Category: Behind the Seams

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Behind the Seams Power Figures

Liza Bennett is the Brains Behind Bare Necessities

We’ve met our fair share of Power Figures here on Bare it All, from fashion designers to physicians, novelists to entrepreneurs. To kick off the year, we realized we didn’t need to look any further than our own backyard, to a woman who knows the business of fashion better than pretty much anyone. Who has built her career from the front door to the top floor. Who gets things handled all day, every day without breaking a sweat.

Torching every stereotype about female bosses, Liza Bennett is what you want in a leader: kind, likeable, unflappable under pressure, an ally in the corner office who wants everyone to succeed–and to be happy and have a life while they’re at it.

Liza has spent the past 15 years at Bare Necessities, ascending from the brand’s second-ever buyer to the Vice President of E-Commerce, seeing things through when we were a private company, then under Walmart and, now, under international intimate apparel corporation Delta Galil.

We picked Liza’s brain to find out what she’s learned about finding your calling, forming a team you can count on and trusting your gut…in and out of the office.

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Behind the Seams Personal Style

The Best Sports Bras for Every Body in 2021

On some level, everyone wants to get fit and stay healthy—maybe never more than right now.

That’s why, at the top of 2021, we’re ready with our list of the most incredible sports bras that will be with you every step along the way to hitting your gym goals. Whether you’re an ultra marathoner, a newbie or anywhere in between, Bare Necessities has got the most supportive bras you’ll ever find that fit your body and your workout.

All you have to do is meet your match….

How to Choose the Best Sports Bra for You

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Behind the Seams Bra Fit Experts Meet the Merchants Personal Style

Forgiving Fits

Weight fluctuations happen, especially in summer when we’re by turns our most physically active and our absolute laziest. Safe to say we’ve all been there, blinking in disbelief at the read-out on the scale or puzzling over our sudden inability to button a single pair of jeans. (Or is that just me?)

Luckily, through trial and error, we Bare Necessities staffers know there are some pieces that’ll never let us down—even when all the others won’t make it up past our thighs. No need to throw a fit over the perfect fit, or ditch your wardrobe and restock it with the next size: We found those magical everyday must haves that seem to be made with equal parts Spandex and tender-loving mercy.

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Behind the Seams Pop Culture

A Journey of 10,000 Steps: How Many Per Day Do You Really Need?

Have you ever tried to log 10,000 steps a day? If you’ve got a fitness tracker, you’re probably familiar with that benchmark. And you know it can be tough to reach just by going about your day, especially if that day includes sitting in a desk chair or car hour after hour.

I first got a Fitbit to unlock the secrets of my sleep patterns but got hooked on the tiny jolts it administered that spurred me to get off my butt and take a few laps around the office.

It wasn’t long before I realized that hitting 10k a day was going to take some doing. In fact, it started to feel like a full-time job. And since I already have a bunch of of those—my actual full-time job as editor at Bare Necessities, parent, wife and human being with interests of my own that include laying on the couch trying to find where Instagram ends—making my steps began to feel like one more thing on an endless list I felt obligated to get done every day, like flossing.

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Behind the Seams Bra Fit Experts Personal Style

She Said, She Said: Bra Likes and Gripes Shared by Women at Every Size

Few places is the grass greener than on the topic of chest size. At some point in life, it seems almost every woman thinks she’s gotten a raw deal with the genetics she’s been dealt.

That’s why we had two Bare Necessities bra geniuses—one card-carrying member of the Itty Bitty Committee, one bodaciously busty—sit and compare notes. Turns out our design director Moira Nelson (who wears a US size 34H) and Bra Fit Expert Kristyn Polin (she being a 30C) are more alike than different in both their wants and their woes.

Find out what works for them, what doesn’t and what it means for you, wherever on the size spectrum you fall.

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Behind the Seams Personal Style

Anatomy of a Perfect Bra

Bras are one of those things in life that prove you get what you pay for. Because when there are $17 bras and there are $170 bras, there are differences.

So what makes a splurge bra so special? Bare Necessities asked Jennifer Conselyea, an industry veteran and regional manager for Belgian-based Van de Velde, parent company of luxury bra labels Prima Donna (for curvier figures) and Marie Jo (for average figures).

“It’s the difference between ready-to-wear and couture,” Jennifer said. “Every body is not the same, even in the same size. Prima Donna, for example, is a more generous, higher-coverage 34D than a Marie Jo 34D.” Said differently, they’re tweaking the bras to fit real bodies so that it never has to be the other way around.

Another advantage of pricier bras: consistency. “With a better line, you’ll know what’s going to work for you next season; with a cheaper line, you can’t always assume that,” said Jennifer, who recommended starting with a Bare Necessities Bra Fit Expert to figure out what will work best on your body rather than guessing.

