Shapewear as Outerwear? Spanx Is Trying to Make It Happen

Actress Kristen Stewart delivered an exceptional performance while hosting Saturday Night Live on Feb. 4. And the 26-year-old looked amazing too, in a mesh leather skirt from Swiss designer YVY, black Christian Louboutin pumps that she teamed with fishnet socks, Chanel jewels — and a $78 Spanx slip. That’s right, for Stewart’s debut as show host, she made a risqué style statement by donning a piece traditionally worn as an undergarment.

Stewart definitely isn’t the first female celebrity to dress up a black slip, but it’s notable that the garment she wore was designed by Spanx — a brand that recently vamped up its presence in the athleisure market and started to create pieces outside of shapewear.

In early 2016, the Atlanta-based underwear brand introduced its EveryWear pants and the Lounge-Hooray tanks and shorts — the first offerings in what would become a wide selection of athleisure apparel.

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At the time of the release, Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, spoke on the company’s incentive to get into the market. “All of the technology that I was putting under, fabrics have advanced so much, yarns are so much better — we can infuse the shape right onto the clothes,” she told CBS.

She explained that the leggings are all about convenience. “I’m a mom of four, and I also work, and so I’m running around and I didn’t want to not be in my gym clothes because they were so comfortable, so the idea is — how do you merge the gym clothes, the yoga pant that I always want to wear, with something that I can transition?”

The idea was obviously a success, as the brand has gone on to produce a wide assortment of leggings, from styles designed for working out to looks made for wearing outside of the gym.

Members of the celeb set have also taken a liking to the comfortable options. Elizabeth Olsen was spotted in the $68 Spanx Look at Me Now Green Camo Seamless Leggings while running errands.

Kylie Jenner showed off the same leggings in a different color on her Instagram channel.

Hailee Steinfeld wore her leggings in a more formal setting — while performing onstage during a concert in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in September.

Her $98 Spanx Faux Leather Black Leggings are among the many legging styles the brand offers that can easily transition from a workout to a night out, as they can be dressed up or down.

It’s clear that the retailer’s athleisure efforts have been a success, so it will be interesting to see if customers take a style note from Stewart and start outfitting the Spanx undergarments as outerwear.

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