Camisole vs. Slip — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Urooj Arif — Updated on April 15, 2024
A camisole is a sleeveless undergarment for women, typically fitting snugly over the upper body, while a slip is a thin, loose-fitting garment worn under dresses or skirts to prevent clinging and ensure privacy.
Difference Between Camisole and Slip
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A camisole is designed primarily as an undergarment or a layering piece for women, offering light support and coverage for the upper body. It is often made from materials like silk, cotton, or lace. On the other hand, a slip is worn under skirts and dresses to improve the garment's drape, prevent see-through, and reduce friction between the body and the fabric.
Camisoles are typically shorter, ending around the waist or hips, making them ideal for wear under more fitted tops. In contrast, slips can vary in length, from mini to full-length, designed to match the length of the outer garment and remain hidden underneath.
Many camisoles feature decorative elements such as lace trimmings or embroidered details, positioning them as both functional and stylish items that can be worn visibly under sheer or open clothing. Whereas slips are generally simpler and designed to be unobtrusive, focusing more on functionality rather than fashion.
While camisoles can sometimes double as a light summer top or a casual layer, slips are strictly undergarments without alternate fashion uses. Slips provide a smooth foundation that enhances the look of dresses and skirts.
Camisoles often come with adjustable straps and various necklines, allowing customization for different body types and preferences. Meanwhile, slips tend to have fixed straps and a straightforward design aimed at providing smooth, seamless coverage.
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Comparison Chart
Length
Short, typically waist or hip length
Variable, from mini to full-length
Function
Light support, may be worn visibly
Worn under dresses/skirts for coverage
Design
Often decorative with lace or prints
Generally plain and seamless
Usage
Can double as a casual top
Strictly an undergarment
Material
Silk, cotton, lace
Silk, satin, synthetic blends
Compare with Definitions
Camisole
An undergarment that can also be worn as outerwear in casual settings.
She styled her lace camisole with a blazer for a chic evening look.
Slip
A thin, loose undergarment worn under skirts or dresses.
She wore a slip under her dress to prevent it from clinging to her legs.
Camisole
A form-fitting top often used for layering.
His camisole peeked out from under his sweater, adding a stylish touch.
Slip
Usually made from smooth fabrics like satin or silk.
The satin slip felt cool and comfortable against her skin.
Camisole
A lightweight, sleeveless undergarment for women.
She wore a silk camisole under her blouse for extra comfort.
Slip
Helps maintain modesty with transparent or semi-transparent fabrics.
Her slip ensured that her lightweight linen dress wasn't see-through.
Camisole
Typically made from soft materials like silk or lace.
Her cotton camisole was perfect for the hot summer weather.
Slip
Available in various lengths to match different outfits.
She chose a knee-length slip to wear under her midi skirt.
Camisole
Often features adjustable straps for a better fit.
She adjusted the straps of her camisole for a more comfortable fit.
Slip
Designed to enhance the drape of outer garments.
Her silk slip made her wool dress hang beautifully and smoothly.
Camisole
A camisole is a sleeveless undergarment or innerwear typically worn by women, normally extending to the waist. The camisole is usually made of satin, nylon, silk, or cotton.
Slip
To move smoothly, easily, and quietly
Slipped into bed.
Camisole
A woman's loose-fitting undergarment for the upper body, typically held up by shoulder straps.
Slip
To move stealthily; steal
Slipped out the back door.
Camisole
A woman's sleeveless undergarment or shirt with narrow and often adjustable straps.
Slip
To escape, as from a grasp, fastening, or restraint
Slipped out of the wrestler's hold.
Camisole
A short, sleeveless undergarment worn by women underneath a blouse, or as a form of short négligée.
Slip
To put on or remove a piece of clothing smoothly or quietly
Slipped into a nightgown.
Slipped out of the shirt.
Camisole
(dated) A straitjacket.
Slip
To slide involuntarily and lose one's balance or foothold.
Camisole
(historical) A light jacket with sleeves.
Slip
To move accidentally out of place or fail to gain traction
The gear slipped.
Camisole
(dated) To straitjacket.
Slip
To pass gradually, easily, or imperceptibly into a different state
He slipped into a coma.
Camisole
A short dressing jacket for women.
Slip
To decline from a former or standard level; fall off
The senator's popularity has slipped.
Camisole
A kind of straitjacket.
Slip
To elapse, especially quickly or without notice
The days slipped by.
Camisole
A short sleeveless undergarment for women
Slip
To fall into fault or error. Often used with up.
