Category: Inner Beauty

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Inner Beauty Power Figures The Mind Behind the Design

Sophia Berman and Laura West, Founders of TRUSST Lingerie, are Reinventing the Bra

Truss (noun): structural frames based on the geometric rigidity of the triangle
Trussed (verb): tied, bound or fastened
Trust (noun): confidence; a thing on which one relies

Bras are impressive feats of architecture in their own right, but they haven’t changed all that much in the last, oh, century. That is, until Trusst Lingerie came along.

The renegade bra company was co-founded a little over two years ago by Sophia Berman, CEO, and Laura West, chief product officer. This month’s Power Figures studied industrial design at Carnegie Mellon University, met later in life at a design firm and—both crafty and interested in textiles—soon found themselves wondering if bras couldn’t stand to be improved. Reinvented, even.

“We were talking about how much bras suck, how the underwires stab you, straps dig, and we said, ‘There’s got to be a different way to do this,’” said Laura. “The underwire isn’t a totally flawed system, but we knew there was room for improvement—for all women.” The general public seemed to agree: Their 2015 Kickstarter campaign raised $80,000, flying past the $25,000 goal they set.

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Inner Beauty Relationships

Give the Gift of a Lift Sweepstakes: You Told Us Who Deserves a Holiday Pick-Me-Up

Here’s hoping your holidays are healthy and happy! For our “Give the Gift of a Lift” sweepstakes, which wrapped up yesterday, we asked you to tell us what special person in your life deserves a pick-me-up at this most wonderful time of the year. In your thousands of nominations on Facebook and Instagram, you spoke reverently of the everyday heroes who make your worlds go ’round. We loved when you tagged someone—and got tagged back. We loved when you selflessly volunteered to give the entire prize ($50 for you, $50 for them) to your better half. We loved that no emoji was spared.

We sincerely thank you for chiming in and, more than that, for inviting Bare Necessities into your lives. You are hardworking students, tireless mothers, dedicated employees, long-distance friends, indispensable support systems and much more. It’s clear we share the mission of lifting women up.

This week, we’ve collected some of the heart-warming entries we received; you can find more using the hashtags #givealiftgetalift and #bnsweepstakes. It just might give your spirits a little boost, too.

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Inner Beauty Personal Style Power Figures

Freddy Zappe, Bra Fit Specialist, on the Art of Bra Fitting

Seventeen years ago, when Freddy Zappe started answering the phones at the bra company that would become Eveden—renowed for its full-bust brands including Elomi, Fantasie, Freya and Goddess—she hadn’t the slightest idea what she was doing. Today, she’s among the most revered bra fit experts in the world.

A model-dancer-actress accustomed to traveling the world, Freddy had zero sales or lingerie experience, but when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, Freddy returned to New York to be with her. “I had to work for my own sanity. You can’t sit by someone’s bedside constantly; they don’t like it. I thought I’d do it for a few months and see what happened.”

What happened is this: Freddy became a Power Figure. She’s still traveling the world, this time as Eveden’s national fit specialist. Every day, she asks of herself, her industry and the women she meets the same question: How can I fix this? 

“It’s endlessly fascinating,” Freddy says. “Women come in all shapes and sizes, and because we have the tools to fit full bust and full figure—we now go from A to K cup, from a 28 band to a 56 band—we can fit virtually everyone.” Here’s how….

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Inner Beauty Power Figures

Soul Camp Founders Ali Leipzig and Michelle Goldblum

To many of us, summer camp is child’s play. Ali Leipzig, 29 (top left), and Michelle Goldblum, 32 (top right), beg to differ. That’s why they founded their own sleepaway camp for grown-ups in 2014.

With outposts in New York and California, Soul Camp is an all-inclusive wellness retreat where up to 300 campers—65% of them women—say see ya to their families, routines and smartphones for four days. The trade-off: access to dozens of workshops, classes and seminars (everything from stand-up paddleboarding to essential oils 101) aimed at nourishing body, mind and spirit.

When life is a treadmill going a million miles a minute, it’s liberating to know you can press pause to reconnect with the things that stoke your inner (camp)fire. As it turns out, more often than not, those things tend to be simple pleasures like strolling down a country road, losing track of time floating on a placid lake or talking for hours with a new friend. Often, the best thing you can do as an adult is to remember what it’s like to be a kid again.

At Bare Necessities, we’re in the business of supporting women en route every day to their most authentic selves. Some days, that means putting on your big girl panties and daring to do things differently. That’s why we think Ali and Michelle are such Power Figures—through Soul Camp, they’re uplifting women in their own way.

In time for Labor Day, we talked to Michelle and Ali about how they arrived at their aha moment, made it happen, found freedom as their own bosses and continue being besties while (gasp!) mixing business and pleasure.

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Inner Beauty Personal Style

Risqué Lingerie: Summertime Sexiness

Whether you feel hot and/or bothered, summer’s heat encourages disrobing. So how to be sexy when it’s sweltering out? We had an R-rated conversation with Krista Molinaro, our sexy lingerie buyer here at Bare Necessities, to get some advice on more risqué lingerie.

