Why You Need a Bodysuit This Spring

Liya Kebede and Karolina Kurkova

Photographed by Tom Munro, Vogue, March 2004

Ah, the bodysuit. Has there ever been a garment as sleek, as easy, as inexplicably maligned as the simple, chic bodysuit? Sure, they’re not a “traditional" wardrobe staple—they’re more underthing than not, for example, and they raise all sorts of questions about one’s private moments (undressing can, in some instances, pose a challenge). But we challenge you to find an item in your closet that will work as hard for you while looking as entirely easy. Layering is a cinch, generous skirts come to full trim-waisted bloom, narrow jeans and neat trousers become something altogether elevated; a sudden exercise in elegance, above all else. This isn’t even to mention the allure: There’s a balletic romance to the bodysuit, bringing to mind images of Brigitte Bardot, picking up her skirts to dance fervently on a table in Roger Vadim’s And God Created Woman and become an international star; of Audrey Hepburn, going from the barre to the boulevards, atop a jaunty bicycle. And isn’t that exactly how you feel, now that spring is here? Lose the unnecessary, and make like an iconic screen starlet this season: there’s no one piece that will take you farther (and in more comfort!) than a bodysuit, whether it’s loose or tight, under a wide-legged cropped pant or a slick pencil skirt, paired with suede, lace, or fringe.

Do yourself a favor—invest now. You won’t regret it.