Negative Underwear vs. Skims: Which brand should you buy?

Negative Underwear is known for its minimalist, high-quality basics designed for ultimate comfort and a sleek, invisible feel, while Skims focuses on inclusive sizing, a broad range of skin-tone shades, and innovative shapewear. The core difference is aesthetic and function: Negative offers understated, timeless essentials, whereas Skims provides solution-oriented, trend-driven pieces for a diverse range of body types.

Let's break down everything you need to know to choose the right brand for your lingerie and loungewear needs.

Negative Underwear: The Minimalist Essential

Negative Underwear caters to those who value simplicity, comfort, and quality above all else. The brand's philosophy is rooted in creating comfortable, chic, and practical undergarments that feel like a second skin. Their customer is looking for high-quality, everyday pieces with a clean, modern aesthetic that don't compromise on fit or feel.

• Product mix: The collection is tightly focused on seamless underwear, versatile bras, simple bodysuits, and comfortable loungewear. These are foundational pieces designed to be invisible under clothing.
• Price point: Positioned in the affordable luxury space, with most underwear styles costing between $20 and $40 and bras ranging from $50 to $60.
• Quality: Known for soft, stretchy materials like nylon and elastane that are lightweight, breathable, and durable. The emphasis is on seamless construction for a perfectly smooth finish.
• Sizing/Fit: Garments generally fit true to size. The brand offers sizes from XS to L, with some selected styles available in extended sizes. The fit is designed to be comfortable and non-restrictive.
• Sustainability: The brand emphasizes sustainable practices, including using eco-friendly fabrics and working to minimize waste in its production processes.
• Return policy: Offers free shipping and returns within the U.S., making it easy to try different sizes and styles risk-free.

Negative Underwear is the perfect choice for shoppers who want simple, high-performance basics that are effortlessly chic and supremely comfortable.

Shop Negative Underwear: negativeunderwear.com

Skims: The Inclusive Trendsetter

Founded by Kim Kardashian, Skims stormed the market with its modern approach to shapewear and underwear, championing body positivity and inclusivity. The brand offers solutions for every body type, with a vast range of sizes and shades. Skims appeals to a broad demographic that values both comfort and a stylish, sculpted look.

• Product mix: The lineup is extensive, covering everything from everyday underwear and bras to high-tech shapewear, bodysuits, loungewear, and even swimwear. The collection is regularly updated with new colors and styles.
• Price point: Generally accessible, with basic underwear starting around $20 and more technical shapewear or loungewear sets exceeding $100.
• Quality: Employs innovative, proprietary fabric blends that offer superior stretch, support, and a smooth feel. Their shapewear features advanced compression technology for a sculpted silhouette.
• Sizing/Fit: A key brand differentiator is its highly inclusive size range, running from XXS to 4X. Skims provides detailed sizing guides to help customers find a supportive, custom-like fit.
• Sales: Known for offering bundle deals on core items and running frequent promotions and significant seasonal sales events.
• Sustainability: Skims is committed to sustainability through eco-friendly packaging, responsible sourcing, and ongoing transparency initiatives.

Skims delivers a vast and accessible range of stylish, functional pieces designed to enhance confidence and comfort for all body types.

Shop Skims: skims.com

Negative Underwear vs. Skims Comparison

Price Comparison

Negative Underwear’s pricing is consistent and sits in the affordable-luxury bracket, with most basics falling between $20 and $50. It’s an ideal choice for someone who wants to invest in a few high-quality pieces.

Skims offers a similar entry price point around $20 for underwear, but its price range is much wider, extending over $100 for specialized shapewear and loungewear. Skims more frequently offers bundle deals and sitewide sales, providing more opportunities to buy at a discount.

Quality & Materials

Negative Underwear uses premium, soft fabrics like micro-modal, nylon, and elastane, focusing on a lightweight, second-skin feel. The quality is evident in the seamless construction and durability, making them excellent for everyday wear.

Skims also prioritizes quality but with a greater emphasis on textile innovation. Its proprietary blends are engineered for specific functions, whether it's the buttery softness of their loungewear or the powerful compression of their shapewear. If you're looking for fabric technology that actively sculpts and supports, Skims has the advantage.

