At Bare Necessities, our talented team of merchants is constantly juggling fashion shows, presentations and vendor meetings (okay, and more than a few spreadsheets and calculators). It’s all in the interest of determining what exciting new finds to add to our vast assortment. Yep, sometimes sitting down with Heidi Klum, Dita Von Teese or Ashley Graham is all in a day’s work.
Today, we’re chatting with Liza Bennett, our VP of merchandising, a.k.a. the brains and beauty behind all the strategic buying. She heads to market week in New York City four times a year to experience firsthand the latest, greatest goings-on in the lingerie world. Here are the sexy lingerie trends that caught her discerning eye a few months back for spring 2016—i.e., right this moment.
SIZING IS MORE INCLUSIVE
“Brands are going after a broader market segment than ever before,” Liza says. Both plus sizes and petite offerings are becoming way more common. The new-to-bare necessities Ashley Graham Collection, for instance, now goes up to an H-cup, as requested by none other than the designer’s very own sister. And Triumph has just come out with beautiful bras specifically made for A-B cups. The right fit and gorgeous selection for everyone—there’s a trend we can really support.
THE MUST-HAVE: A BEAUTIFUL BRALETTE
Unless you’re a regular at Coachella, you heard it here first. The free spirits among us are sure to love these unstructured, lacy, stretchy styles that are, more than ever, intended to be seen.
BODYSUITS ARE BACK
“Thank Kim Kardashian for this one,” Liza says. It’s all good, though: “They’re trending across categories, from sexy to practical, ready-to-wear to shapewear, because they’re really multifunctional.” Bodysuits make you look sleek and pulled-together, they do away with annoying camisole roll-up and they can do more for your figure than a bra alone. They’re not the eighties bodysuits you might recall, that’s for sure.
“SEXY” IS GOING MAINSTREAM
Practicality is suddenly melding with high style. “Gorgeous underpinnings are no longer just for serious lingerie lovers,” Liza observes. “Look, we all need underwear, so the special details we’re seeing now are meant to be really uplifting to the wearer day in and day out,” says Liza, who’s referring to the increasing popularity of cage-style bras, tailored three-part cups and special embellishments and fabric treatments. “We’re seeing stepped-up everyday styles from every brand because it’s about her, not whoever may or may not be seeing her undressed. Lingerie on the whole right now is less basic, less boring,” she says. In other words, if you have to wear it every day, you may as well be crazy for it.
GO BEYOND NUDE AND BLACK
Rose quartz (a sweet, pale pink) and serenity (a tranquil, baby blue) are the Pantone Colors of the Year—the first time two hues were chosen in tandem. “Generally, color stories don’t influence lingerie very much because it’s always sort of sort of bound by neutrals, but this year the two worlds complement each other nicely,” Liza says. Who can argue with loveliness like this Wacoal Dual Control Bra or this Chantelle t-shirt bra?
