The Best Bodysuit Brand, According to an Olympic Gymnast

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Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin has been busy since you last saw her on the mats. Just last week, she launched a collection of simple jewelry she designed in partnership with Iconery. She also runs her own brand, Grander Sports, which aims to inspire the next generation of female athletes. And on top of that, Liukin is a frequent blogger and Instagram style inspiration with almost one million followers.

So when I caught up with her by phone last week, we had plenty to talk about, including her favorite places to shop (that would be Revolve, Shopbop, and Nordstrom, especially during the latter’s Anniversary Sale, which is still happening now). But there was one shopping question in particular I was dying to ask the five-time medalist and world champion: Does she have a favorite brand of bodysuit? Someone who grew up wearing leotards seems uniquely qualified to weigh in.

Funny enough, Liukin was wearing one when we spoke, and blogged about it later that week. Here’s what she had to say:

I wore leotards for 20 years of my life. It’s so funny to me that these things I have laying all around my house, hundreds of them in different designs, are now such a fashion staple. I’m on the street right now and I literally just saw a girl walk by wearing a leotard. They are everywhere now, whereas before it was like, ‘Ew, I have to wear a leotard!’

I don’t wear them to work out in anymore, but I do love a good bodysuit. You can wear them so many different ways, dress them up or down. I’ll usually wear mine with a pair of boyfriend jeans, a cute pair of heels, and my choker.

My favorite brand for bodysuits is Wolford. They have a great plain black bodysuit that kind of looks like a tank top ($117). I have one in black and in white. I also have a long-sleeved version that I love more for fall and winter, and one with mesh sleeves. They’re great because they’re tight, so they really suck you in. If you’re going to wear a leotard, you should really make sure that it’s tight and not loose — at least on me, I feel like it looks a little bit better.

I didn’t think all these years later I’d be wearing leotards, that’s for sure.

I wasn’t totally surprised to hear Liukin say Wolford is her favorite bodysuit brand. A luxury lingerie label known for its fancy tights, Wolford hands-down won our tights test last year; they were the most comfortable and durable all-around (trust me, I wanted to debunk the brand, but they really were the best ones). Because the brand’s bodysuits can be similarly pricey — at full retail, they cost between $200 and $350 (!!) — I shopped around and found the best prices available right now; check them out below.