I found a dupe for the viral figure-hugging Skims dress – it cost half the price but there was a key difference

LIKE everyone else and their mother, I heard about the viral Skims dress that supposedly evened out lumps and made you look snatched.

So I took the plunge and bought the $78 Fits Everybody Long Slip Dress from the Kardashian brand.

I spent $78 on the viral Skims dress, pictured, but found a dupe for half the priceNancy Jiang/The U.S. SunThe dupe, pictured, was just $39 and looks nearly identical, though there were key differencesNancy Jiang/The U.S. Sun

It was a reluctant, expensive purchase but I was also curious if the hype was all it was built up to be.

The big day finally arrived: I got the email that my package was delivered, ran down the stairs, ripped the packaging off, retreated into my room, and threw it on.

I was floored: indeed, not only did the dress squeeze me in but it was also the softest piece of clothing I’ve ever owned. Wearing it feels like I’m walking around in a cloud.

Another feature of the dress is that it can be styled in many ways.

Although I purchased the longer length of the dress, if I wanted to wear it shorter, such as a midi or even a mini dress, all I had to do was drag the fabric up, do a little bit of re-arranging, and voilà, a whole new dress.

Needless to say, I was obsessed, and when it comes to things that I love, I simply need to have multiple.

But acquiring a collection of this dress in different colors was much too demanding on a journalist’s salary, so I sought out alternatives.

I quickly heard rave reviews for a brand that had seemingly figured out the Skims formula.

Pumiey, sold on Amazon, went viral for having rumored identical dupes for the Skims bodysuits, T-shirts, and even their dresses.

For exactly half the price of the actual dress, I figured I would give it a shot and picked up their $39 version of my dress in the shade Caramel.

Once again, my routine repeated itself: a ping of my email, footsteps down the stairs, a slamming of the door, and the sound of frantic tearing into plastic packaging.

On first impression, the two dresses looked nearly identical, color aside.

Nancy Jiang/The U.S. SunOne thing missing from the dupe was the Skims tag at the back of the dress[/caption]

The length, cut, and silhouette were also the same, with the biggest difference being the lack of a Skims tag on the back of the dupe.

One difference I noticed was that the OG Skims was slightly heavier than the dupe.

Upon try-on, more differences made themselves apparent to me.

I had just had lunch and was therefore nursing a food baby, and I noticed that the Skims was much more forgiving.

It concealed my stomach better, cinched and evened out my boobs, and was flattering on my butt.

Nancy Jiang/The U.S. SunThe dupe and the Skims had similar straps[/caption]

The dupe also performed well, but I noticed that my stomach was much more visible and my chest much larger than in the Skims.

Additionally, while the dupe was undeniably comfortable, the material was not fully identical (if I had to put a number on it I would guess 85 percent similar).

I figured this discrepancy in the fabric was the reason for the difference in performance, dress weights, and comfort.

For half the price, however, I did find the dupe to be more than satisfactory even though it wasn’t exactly the same.

And the best part about the dupe is no one will know it’s not the real Skims unless you tell them — just ask my friend, who asked if I was wearing Skims while sporting the dupe.