or a cami slip underneath a top that has buttons going all the way down can prevent any button peephole gaps.
Say goodbye to restrictive, waist-cinching, unable to breathe shapewear and grab yourself a slip dress. Wearing restrictive shapewear may help to suck everything in, but sometimes it can cause lumps and bumps or even muffin tops. Wearing a slip dress smooths out your silhouette and lets you flaunt your curves.
Clothing made from synthetic fibres, such as polyester or nylon, shed microplastics every single time they are washed; 700,000 fibres are shed in only one wash of clothes. Because our slip dresses are made from the natural fibre of cotton, they don’t shed microplastics, making them better for the environment and for you.
Wearing a slip dress is so easy because it can be worn under just about any dress. They are excellent to wear under any sheer or unlined dresses that you may have, but they can also be worn under any other style of dress. Slip dresses work perfectly to smooth out any unwanted lumps or bumps caused by your underwear or otherwise. They help the fabric of the dress to glide over your curves and flow away from them in the most flattering way.
To include a slip dress into your outfit, all you need to do is put it on over your underwear and beneath your outerwear. Make sure that the cut of the slip is hidden beneath your dress neckline and that the hemline is an inch or so above the hemline of your dress.
Because women’s slips are worn between your outerwear and underwear, they are a great mediating layer between your skin and any clothes that have rough or scratchy fabrics, such as wool. Not only will our silhouette be smooth, but so will your skin.
Wearing a slip in winter not only helps to keep you warm but also helps to minimise the amount of static in your outfit. Slip skirts or dresses can be worn over the top of stockings to stop any awkward cling between your legs from your outer dress. It’s time to pull out your favourite winter dresses, stockings and boot outfits; just make sure to slip on a slip.
Slip dresses are also ideal to wear underneath any dress that has buttons partially down or all the way down. The extra layer of the slip can hide any gaps between the buttons. A slip dress can also be used in the same way when worn underneath a skirt and buttoned top. This versatility of a slip dress is useful, but if you’d prefer, there is always the option of wearing cami slips and slip skirts underneath your outfits.
If you want a smooth silhouette and to flaunt your curves, then you’ve come across the perfect underwear, a slip dress!
At Cotton Dayz, all of our slip dresses, slip skirts, and cami slips are made out of 100% cotton, so not only are they incredibly comfortable to wear, but they also are better for the environment.
