The Best Slips to Wear Under White Dresses & Skirts

I don’t truly subscribe to the idea of “uniform dressing”…but if I did, a white dress would sit at the very top of my list. It’s the section of my closet with the highest concentration, and something about it just feels so, so right. It’s easy and comfortable, casual but able to be dressed up.

Because of the spot they occupy in my sartorial life, they’re spotted often on my social media feed—which means they wind up eliciting a lot of questions, including the biggest one of all:

What do you wear under a white dress or skirt?

The question always surprises me, as I thought the answer was obvious: Slips, slips, slips.

There’s something delightfully old-fashioned about them, and not much has changed about the silhouette or composition or use case from the style your grandmother likely had folded in her drawers. (I wonder if that stodgy feeling is partly what keeps them from being a no-brainer for people, as if no one believes other stylish women around them actually own and wear a slip…).

The one I wear the most is a basic half slip.

The best slip for a white dress is something that lays smoothly and doesn’t add bulk. The one I use the most is a synthetic fabric and cuts right around my knee, long enough to offer the coverage I need without being so long that it risks peeking out when I walk or sit. Beyond that silhouette, I also have two dress styles I’ll wear occasionally. One is mid-thigh and the other is a maxi.

Why do I need a slip?

No judgement here if you’re actually feeling a bit brand new to this. Let’s be clear: It’s completely personal, and if you like the look of something more see-through, do your thing. For me, I can’t shake the image of Princess Diana that was blasted everywhere when she was a sweet preschool teacher, standing somewhere in London with the sunlight illuminating her from behind, revealing the shape of her legs through a maxi skirt.
I don’t want the distraction of a skirt or dress being “see-through,” and I’m just a modest dresser.

I curated an edit of styles that are similar to what I own and wear regularly here.