Camisole
A short negligee
Slip
To place or insert smoothly and quietly
She slipped the letter into her pocket.
Slip
To insert (a remark, for example) unobtrusively
Managed to slip his criticisms in before the end of the meeting.
Slip
To put on or remove (clothing) easily or quickly
Slip on a sweater.
Slipped off her shoes.
Slip
To get loose or free from; elude
Slipped his pursuers.
Slip
To fail to be remembered by
Her name slips my memory.
Slip
To release, loose, or unfasten
Slip a knot.
Slip
To unleash or free (a dog or hawk) to pursue game.
Slip
To give birth to prematurely. Used of animals.
Slip
To dislocate (a bone).
Slip
To pass (a knitting stitch) from one needle to another without knitting it.
Slip
To make a slip from (a plant or plant part).
Slip
The act or an instance of slipping or sliding.
Slip
An accident or mishap, especially resulting in a fall.
Slip
An error in conduct or thinking; a mistake.
Slip
A slight error or oversight, as in speech or writing
A slip of the tongue.
Slip
A docking place for a ship between two piers.
Slip
A slipway.
Slip
(Nautical) The difference between a vessel's actual speed through water and the speed at which the vessel would move if the screw were propelling against a solid.
Slip
A woman's undergarment of dress length with shoulder straps.
Slip
A half-slip.
Slip
A pillowcase.
Slip
A smooth crack at which rock strata have moved on each other.
Slip
A small fault.
Slip
The relative displacement of formerly adjacent points on opposite sides of a fault.
Slip
The difference between optimal and actual output in a mechanical device.
Slip
Movement between two parts where none should exist, as between a pulley and a belt.
Slip
A sideways movement of an airplane when banked too far.
Slip
A part of a plant cut or broken off for grafting or planting; a scion or cutting.
Slip
A long narrow piece; a strip.
Slip
A slender youthful person
A slip of a child.
Slip
A small piece of paper, especially a small form, document, or receipt
A deposit slip.
Slip
A narrow pew in a church.
Slip
Thinned potter's clay used for decorating or coating ceramics.
Slip
(intransitive) To lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction.
Slip
(intransitive) To err.
Slip
(intransitive) To accidentally reveal a secret or otherwise say something unintentional.
Slip
(intransitive) To move or fly (out of place); to shoot; often with out, off, etc.
A bone may slip out of place.
Slip
(transitive) To pass (a note, money, etc.), often covertly.
She thanked the porter and slipped a ten-dollar bill into his hand.
Slip
(transitive) To cause to move smoothly and quickly; to slide; to convey gently or secretly.
Slip
(intransitive) To move quickly and often secretively; to depart, withdraw, enter, appear, intrude, or escape as if by sliding.
Some errors slipped into the appendix.
Slip
To move down; to slide.
Profits have slipped over the past six months.
Slip
To release (a dog, a bird of prey, etc.) to go after a quarry.
Slip
Clipping of sideslip: To fly with the longitudinal axis misaligned with the relative wind.
Slip
To remove the skin of a soft fruit, such as a tomato or peach, by blanching briefly in boiling water, then transferring to cold water so that the skin peels, or slips, off easily.
Slip
(obsolete) To omit; to lose by negligence.
Slip
(transitive) To cut slips from; to cut; to take off; to make a slip or slips of.
To slip a piece of cloth or paper
Slip
(transitive) To cause to slip or slide off, or out of place.
A horse slips his bridle; a dog slips his collar.
Slip
To bring forth (young) prematurely; to slink.
Slip
To cause (a schedule or release, etc.) to go, or let it go, beyond the allotted deadline.
Slip
An act or instance of slipping.
I had a slip on the ice and bruised my hip.
Slip
A woman's undergarment worn under a skirt or dress to conceal unwanted nudity that may otherwise be revealed by the skirt or dress itself; a shift.
Slip
A slipdress.
Slip
A mistake or error.
A slip of the tongue
Slip
(nautical) A berth; a space for a ship to moor.
Slip
(nautical) A difference between the theoretical distance traveled per revolution of the propeller and the actual advance of the vessel.
Slip
(nautical) A slipway.
Slip
(medicine) A one-time return to previous maladaptive behaviour after cure.
Slip
(cricket) Any of several fielding positions to the off side of the wicket keeper, designed to catch the ball after being deflected from the bat; a fielder in that position (See first slip, second slip, third slip, fourth slip and fifth slip.)
Slip
A number between 0 and 1 that is the difference between the angular speed of a rotating magnetic field and the angular speed of its rotor, divided by the angular speed of the magnetic field.
