Seamless Underwear for Bodycon Dress and Tight Dresses

What underwear to wear with a bodycon dress

A bodycon dress is cut from stretch knit that follows every curve, which means it also follows every edge underneath. Two things give underwear away: a raised edge, and a color that contrasts with the dress. Fix both and nobody can tell what you have on.

For the edge, choose bonded seams over sewn elastic. For the color, go close to your skin tone under white, cream, pastel and thin fabrics, and black under black or dark, heavier knits. Lace, bows and thick waistbands all print through jersey, so save those for looser clothes.

The right pick for each kind of tight dress

The three panties come in Nude Deep and Black. The thong also comes in White and Blush, and the hipster in Lilac. The bodysuit and the strapless bra come in Nude Deep and Black.

How to hide panty lines in a tight dress

Panty lines come from three things, and each has a fix.

1. Sewn elastic. Elastic is thicker than the fabric around it, so it presses a ridge into your skin and the dress drapes over the ridge. Our seamless styles have edges cut by laser and bonded flat, as thin as the fabric itself.
2. The wrong size. A pair that is one size too small digs in whatever it is made of. Measure your hips and use the panty size chart instead of guessing from another brand.
3. An edge in the wrong place. A bikini edge crosses the fullest part of the seat, exactly where a bodycon is tightest. A thong removes that edge. A high-rise brief moves the top edge up to the waist, where the dress has less tension.

Do a quick check before you leave: stand with your back to a window or a bright lamp, and look in a mirror. If you see nothing in strong side light, nobody else will in a restaurant.

Thong, brief or bodysuit

A thong is the most reliable answer, and most people who wear fitted dresses often keep a few skin-tone seamless thongs just for them. If you do not like thongs, you have two good options. The Seamless High-Rise Brief is knitted in one piece with a light smoothing waistband, so it reads as one smooth surface from waist to leg. The Smoothing Bodysuit goes further and replaces bra-line and waistband with a single double-layer piece that has a square neckline and snaps at the gusset.

What we would not wear under a bodycon: cotton with a covered elastic waistband (comfortable, but it shows), lace of any kind, and boyshorts, whose leg edge sits on the thigh where a tight skirt clings. Keep those for jeans and looser dresses. Our cotton underwear and lace panties are better matched to those.

What the fabric is and how it feels

All five pieces on this page are 76 percent nylon and 24 percent elastane microfiber. The panties and the bodysuit have a 100 percent cotton gusset. The knit is light, smooth to the touch and quick to dry, so it does not grab the inside of a jersey dress or bunch as you walk and sit. Wash cold in a mesh bag and air dry, since heat weakens bonded edges over time. More cuts and colors are on the main seamless underwear page.

Order for the dress, restock for the season

If you need one pair for one night, a single seamless thong is $12. If fitted dresses, leggings and knit skirts are a regular part of your wardrobe, a pack costs less per pair: any 3 panties for $32, any 5 for $45 or any 7 for $55, applied in your bag automatically, in any mix of cuts, colors and sizes. The ready-made Seamless No-Lines 5 pack is two thongs, two high-rise briefs and a hipster.

Orders go to US addresses in a plain mailer and take 3 to 7 business days, so order at least a week before the event. Shipping is free over $50. Wearing white or cream? The shade advice on our underwear for white pants page applies to a white dress too.