Style & Aesthetic

The aesthetic of Negative Underwear is minimalist, modern, and understated. With a palette of primarily neutral tones, their pieces are designed to be timeless and virtually disappear under clothes. This brand appeals to a "less is more" philosophy.

Skims, while also favoring neutrals and clean lines, has a more fashion-forward and trend-driven aesthetic. The brand offers a wider color palette, including a large array of skin-tone shades, and frequently drops limited-edition collections. Skims designs feel more modern and connected to current fashion trends.

Fit & Sizing

Negative Underwear offers a straightforward, true-to-size fit from XS to L, which accommodates a standard range of body types very well. Their focus is on natural comfort rather than compression.

Skims is the clear winner on size inclusivity, offering a comprehensive range from XXS to 4X. Their sizing is meticulous, often accounting for both compression and comfort. For anyone outside of standard sizing or looking for a more sculpted fit, Skims provides far more options.

Shopping Experience

The shopping experience on Negative Underwear's website is clean, simple, and direct. It’s easy to navigate, and the offer of free U.S. shipping and returns is a significant plus for customer confidence.

The Skims website is a more dynamic and engaging platform. It includes detailed size guides, customer photos, styling tips, and frequent updates. Because of its larger inventory and regular product drops, the shopping experience feels more like exploring a major fashion retailer.

Sustainability & Ethics

Both brands publicly state their commitment to improving their sustainability practices. Negative Underwear focuses on responsible sourcing of eco-friendly fabrics. Skims has made strides with initiatives like eco-friendly packaging and increasing supply chain transparency. For shoppers motivated by sustainability, both are taking steps in the right direction, though neither are market leaders in this area.

Which One Should You Choose?

The right choice comes down to what you prioritize in your intimates and loungewear wardrobe.

Choose Negative Underwear if:

• You prefer a minimalist, timeless aesthetic with neutral colors.
• Your top priority is a comfortable, "barely there" feeling for everyday life.
• You value high-quality basics and are willing to invest in pieces that last.
• You appreciate a simple, direct shopping experience without overwhelming options.

Choose Skims if:

• Inclusive sizing and a diverse range of skin-tone shades are important to you.
• You are looking for solution-oriented pieces, especially effective shapewear.
• You enjoy having a broad selection of colors, styles, and new, trendy collections to choose from.
• You are a savvy shopper who loves taking advantage of bundle deals and seasonal sales.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Negative Underwear or Skims cheaper?

For basic underwear, their prices are comparable, starting around $20. However, Negative Underwear's average price point is generally lower and more consistent. Skims' product range extends to much higher prices for specialty items, but it also offers more frequent sales.

Which brand is better for shapewear?

Skims is undoubtedly the superior choice for shapewear. It’s a core part of their brand identity, and they offer a much wider variety of sculpting garments with advanced compression technology for different levels of support.

Which brand has more inclusive sizing?

Skims is the industry leader in inclusive sizing. With a range from XXS to 4X, it caters to a significantly broader spectrum of body types than Negative Underwear's standard XS-L range.

Is Negative Underwear true to size?

Yes, Negative Underwear is widely considered to fit true to size. Its designs are focused on a natural, comfortable fit rather than compression, making it straightforward to select your usual size.

Are Skims products good quality?

Yes, Skims products are made from high-quality, innovative fabrics designed to be soft, durable, and functional. Their materials are chosen for both comfort and performance, whether for lounging or for shaping.

Which brand is better for minimalist basics?

Negative Underwear excels at minimalist basics. Their entire brand ethos is built around creating simple, understated, high-quality essentials that form the foundation of a wardrobe.

Does Skims or Negative Underwear have better sales?

Skims typically has more frequent and extensive sales events, in addition to ongoing bundle-and-save offers on many of their core products. Sales on Negative Underwear are less frequent.

What is the return policy for each brand?

Negative Underwear offers free shipping and free returns for orders within the United States, providing a convenient and risk-free shopping experience. Skims also accepts returns but their policies may have more conditions depending on the item and location.