A goth bodysuit is a fitted top that fastens between the legs, so it stays smooth and tucked under a high-waisted skirt, tailored trousers or a corset all day. Choose one in three steps: check the torso length, read the stretch range on the listing, then pick the fabric for where you will wear it.
Most of the bodysuits in our store come in S, M and L, a few go further, and the ones named in this guide cost between $29.71 and $37.59. Below is how to read what a listing tells you, which fabric does what, and what to wear one with when the look you want is closer to Crimson Peak than to a club night.
Quick Answer
Pick a goth bodysuit by torso length first, because a body that is too short pulls at the shoulders and the crotch whatever the bust size. Then read the bust and waist ranges on the listing: a wide range means a stretchy fabric. Lace suits evenings, knit suits cold days, and an opaque turtleneck suits the office.
What is a goth bodysuit, and why wear one?
A bodysuit is a one-piece top that runs from the shoulders to a fastening at the crotch. What makes it goth is the fabric and the cut: black lace, high necks, long sleeves, lace-up details and a silhouette that sits close to the body.
The shape is older than the subculture. The French trapeze artist Jules Léotard performed the first flying trapeze act at the Cirque Napoléon in Paris in November 1859, in a close one-piece he called a maillot. The word leotard only appeared in 1886, sixteen years after his death. The fashion bodysuit is that garment taken off the trapeze and worn as a top.
The practical reason to wear one is the tuck. A blouse or a vest creeps out of a waistband by mid-afternoon, and a bodysuit cannot, because it is anchored below. That matters most under the high waists gothic dressing relies on: a full skirt, a corset, a cinched belt over a long dress.
How should a bodysuit fit?
A bodysuit should sit flat against the body from shoulder to hip without dragging the shoulder seams down or pulling up at the crotch. Torso length decides that more than the bust size does, so check it first and the chest second.
Torso length decides it
Torso length is the measurement most shoppers skip and the one a bodysuit punishes. A top can be a little short and still work, but a bodysuit that is short in the body pulls in two directions at once, and no amount of stretch fixes that.
Two of our listings print a length for each size, and both show how little a bigger size adds:
- The Black Gothic Survival Bodysuit measures 71 cm in S, 73 cm in M and 75 cm in L.
- The Knitted Faux Fur Bodysuit measures 71 cm in S, 72 cm in M and 73 cm in L.
So going up a size buys a long torso one or two centimetres, not five. If your torso is long, size up only when the listing shows the extra length, and favour a stretch fabric over a rigid one.
The quickest way to know your number is to measure a bodysuit or one-piece swimsuit you already own and like. Lay it flat and measure from the top of the shoulder to the bottom of the crotch. Our listings do not say exactly where their length is taken, so compare a listing only with itself, size against size, and treat a gap of two or three centimetres from your own piece as a warning rather than a rule.
How to read a stretch range
When a listing prints a bust or waist as a range rather than one figure, the range is how far the fabric stretches. The Survival bodysuit gives the bust as 70 to 86 cm in S, 74 to 90 cm in M and 78 to 94 cm in L, with the waist at 61 to 70, 65 to 74 and 69 to 78 cm.
Those ranges overlap. A bust of 80 cm falls inside S, M and L at once, which means the bust is not what decides your size. Let the waist and the length decide instead. If you sit at the very top of a range, the fabric is working at its limit there, so the next size up will be more comfortable over a long day.
The Knitted Faux Fur bodysuit reads the same way: bust 74 to 84 cm in S, 78 to 88 cm in M and 82 to 92 cm in L.
Check the fastening
Most bodysuits close at the crotch with snaps or hooks, and a few fasten at the front as well. Roxanne's Goth Mesh Bodysuit has a hook-and-eye fastening down the front, so you can step into it and close it once it is on. Where a listing says nothing about the fastening, look through the product photos before you order.
Which fabric: lace, knit or something opaque?
Choose the fabric for the room you will wear it in. Lace is for evenings and for showing under an open jacket, knit is for cold days, and a plain opaque body is the one that works under office clothes. Here are the nine we would start with, with what each listing says about itself.
| Bodysuit | Fabric (as listed) | Sizes | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solace's Chic Black Turtleneck Bodysuit | polyamide, broadcloth | S, M, L | $30.44 (S), $33.06 (M, L) |
| Lace-Up Cursed Bodysuit | lace, polyester and spandex | S, M, L | $30.15 (S), $33.20 (M, L) |
| Back Track Black Goth Lace Bodysuit | lace, polyester and spandex | S, M, L | $31.02 (S), $34.51 (M, L) |
| Eclipse Lace Bodysuit | lace, polyester | S to XXXL | $31.02 (S), $34.51 (M to XXXL) |
| Black Knit Bodysuit | knitted polyester, embroidered | S, M, L | $33.64 (S, M), $30.58 (L) |
| Knitted Faux Fur Bodysuit | polyester, cotton, spandex | S, M, L | $32.13 (S), $37.59 (M, L) |
| Black Geometric Bodysuit | polyester, spandex | S to XL | $29.71 (black, S), $33.16 (the rest) |
| Roxanne's Goth Mesh Bodysuit | spandex, polyester, mesh panels | S to XXL | $32.34 (S), $35.83 (M to XXL) |
| Black Gothic Survival Bodysuit | polyester and spandex | S, M, L | $32.34 (S), $35.83 (M), $33.20 (L) |
Lace
Lace is the gothic-romance fabric, and it is the one to choose when part of the bodysuit will show. The Lace-Up Cursed Bodysuit pairs delicate lace with lace-up detailing, and its listing calls the fit skinny, so expect it close to the body. The Back Track Black Goth Lace Bodysuit is lace in a polyester and spandex blend. The Eclipse lace bodysuit adds hollow-out detailing and an eclipse design, which suits an occult wardrobe built around moon phases.