“If you haven’t had a great bra before, the willingness to spend isn’t always there. And I know people wish there was, but there is no universal bra. One bra can fit you right yet not look good under your shirt. This is why we all need a bra wardrobe,” Jennifer said.

Read on for her explanation of bra benefits….

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Behind the Seams

We Have Amazing News to Share!

Today we announced Bare Necessities has been acquired by Walmart. We couldn’t be more excited about this news.

Over the past two decades, we’ve built a talented team and strong business focused on all aspects of intimates, including what we are known for most…helping women everywhere find the perfect bra. That mission, and our team, will not change. In fact, joining forces with Walmart provides the opportunity to help even more women discover the intimates they are looking for.

You may be wondering: “Why Walmart?” Walmart has done a lot over the past year to establish itself as a destination for fashion, from acquiring specialty retailer and digitally native brands, to aggressively expanding its fashion assortment. As we began conversations with their team, we realized how much we had in common around customer commitment, and that we could do even more if we combine our expertise in intimates with Walmart’s deep resources, scale and relationships.

None of this would be possible without the millions of customers who have supported us along the way (you!). Here’s our promise – the shopping experience you know us for won’t be changing. (Don’t worry – our Bra Fit Experts will still be on call). In fact, this is just the beginning and it’s only going to get better.

We are for everybody and every body…and we can’t wait to take that to the next level with Walmart.

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Behind the Seams Bra Fit Experts

Meet the Bra Fit Experts

Sure, Bare Necessities carries 167 different bra sizes from more than 80 of the world’s best brands. But perhaps our greatest advantage: the ladies on our customer service team.

Meet the Bra Fit Experts.

These trained, talented bra fit ninjas are real women with real lives and body concerns of their own. They’re here to assess your bra situation, find you the best size through an at-home bra fitting over phone or chat, then help you choose the perfect style for your body type, budget, style and more. Call them at 877-728-9272, x4 (Monday through Saturday, 8:30 AM to 6 PM), or chat via Bare Necessities to get yours. All you’ll need is a tape measure, your best-fitting bra and ten idle minutes.

Meanwhile, get to know the team so that when you do yourself the favor of reaching out, you’ll already know who’s on the other end of the connection.

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Behind the Seams Personal Style Relationships

World Breastfeeding Awareness Week: Advice from Staffers Who Have Been There

Though it seems like it should be the most natural thing in the world, nursing a baby can feel like anything but. These days, when something as benign as feeding your infant is so fraught (politicized, even), it’s reassuring to hear a few wise words from women who have been there, lived that.

In honor of World Breastfeeding Awareness Week and National Breastfeeding Month, we present the good, the bad and the in-between about what it’s really like to sustain a tiny human with your own two boobs. Eight Bare Necessities staffers looked back—some many years, some to this morning—to bring you their best, most honest breastfeeding real talk. File all this knowledge under “things nobody ever tells you….”

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Behind the Seams Personal Style

Summer Stuff Storage: Closet Organization Advice from an Expert

If spring is the time for frantic between-season closet clean-outs, then summer is the time to wrestle what’s left into the space you’ve got. Because this is such an active time of year, you’re probably juggling a lot of different wardrobe categories—clothes, swimwear, intimates, activewear—on any given day and trying to get them all to peacefully coexist in what we’re guessing is never enough closet space.

That’s why we here at Bare Necessities asked professional organizer Amelia Meena of Appleshine Organization + Design in New York City (a place that isn’t exactly renowned for having expansive storage) for her expert advice on how to stash and store this season’s heavy-rotation delicates.  

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Behind the Seams Personal Style Pop Culture

See Why the Half Cup Size Bra Doesn’t Exist and Find Real Solutions for Half-Size Problems

If you’re plugged into pop culture, you’re probably hearing about half-size bras. At Bare Necessities, we know the phenomenon is nothing new; it’s been tried many times before. Playtex introduced the “Thank Goodness It Fits” collection years ago, which included “nearly” sizes (Nearly A, Nearly B and Nearly C) and the “Half Sizes Too” line.

Half-sizes seemed revolutionary when they launched but, despite a big marketing push, the collections were discontinued—they just weren’t relevant. Here’s why they’re nothing more than smoke and mirrors…

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Behind the Seams Personal Style

The Ultimate Last-Minute Gift Guide for Christmas and the Holidays

Want to be known as a giver of great gifts? You’ve come to the right place.

These days, anything encouraging rest and relaxation is as close to priceless as it gets, and that happens to be our strong suit here at Bare Necessities. From cheeky thongs to seasonal socks to Secret Santa-worthy designer sleepwear from Ugg, Kate Spade and Oscar de la Renta, we know that sometimes the best things really do come in the smallest packages.

We’ve rounded up our best gifts so you can finish your holiday shopping in one place. Best of all: These presents will get to your door by Christmas, guaranteed (just order by December 16).

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