Category: The Mind Behind the Design

Michael Thomson is the mind behind Pour Moi, the genius fashion-forward bra-sized swimwear label.

Trained as an accountant, Michael started his career at Marks & Spencer, the leading U.K.-department store, as a merchandiser in the lingerie department. When he noticed a serious lack of well-priced, pretty lingerie and swimwear, Michael launched Pour Moi in 2005.

The brand has been called “the best kept secret” in the business, and Michael is big part of the reason why. “Because I don’t wear bras myself, I’ve always been able to think more clearly about what women want,” he says. “It’s helped me challenge preconceptions.”

Like, say, how to make swimwear that’s as flattering as it is functional without costing an arm and a limb. Style signatures like bold colors and strong prints, in 30D to 42I, always acknowledge the season’s trends without being bound by them. Michael sees Pour Moi’s mandate as to come up with new ideas without looking at what other brands are doing. “Does it look fabulous? Does it fit? Is it something you would love to own?” These are the questions he and his team pose of every piece.

“You should feel fabulous in it as soon as you put it on; if you don’t, we’re not doing our job,” he says of suits designed with hidden underwires, supportive straps and as much convertibility as possible. “Age is not a category,” Michael says. “Pour Moi is all-encompassing—it’s for me, for you, for everyone.”

Though we carry the biggest sleepwear brands on the market, it’s the small L.A.-based PJ Harlow that’s become the most popular of them all here at Bare Necessities.

What is it about this satin-centric, mix-and-match collection that resonates so intensely with women of all ages? That’s an easy one: It looks as amazing as it feels.

We chatted with creator Tina McMillen about her design philosophy, her business sense and how Oprah changed everything. 

There are lingerie lovers, and then there is Dita Von Teese.

The inimitable burlesque star and intimates designer makes a habit of surrounding herself with glamour; its transformative power can’t be overstated. For Dita, a lifelong connoisseur of vintage underpinnings, it all starts with conjuring up the lingerie she most wants to wear, and it ends with inspiring untold fans to do the same.

Bare Necessities got an exclusive chance to ask the lovely Dita what she’s up to for spring and beyond, the inspiration behind her newest designs and what she’s personally most excited about putting on which, coming from her, is really saying something.

Though Sunsets has been in swimwear since 1984, the brand’s star is still on the rise.

Sunsets started in the land of swim style, otherwise known as Southern California, back​ when everyone was still buying bikinis in sets; ​shopping for tops and bottoms in two different sizes was literally ​impossible​. Their point of difference: selling swim separates, an unheard-of innovation in the industry at the time. These days, Sunsets is known as a sophisticated lifestyle brand, beloved for both its bra-sized separates and figure-flattering designs. It’s a family business, too: Founder Janette Van Doren brought on her son-in-law Greg Stager, who took on ownership after a couple of years. Now 35 years later, Sunsets still charts the industry’s course to strategic style.

This season, Bare Necessities has also partnered with Sunsets to create exclusive prints and silhouettes that can only be found at BareNecessities.com.

“Our customer always wants more tankinis, and Sunsets has been one of our go-to brands for years, so it was only natural that we work with them to put together the best tankinis in their best prints, in addition to us creating a few of our own!” says swimwear buyer Megan Puma. The London Calling, Black Dot, Imperial Dot and Moroccan Dreams collections are standouts from Sunsets you’ll find only at Bare Necessities.

We interviewed Greg as well as designer Julie Franco to find out what makes Sunsets so singular.