“Ever since the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy came out a few years ago, sexy has been booming,” Krista says of the series that cast a new light on the dark art of seduction. That said, showing off your sexy side will always be important—humankind depends on it! Here’s the happy twist: Coy and coquettish to brazenly risqué lingerie, it’s all about what you find sexy. “We’re just here to help make it happen,” Krista says.

Less is definitely more, she advises. In the heat, you really want to wear as close to nothing as you can. Read on for her take on how to conjure up your seductive side in more risqué lingerie. (Fair warning, links definitely NSFW.)

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Inner Beauty Personal Style Power Figures

Plus-Size Style Inspiration from Body Advocate Alissa Wilson

We first met Alissa Wilson at Bare Necessities back in February when she stopped by to cover the launch of Ashley Graham’s lingerie collection, and we were instantly smitten kittens. Undaunted by the slush and cold, she turned up in red suede heels and leather pants. Personal style? Check. Knowing thyself? Check. Confidence, chutzpah and charisma? Triple-check. 

Alissa is the founding editor and editor-in-chief of Stylish Curves, a blog that aims every day to “bridge the gap between straight and plus sizes by showing plus-size curvy women that they can dress just a fabulous as straight-size women do. We live in a world that wants plus-size women to be unhappy with their bodies, and Stylish Curves believes that every woman should learn to appreciate and love their bodies no matter their size.” Um, yes.

Alissa always dreamed of a career as a fashion writer and, as a plus-size woman, she knows how hard it can be for anyone north of a size 14 to find chic clothing. Initially, she started the blog as a shopping resource to help others see where they could get the latest trends and celebrity styles in their size. “I’m happy with my body,” she has said. “It’s others who are not.” With a background in finance and retail, she’s uniquely positioned to make heads or tails of the fashion industry which, at times, can be confoundingly slow to stay in step with reality. That’s why she’s worked on branding campaigns with JCPenney and gotten noticed by Essence, Glamour…and Bare Necessities.

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Behind the Seams Inner Beauty Personal Style

2016 Summer Games: For Women, The Sky’s The Limit

Determination.

Courage.

Grit.

Grace.

Athletic prowess aside, this is what’s really at the heart of every Olympian.

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Inner Beauty Personal Style Swimwear

One-Piece Wonder: How I Stopped Chasing a Bikini Body and Finally Felt Great in One-Piece Swimsuits


I remember the last time I looked good in a bikini. It was a tiny string number—pink with multicolored polka dots—and all eyes were on me.

I was 3 years old.

Since then, I’ve had a tumultuous relationship with swimwear. (I did wear a bikini twice on spring break my junior year of college: My Puerto Rican besties are the most beautiful and body positive girls on the island and, if only for a week, I drank their Kool-Aid while we frolicked in the Caribbean surf.)

Truthfully, no part of swimsuit season has ever been easy for me.

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Inner Beauty Personal Style Swimwear

Cool Mom Bathing Suits: The Best Swimsuits for Moms

In this era of democratic fashion, no one needs to settle for mom jeans or sensible shoes and, for the record, the same holds true for swimsuits for moms. Just because someone calls you “Mommy” doesn’t mean you have to banish “bikini” from your vocabulary. Brooke here, editor of Bare it All, and I speak from personal experience. Let me assure you, it’s possible to look like the cool mom you are, even in a swimsuit.

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Health & Wellness Inner Beauty Power Figures

Becky Burt, Founder of Pink Pineapple Surf School

It’s only fitting that we have a July 4th tête-à-tête with someone in possession of a fierce independent streak, an indomitable spirit and an iron will.

That would be Becky Burt.

At 30, she’s created a surf school for girls, run exclusively by women, on the East coast where surfer girls are something of a rarity—and she did it after suffering a debilitating injury that threatened not only the new venture but life as she knew it.

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Health & Wellness Inner Beauty Swimwear

Get Sun-Ready: Summer Skin Care Tips and SPF Advice to Enhance Your Inner Glow

The sun is a powerful thing—it can boost your mood, yet it can wreak havoc on your skin and your health. Despite all we know about skin cancer, there’s still pressure to score and maintain that perfect summer glow. You know, the one that declares to the world that you’ve been away on some exotic family vacation, you’re rested and rejuvenated and somehow also younger and thinner. So we’ve put together a list of SPF and skin care tips and advice to get you through the summer wrinkle- and worry-free—because there’s nothing sexy about sun damage.

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Inner Beauty Personal Style Power Figures

Advice and Inspiration from a Successful Female CEO, Sara Sugarman Brenner

In this month’s edition of Power Figures, our exclusive interviews with some exceptionally self-actualized ladies, we’re visiting with Sara Sugarman Brenner. At 29, she conjured up Lulu & Georgia, her own cool-and-contemporary-meets-rationally-priced home décor company. Though young, make no mistake: She’s already learned a few thousand things about striking out on one’s own, delegating like a #boss, balancing without breaking, and redefining what it means to be a successful female CEO this century—oh, and she does it all in 5″ heels.

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