Ah shapewear, the invention of the century. This shapewear category of clothing has been on the rise the last couple of years and part of it was that there was a need for a color-matching thongs, undies, bodysuits, etc., but also cause it’s so cool. Maybe trendy is the correct word.
Part of the people that made it cool is none other than Kim Kardashian. I would say she’s one of the few brave ones to wear shapewear on its own and it looks damn cool.
That brings us to the next point, which is Skims. Skims was founded by Kim Kardashian and the company is worth more than $1.6 billion even though its on the market for only a couple of years. But it was not the first one.
Its competitor, Spanx, makes a strong case why it’s still the go-to option! Let’s go over which one is better for you.
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What Do They Offer?
Even if you’re not the biggest Kardashian fan or the Kardashians are a bit too “reality TV” for you, credit has to be given where credit’s due. The Kardashian’s has shown constant business prowess, with multiple companies such as Skims outperforming the competition.
Let’s take Skims for example. Skims has more size options than Spanx. Spanx sizes usually go from XS to XL, whereas Skims has XXS to 4XL. Pretty impressive, but it doesn’t stop there.
You’ll see more color variety for the shapewear at Skims. But how about quality? Well, quality is a separate issue that we’ll go more in-depth as we progress through it. Truth is, both are somewhere in the same ballpark, but we believe that Spanx takes that one.
What Spanx has going for it though, it’s that it has a fuller catalogue. Meaning, Spanx doesn’t just have shapewear, but they have regular clothing as well, like activewear, denim, and they even got a men catalogue.
Table Comparison – Skims & Spanx
To continue the current trend we have of going over differences between Skims and Spanx, we though it be best to compare them side-by-side. Use this as a TL;DR and as a guide as we go through the rest of the analysis.
Here’s a comparison between Skims and Spanx:
| Skims VS Spanx: Shapewear |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Sizes | XXS – 4XL | XS – XL |
| Color Shades | 9 Shades | 5 Shades |
| Quality | Good 4/5 | Amazing 5/5 |
| Value | Amazing 5/5 | Alright 3/5 |
| Return Policy | 30 – Day Return Policy | 90 – Day Return Policy |
| Shipping | Free on orders above $75 | Free Standard Shipping |
| Shop For Shapewear: |
To recap, we believe the most notable differences are the sizes, the color shades, quality, and value. It doesn’t hurt to have a more forgiving return policy, but that doesn’t usually make or break the deal.
Skims is very cheap compared to Spanx. It’s even surprising that their pieces cost so little. But if we’re being honest, in our opinion, the quality isn’t as good as Spanx.
We’ll get into the nitty gritty details later, in the head-to-head comparison.
Skims Review
There is not much to say about Skims really. It isn’t what most expected it would be, including myself. We all thought that Skims was going to be banking on the fact that shapewear is trendy and it will be overpriced as hell, but it turned out to be the other way around.
It isn’t like most companies where trends are being followed just for the sake of that category of clothing being so popular. With Skims, people can see the genuine effort that Kim and her team is putting into creating actual good shapewear.
But what is most important though, is shapewear, but at a price which is affordable to most people.
Skims’ designs are some of the most impressive on the market, no matter whether its bras, underwear, full body suits, tops, and everything else.
Usually, the shapewear is made from a cotton and spandex combination, which is usually what most shapewear brands use.
The thing is, since Skims has such a large variety of sizes and colors, even if you’re not into it, you might be compelled to go the Skims route. Because it’s rare for a shapewear brand to cover that many sizes or shades.
As I mentioned before, quality isn’t as good as Spanx, and a small percentage of customers agree. Customers have reported issues such as holes, cuts, or wrinkling on some of the products. Granted, we only saw a small portion of customers reporting these issues, but it was worth to mention it.
With that said, let’s go over the pros and cons of Skims:
PROS
- Amazing value
- Designs are incredible
- Not overpriced
- A lot of sizes to choose from
- A lot of shades to choose from
CONS
- Minor quality control issues
Spanx Review
Even though Spanx was founded waay before Skims, it’s really not that popular anymore. Part of it has to do with the prices being a bit high for most, but also because Skims joined the action.
Make no mistake though, Spanx is still a pretty good brand. It’s not like their shapewear designs are very trendy, but they’re shapewear. What I mean is, the products are shapewear first and then everything else.
Because with Skims, it kind of looks like the brand is pushing shapewear to be the main item of clothing you have. This is all fine, but the point is that Spanx has been in the business for a long time and they know how to manufacture some damn good shapewear.
Quality is amazing, but price isn’t. Nevertheless, I do think that the price is representative of the quality you’re getting.
Like I said before, Spanx has an impressive catalogue and they don’t just focus on shapewear. If you need something else like denim jeans, leggings, v-necks, tops, etc., chances are, they have it. And most of it its very competitive with well-known brands.
Whether I think Spanx is better than Skims is another discussion, but I think it boils down to what you’re looking for. I’ll explain in the head-to-head below.
Here are the pros and cons to going with Spanx:
PROS
- Amazing quality
- Well thought-out designs
- Other apparel available
- 90-Day Return Policy
CONS
- Not many pieces that can be worn on their own
Head-To-Head Comparison
To get an idea of which one might be the best option in your particular case, we wanted to talk about options and use-cases. What follows is a use case comparison between Skims and Spanx.
Skims VS Spanx – Which Is Better For You?
To get it out of the way at the start, I think both brands have their strengths and weaknesses. But before we get to the details let’s talk about sizes and shades.
Skims has more of both. While Spanx only has 5 shades and sizes from XS to XL, Skims has 9 shades and sizes from XXS to 4XL. So, if you can’t find something that’s an ideal fit for you or ideal shade at Spanx, you might have to go with Skims.
In terms of designs, Skims is better in my opinion. If you’re going for that brave look by wearing only shapewear and nothing else, Skims is the way to go. Not to mention that it’s much cheaper!
But if you want the best of the best and you’re willing to overspend a little on quality shapewear, go with Spanx. Also, their other line-ups of activewear are worth to check out as well.
To sum up, I think that most should go with Skims if: You want something with a great design that you can wear on its own, you like the designs, you need a size or a shade that’s not available in Spanx’s line-up or your budget is smaller.
On the other hand, go with Spanx if you want very good shapewear and you don’t mind spending some extra bucks for the quality improvement.
The Verdict: Shapewear Brands
It safe to say that there are a lot of shapewear brand options at the moment and it’s not like I’m talking about Skims and Spanx only. There are other alternatives on the market as well, but it’s definitely true that these two are the most well-known companies.
Skims is very impressive but we would love to see they fix manufacturing issues or consequently, quality control issues. Some customers reported their products being shipped damaged and it’s not like customer service doesn’t fix the issue, it does, but it’s an unnecessary hassle.
Spanx has some negatives as well like a poor customer service, but the quality is impeccable.
To keep things short, you can’t really go wrong with both brands in terms of shapewear, but one brand might not have what you’re looking for.
Either way, since they have a lot of differences in terms of what they offer, you can switch between the one that fits your needs most.
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