Believe it or not, swim season is once again upon us. Of course, for many of us, shopping for swimwear has been a beyond stressful experience in the past. Fret no longer. Our resident swim expert, buyer Megan Puma, is here to help.
We caught up with Megan to find out what’s new in the world of swimsuits and, most importantly, how you can look and feel your best in a bathing suit. She’s sharing her top five secrets for a successful swim season.
Especially in warmer weather, big boobs have needs: They do not wish to sag or sweat. They require no small amount of lifting and centering, shaping and smoothing. And when you finally come across the right bra in the right size, they would also rather like to feel as good as they look. We don’t think that’s too much to ask for, do you?
When faced with an assortment as massively comprehensive as ours here at Bare Necessities, the only question is where to begin. Well, you could definitely use our Bra Finder to get some spot-on, data-driven product recommendations. Or you could take Heather Viskovic’s word for it. Our expert full-bust (and full-busted) bra buyer says that if you can only pick up a few new bras a season, these five are where she would personally tell you to put your hard-earned money.
Read on now to find out the latest, greatest bras for big boobs that we’re excited about at this very moment, and treat your girls to the happier summer possible.
A swimsuit is probably the most revealing thing you’re ever going to wear in public, so there’s every reason in the world to expect that those few yards of fabric should be working overtime to cut you a secure, stylish figure.
That’s why we pledge our eternal allegiance to the best slimming swimwear out there—Miraclesuit and Magicsuit. And there may be no bigger fan than Bare Necessities resident swimwear expert Megan Puma.
Miraclesuit invented the concept with their “Look 10 pounds lighter in 10 seconds” claim to fame. Megan concurs: “They’re unsurpassed at slimming swimwear, and there’s a suit for every body, every age.”
These two sister swim brands fit sizes 8 to 24W. Some also come in DD-cups. (In swim, notes Megan, that’s most likely bigger than an equivalent DD-bra cup, so check ’em out if you’re very full-busted.) These days, the lines have more in common than ever. Miraclesuit typically has lots of great prints; Magicsuit tends to come in lots of solid colors and can skew more contemporary. You’ll also find some lighter jersey knits in the Magicsuit mix.
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.
We’ll be the first to admit it: There are a lot of bras out there, and finding the ideal ones for you can be…how to put this…challenging.
We here at Bare Necessities have cracked the code that turns bra shopping from drag to delight. Enter our expert Bra Finder, a bra size and fit quiz we developed using both the data we’ve accumulated and the know-how we’ve honed in 20 years in the business.
We get that the best bra goes beyond a number and a letter; it’s the one that makes you feel unstoppable. Because we know the perfect fit is about more than proper support; it comes down to confidence. Here’s how it works….
Wedding season—that annual social calendar window loaded with romance, hors d’oeuvres and superspecific lingerie requirements—is coming back around. We walked down the aisle straight to the source for the best-of-the-best, all-things-bridal recommendations. That’d be Bare Necessities assistant buyer Jackie Garcia, who not only knows the category inside and out professionally, she also happens to be invested in the subject personally: She’s getting married this year.
Bare it All picked Jackie’s brain recently for everything a bride and her tribe could need. From subtly shaping underwear that won’t make you scowl in your photos to your something blue to the best swimsuits to pack for the honeymoon, we’ve put together the ultimate list of Big Day essentials. All you have to remember is to say “I do.”
If you trend toward the bigger-busted and have ever stood in front of a rack of swimsuits wondering which bikini top could possibly contain you, the solution is surprisingly simple: Look for a bikini top with a true-to-bra size.
“So many women steer away from bikinis because they only see themselves in sizes small, medium, large or extra-large, and they don’t know which will fit or support them best,” says Bare Necessities swimwear buyer Megan Puma. “That’s all the more reason to seek out bikinis with real bra-like construction, underwire and adjustable straps to give you the lift you need to feel secure.”
Summer’s coming, so join in as Megan rounds up the best of this season’s bikinis for big busts:
The holidays are high season for breaking out the shapewear, but it can be challenging (yeah, major understatement) to know where to begin, even if you’re already a fan of what it can do for your body confidence. So we brought together the office evangelists—plus one skeptic—for some capital-R-real talk about shapewear: who it’s for (spoiler alert: everybody), what’s out there to choose from, why it can make your day and your figure that much smoother. Come listen in….
Welcome to fall, that narrow window of perfect weather in which you’re desperately waiting for the temperature to dip juuust low enough so you can wear your cutest ankle boots and leather jacket on the reg. Here’s a controversial statement, but autumn is undoubtedly the best fashion season—reference the encyclopedia-thick September issue of any fashion magazine if you need proof.
We spoke with Jess Kirby, style expert at the highly regarded fashion blog Prosecco & Plaid, and Bare Necessities premium bra buyer Heather Viskovic to get the scoop on the latest and greatest. They’re in total agreement: To ensure you rock Fall 2016’s coolest seasonal fashion trends with confidence, start at base level with the proper undergarments. Jess and Heather reviewed all the major fashion trends and named the best bra to match with each clothing style.
If age ain’t nothing but a number, why does it feel like bathing suit shopping gets harder the older we get? Here’s the secret to life and how to dress for the beach: Nothing is possible without a little (or, in some cases, a lot of) support.
The very same suits—one-piece swimwear or more modest swimsuits, even a bikini or swim dress—can work on any body, at any age. The key is in the fit. If it feels good to put on, you feel good wearing it. Right? Right. So flex that wisdom and focus on the important stuff. When dressing for the beach, work with what you have, because both a soft midsection and absolutely fabulous abs all have a place on this summer’s bathing suit best-dressed list. With the help of a few friends, we produced the proof.
Summer is synonymous with concerts, which lift the spirit like little else. Hot on the heels of Coachella last month, we’re looking ahead to Governors Ball (June 3-5 in NYC), Bonnaroo (June 9-12 in Manchester, TN), Firefly (June 16-19 in Dover, DE), Newport Folk Festival (July 22-24 in Newport, RI), Lollapalooza (July 28-31 in Chicago) and Outside Lands (August 5-7 in San Francisco), among others.
Thanks to all these shows, festival lingerie is a thing that’s happening. Hand in hand with the bohemian-influenced clothes, the underpinnings are unlined, lacy and diaphanous, with a vintage quality. They’re unstructured and easy to wear (particularly for smaller busts, but there’s a way for all sizes to get in on the festival bralette trend, too). Read on for our staffers’ picks of the best bands and the best bralettes.
We like to think of tankinis as the MVP of swim season, or the most popular kid in class: Everyone loves these crowd-pleasing two-pieces. They’re the rare style that works darn near effortlessly for every age, every figure, every activity level, every style preference and every budget.
“Tankinis are a smart, stylish alternative to your traditional extremes: a bikini or a one-piece,” says our own swimwear aficionado Jeni Doherty. “They’re modest without being overly so, they’re really easy to wear and they’re practically customizable. Tankinis come in endless colors, prints and sizes, too.”
They’re especially great for those of us who:
We rounded up our best tankinis to make swimsuit shopping as easy and foolproof as possible so you can get on with the important business of actually enjoying your getaway.