Slip
A leash or string by which a dog is held; so called from its being made in such a manner as to slip, or become loose, by relaxation of the hand.
Slip
An escape; a secret or unexpected desertion.
He gave the warden the slip and escaped from the prison.
Slip
(aviation) sideslip
Slip
A portion of the columns of a newspaper etc. struck off by itself; a proof from a column of type when set up and in the galley.
Slip
(dated) A child's pinafore.
Slip
An outside covering or case.
A pillow slip
The slip or sheath of a sword
Slip
(obsolete) A counterfeit piece of money, made from brass covered with silver.
Slip
Matter found in troughs of grindstones after the grinding of edge tools.
Slip
A particular quantity of yarn.
Slip
A narrow passage between buildings.
Slip
(US) A long seat or narrow pew in churches, often without a door.
Slip
(mining) A dislocation of a lead, destroying continuity.
Slip
(engineering) The motion of the centre of resistance of the float of a paddle wheel, or the blade of an oar, through the water horizontally, or the difference between a vessel's actual speed and the speed it would have if the propelling instrument acted upon a solid; also, the velocity, relatively to still water, of the backward current of water produced by the propeller.
Slip
(electrical) The difference between the actual and synchronous speeds of an induction motor.
Slip
(telecommunications) The positional displacement in a sequence of transmitted symbols that causes the loss or insertion of one or more symbols.
Slip
A fish, the sole.
Slip
A twig or shoot; a cutting.
A slip from a vine
Slip
(obsolete) A descendant, a scion.
Slip
A young person (now usually with of introducing descriptive qualifier).
She couldn't hurt a fly, young slip of a girl that she is.
Slip
A long, thin piece of something.
Slip
A small piece of paper, especially one longer than it is wide, typically a form for writing on or one giving printed information.
A salary slip
Slip
(marine insurance) A memorandum of the particulars of a risk for which a policy is to be executed. It usually bears the broker's name and is initiated by the underwriters.
Slip
(ceramics) A thin, slippery mix of clay and water.
Slip
(obsolete) Mud, slime.
Slip
To move along the surface of a thing without bounding, rolling, or stepping; to slide; to glide.
Slip
To slide; to lose one's footing or one's hold; not to tread firmly; as, it is necessary to walk carefully lest the foot should slip.
Slip
To move or fly (out of place); to shoot; - often with out, off, etc.; as, a bone may slip out of its place.
Slip
To depart, withdraw, enter, appear, intrude, or escape as if by sliding; to go or come in a quiet, furtive manner; as, some errors slipped into the work.
Thus one tradesman slips away,To give his partner fairer play.
Thrice the flitting shadow slipped away.
Slip
To err; to fall into error or fault.
There is one that slippeth in his speech, but not from his heart.
Cry, "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war.
Slip
To cause to move smoothly and quickly; to slide; to convey gently or secretly.
He tried to slip a powder into her drink.
Slip
To omit; to loose by negligence.
And slip no advantageThat my secure you.
Slip
To cut slips from; to cut; to take off; to make a slip or slips of; as, to slip a piece of cloth or paper.
The branches also may be slipped and planted.
Slip
To let loose in pursuit of game, as a greyhound.
Lucento slipped me like his greyhound.
Slip
To cause to slip or slide off, or out of place; as, a horse slips his bridle; a dog slips his collar.
Slip
To bring forth (young) prematurely; to slink.
Slip
The act of slipping; as, a slip on the ice.
Slip
An unintentional error or fault; a false step.
This good man's slip mended his pace to martyrdom.
Slip
A twig separated from the main stock; a cutting; a scion; hence, a descendant; as, a slip from a vine.
A native slip to us from foreign seeds.
The girlish slip of a Sicilian bride.
Slip
A slender piece; a strip; as, a slip of paper.
Moonlit slips of silver cloud.
A thin slip of a girl, like a new moonSure to be rounded into beauty soon.
Slip
An escape; a secret or unexpected desertion; as, to give one the slip.
Slip
A portion of the columns of a newspaper or other work struck off by itself; a proof from a column of type when set up and in the galley.
Slip
Any covering easily slipped on.
Slip
A counterfeit piece of money, being brass covered with silver.
Slip
Matter found in troughs of grindstones after the grinding of edge tools.
Slip
Potter's clay in a very liquid state, used for the decoration of ceramic ware, and also as a cement for handles and other applied parts.
Slip
A particular quantity of yarn.
Slip
An inclined plane on which a vessel is built, or upon which it is hauled for repair.
