And now, a question about undergarments . . .

March 14, 2013 3:44 AM

For the life of me, I cannot seem to locate a simple no-lace, no-frills silky camisole or chemise to wear under my work clothes, either in stores or online.

I've used every google search term I can thing of, and searched all the stores near my house. Am I an idiot? Did these go out of style with our mothers' generation? The whole world seems to have been taken over by those Spanx things. I like to wear silky tops, but I don't want everyone at my office to be able to read my bra tags. I'm basically looking for a slip that you wear on your top half, that is not skin-tight or used to hold in your love handles. I would love it to have adjustable straps as well, but that seems too much to hope for at this point!

posted by backwards compatible to clothing, beauty, & fashion (18 answers total)

They exist. I own three.

But I wonder if maybe expanding your search to include a different fabric, or expanding your online search to include the word "tank", may help? If you're looking for something non-lacy you may be more likely to find that in cotton, for instance.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:09 AM on March 14

Talbots
posted by murfed13 at 4:17 AM on March 14

Seconding the notion that these do exist, and that they are often referred to as tanks. I hate the tight Spanx style camisoles if all I'm trying to accomplish is bra and tag camouflage under a sheer top. I love this and it has adjustable straps.
posted by little mouth at 4:19 AM on March 14

Also JCrew (though not the bet selection of colors).

I searched for "silk cami" and "silk camisole."
posted by murfed13 at 4:22 AM on March 14

And here's a La Perla version from Neiman Marcus. Ok, I'm done now.
posted by murfed13 at 4:27 AM on March 14

Is this or this close to what you had in mind?
posted by needled at 4:35 AM on March 14

The word you might be looking for is "shell." (Narrow it further with "women's" and "clothing" or "silk" or "polyester" or whatever kind of fabric you prefer.)

I wandered around Macy's a couple years ago looking for a suitable one. Such a ridiculously basic piece of clothing, and I couldn't find one anywhere. Macy's just sucks. I still can't believe they ate Marshall Field's.
posted by tully_monster at 4:37 AM on March 14 [1 favorite]

Wintersilks has some no- or low-frill options. (And yes, they are probably targeted at our mothers. Good! Moms are smart!)
posted by hilatron at 5:13 AM on March 14 [2 favorites]

A couple of my own camis are made by Jockey, which I know I've also seen in stores.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:42 AM on March 14

I own several from Uniqlo. The airism tanks are cheap, well made, and comfortable. There are several patterns and styles to choose from.
posted by xmts at 6:11 AM on March 14

LLBean; designed for extra warmth.
posted by theora55 at 6:37 AM on March 14

For something in the soft and silky department, I love the chemises and camisoles from Julianne. I can usually find them on sale somewhere.
posted by snickerdoodle at 7:36 AM on March 14

I have some I got from Target, but can't speak to their current inventory.
posted by asperity at 8:04 AM on March 14

Commando makes camisoles, half slips and underwear tanks. You can buy them at Nordstrom (which has several other brands of camisole listed as well) or online, although the tend to be expensive for such little slips of a thing.

The adjustable strap camis I have are either Icebreaker (wool) or Jockey (cotton, tencel or modal) which are not silky or slippery, so may not work for you.
posted by crush-onastick at 9:46 AM on March 14

I like Ann Taylor's seamless camis. They come in lots of colors and are often on sale for 50% off. It says they're made out of nylon and spandex, but they're not tight - I'd describe them as fitted enough to lay well under clothing, but definitely not skin tight.
posted by spectacularicity at 10:18 AM on March 14

Another option is to buy a clingy cami that's two sizes too big for you.
posted by serena15221 at 11:38 AM on March 14

Vanity Fair makes a number of camisoles, some with adjustable straps. HerRoom.com is having a sale on Vanity Fair, but they don't carry the adjustable-strap one, which is available through Lady Grace.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:08 PM on March 14

I'm not familiar with this brand, but HerRoom.com also carries these, which look like they'd be useful to you.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:13 PM on March 14