Knit and faux fur
For autumn and winter, a knit body does the job of a jumper without the bulk at the waistband. The Black Knit Bodysuit is knitted polyester with embroidery, and its photos show long sleeves and a high neck. The Knitted Faux Fur bodysuit, already measured above, mixes polyester, cotton and spandex and also has long sleeves. Both sit well under a long coat with a maxi skirt, and our winter layering guide builds the rest of that outfit.
Opaque and polished
Solace's Chic Black Turtleneck Bodysuit is the plainest piece here and the most useful. It is polyamide broadcloth with a high turtleneck, and it carries no lace or hardware to fight with what you wear over it. If you own one bodysuit, make it this kind.
The Black Geometric Bodysuit is the one for pattern: a geometric design on a polyester and spandex body, with long sleeves and a high neck in the photos. It comes in black, burgundy and white, and burgundy is the colour to reach for if your wardrobe already runs to oxblood and wine.
What do you wear with a goth bodysuit?
Wear a goth bodysuit anywhere you would tuck in a top: under a high-waisted skirt, under a corset, under tailoring, or with wide trousers. Four combinations cover most of the week.
With a long skirt: This is the outfit the bodysuit was made for. A lace or knit body under a black maxi skirt gives a clean waist with nothing bunching under the waistband, and a wide belt over the join finishes it. Our guide to goth skirts covers which length suits which shoe.
Under a corset: A bodysuit stays flat under the lacing where a loose top would ride up. The Solace turtleneck is the obvious base, and a lace body works too if you want lace showing above the corset's top edge.
At the office: Solace under a black blazer and tailored trousers reads as polished first and gothic second, which is the balance corporate goth depends on. Solace is also in our corporate goth collection, with the rest of the office pieces.
For an evening: Roxanne's mesh bodysuit or the Eclipse lace body with a long skirt, heavy silver jewellery and dark lipstick. Keep everything else plain and let the bodysuit carry the detail.
Which of our bodysuits come in larger sizes?
Most of our bodysuits stop at L, and we would rather say so than let a size chart surprise you. Of the nine in this guide, six are sold in S, M and L only. Three go further:
- Eclipse lace bodysuit: S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL. Its listing prints measurements for S, M and L only, so for the larger sizes there is no figure to check against yet.
- Roxanne's Goth Mesh Bodysuit: S, M, L, XL and XXL.
- Black Geometric Bodysuit: S, M, L and XL.
For larger sizes, stretch is your friend. A body in a spandex blend gives more room across the bust than a rigid weave, and torso length still matters most, so check it before the chest.
How do you look after a bodysuit?
Follow the care label sewn into the garment, because none of our bodysuit listings prints care instructions. As a general rule, lace and spandex blends last longest washed cool and dried flat. Heat wears out stretch fabric, so keep a bodysuit out of the tumble dryer. Close the snaps or hooks before washing so they do not catch on the lace.
Frequently asked questions
Should I size up in a bodysuit if I have a long torso?
Only if the listing shows the extra length. On our listings that print a length per size, each size adds one or two centimetres, so a bigger size may give you a looser chest without much more length. A stretch fabric does more for a long torso than a larger size.
Can you wear a bodysuit as a top?
Yes, that is what most people buy one for. Worn under a skirt or trousers it looks like a fitted top, and it stays tucked in all day because it fastens below.
What is the difference between a bodysuit and a leotard?
They are the same basic garment, a one-piece from shoulder to crotch. A leotard is made for dance, gymnastics or performance and is usually plain stretch fabric. A bodysuit is made to be worn as a top, so it comes in lace, knit and other fashion fabrics and fastens at the crotch for getting dressed.
Are your bodysuits plus-size?
Not as a range. Most stop at L. The Eclipse lace bodysuit goes to XXXL, Roxanne's to XXL and the Black Geometric to XL, and those are the sizes on sale today.
How much does a goth bodysuit cost here?
The nine named in this guide cost between $29.71 and $37.59, and several are a little cheaper in size S.
The best place to start is one plain, opaque body and one in lace. Begin with Solace for everyday and the Lace-Up Cursed bodysuit for evenings, then build the skirts and corsets around them.
