TikTok Made Me Buy It: Skims $78 Second-Skin Slip Dress

September 16, 2021 | 12:59pm

The viral, body-hugging maxidress keeps selling out, thanks to the TikTok-verse.

TikTok Made Me Buy It: Skims $78 Second-Skin Slip Dress

This summer, a buttery-soft, ribbed-knit body-con maxidress by Kim Kardashian’s brand, Skims, went viral on TikTok. The longline dress with spaghetti straps (dubbed Skims Soft Lounge Long Slip Dress) has since sold out after multiple drops; garnered more than a hundred million views on TikTok; and even boasted a 46,000-person wait list at one point, according to Skims.

The viral videos that helped lead this Skims dress into TikTok fame were somewhat rinse-and-repeat: Women, in a range of sizes (the dress comes in an inclusive XXS–4X), stand facing a camera wearing the dress in one of its calming neutral hues. They walk to and fro, maybe swipe their hands down their bodies with a smile, and then do a slow whirl to prove the fit flatters at every angle within 360 degrees. Some videos are set to music; others have the TikToker declaring their love for the dress and promising to buy it in every color as soon as it is available again. Per their testimonies, its flattering fit is tight but not constricting and in a super-comfortable fabric. They caught my attention—I opted for the dress in gray, which is one of 10 colors available.

Admittedly, I have not worn a body-con dress since my high school days—which coincided with the peak of the bandage dress craze—but it was TikTok that made me question something I thought I had sworn off. While the one point of feedback for many was that the Skims dress was rather long (even for the taller women out there), the price tag, supersoft fabric, and flattering fit still had countless fall in love. It’s one of those wardrobe staples you only realize how much you need until it comes into your life. Pair it with a crisp white button-up and Birkenstocks for a weekend bodega coffee run, or gold hoops, necklaces, and heels come Saturday night. My favorite way to wear it, though, has been around the house to feel dressed up yet equally comfortable on days spent working from home.

And because Kardashian really seems to know what she’s doing, I’ve found that beneath my Soft Lounge Long Slip Dress, I’m often wearing Skims underwear too. The whole ensemble feels like a second skin, or Skims, if you will.