Slip
An opening or space for vessels to lie in, between wharves or in a dock; as, Peck slip.
Slip
A narrow passage between buildings.
Slip
A long seat or narrow pew in churches, often without a door.
Slip
A dislocation of a lead, destroying continuity.
Slip
The motion of the center of resistance of the float of a paddle wheel, or the blade of an oar, through the water horozontally, or the difference between a vessel's actual speed and the speed which she would have if the propelling instrument acted upon a solid; also, the velocity, relatively to still water, of the backward current of water produced by the propeller.
Slip
A fish, the sole.
Slip
A fielder stationed on the off side and to the rear of the batsman. There are usually two of them, called respectively short slip, and long slip.
Slip
The retrograde movement on a pulley of a belt as it slips.
Slip
The difference between the actual and synchronous speed of an induction motor.
Slip
A memorandum of the particulars of a risk for which a policy is to be executed. It usually bears the broker's name and is initiated by the underwrites.
Slip
A socially awkward or tactless act
Slip
A minor inadvertent mistake usually observed in speech or writing or in small accidents or memory lapses etc.
Slip
Potter's clay that is thinned and used for coating or decorating ceramics
Slip
A part (sometimes a root or leaf or bud) removed from a plant to propagate a new plant through rooting or grafting
Slip
A young and slender person;
He's a mere slip of a lad
Slip
A place where a craft can be made fast
Slip
An accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall;
He blamed his slip on the ice
The jolt caused many slips and a few spills
Slip
A slippery smoothness;
He could feel the slickness of the tiller
Slip
Artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material
Slip
A small sheet of paper;
A receipt slip
Slip
A woman's sleeveless undergarment
Slip
Bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow;
The burglar carried his loot in a pillowcase
Slip
An unexpected slide
Slip
A flight maneuver; aircraft slides sideways in the air
Slip
The act of avoiding capture (especially by cunning)
Slip
Move stealthily;
The ship slipped away in the darkness
Slip
Insert inconspicuously or quickly or quietly;
He slipped some money into the waiter's hand
Slip
Move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner;
The wheels skidded against the sidewalk
Slip
Get worse;
My grades are slipping
Slip
Move smoothly and easily
Slip
To make a mistake or be incorrect
Slip
Pass on stealthily;
He slipped me the key when nobody was looking
Slip
Pass out of one's memory
Slip
Move out of position;
Dislocate joints
The artificial hip joint luxated and had to be put back surgically
Common Curiosities
What is the primary function of a camisole?
The primary function of a camisole is to provide light support and coverage as an undergarment or a layering piece.
Can slips be worn with any type of dress?
Slips are versatile and can be worn with almost any type of dress, especially those made from clingy or sheer materials.
What types of materials are slips made from?
Slips are commonly made from smooth materials such as silk, satin, or synthetic blends that ensure clothes drape well and do not stick to the body.
Can a slip be worn as an outer garment?
No, slips are designed to be worn as undergarments only, not as visible clothing.
What styles of necklines are available in camisoles?
Camisoles can feature a variety of necklines, including V-neck, scoop, and square necklines, catering to different tastes and layering needs.
What are the care instructions for slips?
Most slips require gentle washing, possibly hand washing or a delicate cycle in a washing machine, especially if made from materials like silk or satin.
Is there a difference in strap styles between camisoles and slips?
Yes, camisoles often have adjustable straps or even strapless options, while slips typically have fixed, thin straps for discreet layering under clothes.
How can wearing a slip benefit the longevity of my clothes?
By reducing friction and protecting against perspiration, a slip can help prolong the life of outer garments.
How do I choose the right camisole for outdoor wear?
For outdoor wear, choose camisoles made from thicker materials, possibly with wider straps or higher coverage to ensure modesty and comfort.
How do I choose the right length for a slip?
Choose a slip length that matches or is slightly shorter than your outer garment to ensure it remains hidden.
Do camisoles offer any support?
Some camisoles come with built-in bras or are made from supportive materials to provide a light level of support.
Are camisoles suitable for formal wear?
Camisoles can be suitable for formal wear when made of luxurious materials like silk or lace and worn under a jacket or blazer.
Are there specific occasions when wearing a camisole or slip is particularly recommended?
Camisoles are ideal for layering under light or sheer tops, while slips are recommended under skirts and dresses to prevent static and show-through.
Can slips be tailored to fit better?
While slips are generally designed to fit loosely, they can be tailored for a more personalized fit, especially in the straps and length.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
