Women's Bodysuit (Tops & Blouses)

Below the waist a bodysuit keeps going. The top continues into a brief and fastens between the legs with snaps, so the hem physically cannot travel. Everything above the waist looks like an ordinary fitted knit; everything below turns it into a garment that stays exactly where you put it.

Four-way stretch is not optional, because the fabric has to span from shoulder to crotch and back while you move. Fit is governed by torso length rather than chest or waist: an inch too short and it drags on your shoulders all day, an inch too long and it sags at the front. The gusset, the small panel at the crotch, should be lined in cotton for the same reason underwear is. Three snaps hold far better than two.

A tucked tee or tank works loose within an hour of sitting and standing, and this is the answer to that. It also removes the wad of tucked fabric at the waistband, which nothing else does. Against a camisole the philosophy inverts: a cami floats, a bodysuit anchors. Some are cut with swim-style briefs and some as thongs. That choice changes the visible line under thin trousers more than the top half ever will.

High-waisted trousers, fitted skirts, photographed events and anything involving dancing are where the design repays you. Long-torsoed buyers should read the torso measurement rather than the size letter. Give it a miss if you use the bathroom often, if you are pregnant, or if you have limited hand strength, since reaching behind yourself to reset snaps is really awkward.

Press the snaps closed and tug hard; a weak set pops open under a full stretch, usually at the worst moment. Compare the brand's torso measurement against your own, taken from shoulder to crotch over the fullest part of the bust. Wash it in a mesh bag, because the snaps catch other clothes and the leg elastic dies fastest in a hot dryer.