Rompers: An Exposé

Foreword

Rompers: An Exposé

by Team Thinx

Whether you call ‘em onesies, unitards, one pieces, or clown suits, the summer must-have popularly known as rompers are all the rave. But still, there aren’t many clothing articles that require a meticulous exit plan like this one. Why? Well because of the bathroom situation. Sure, there’s the total ease of throwing on a romper without having to worry if your blouse matches your skirt. But when you combine the not-so-urge-friendly piece of clothing with the anxious inner dialogue it can spur, you really wonder if rompers are worth the investment. “Will I make it to the bathroom on time?” “Will there be accessible bathrooms where I am going? How challenging will it be for me to get out of my romper if I gotta pee/poo?” You get it, right?

And as some of you may know, this summer the Romphim— a romper for men— made waves. It makes sense that this would be a men’s favorite. Since, you know, biologically the romper seems made for them. Some people hated the Romphims, some couldn’t believe it took this long for them to be socially acceptable for men to wear (but also, haven’t auto mechanics been wearing “Romphims” for like ever?). Amazed at how polarizing a piece of clothing can be, I decided to host a roundtable discussion about the trendy and sometimes risky romper with my opinionated coworkers. The mission: to decode whether the romper should be in our closets or forgotten forever.

The Fit

Natalie loves rompers but can’t wear the one she adores the most because it shrunk in the dryer. “My favorite romper comes to ¾ of my leg and is denim color with cap sleeves. I love how I can just throw a blazer on and look super professional. But with me being tall it’s an insta-cameltoe.”

Bridget describes rompers as “playful” but is also super aware of their camel-toe tendencies. “Rompers give you a front run wedgie!”

Melissa dislikes rompers altogether. “I just HATE rompers, I have never found a romper that is flattering on me because of my normal torso and short legs.”

The Downfall

Honestly, I personally feel very passionate about wearing rompers. What’s not to love? They are whimsical and super stylish. Sure, wearing one can be a very nerve-racking expee_rience. But all-in-all rompers are fun! Well, that is, until you have to grin and _bare it...

One summer, I was invited to a picnic in Randolph Island. No indoor restrooms...just port-a-pottys. I was wearing a beautiful pastel Forever21 romper and thought it would be easy to pee in it because it had buttons in the front and a zipper on the side, but boy was I wrong. I took it off and in between trying to hold the top of my romper and my bag, I mistakenly dropped the back part of the romper into the toilet bowl. I was HORRIFIED!!

As you can imagine, when I shared this story with my coworkers I had to wait for them to catch their breath from hysterical laughing and gasping. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!” they asked almost in unison.

What could I do? I was miles away from home, no change of clothes, and the party was still going strong. Thank Goddess the fecal stains were minimal (yes I just wrote that), I put the romper back on and PARTIED ON!

Bridget said “I would never put on a romper again.” Cristina was impressed that I had the wherewithal to come out of the bathroom and carry-on. I earned a high-five from her.

Bathroom Tips

Cristina believes in the “tone and pee” technique. You gotta hold the back of your romper, engage your core while relieving yourself. (I know, a lot of steps.)

Natalie is a fan of the “help your neighbor” technique. “My romper has a zipper in the back so now I just ask a trusty friend or coworker to zip it halfway before I go to the bathroom, instead of trying to do yoga moves that I am not skilled to do, to try and zip it down.”

Our Picks

Despite the camel-toe inducing qualities of the romper and my personal horror story, we still somehow think they are cute. We, the taboo breaking, ladies of Speax have made it our duty to scour the web for the best rompers. Check out our summer selection:

Melissa’s pick: