Category: Personal Style

Spring Cleaning: When to Replace Bras
(A Bra Intervention)

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date March 28, 2016
6 Comments on Spring Cleaning: When to Replace Bras
(A Bra Intervention)

Welcome to spring-cleaning season! As devotees of the Kondo method will agree, it’s liberating—life-changing, even—to shed stuff that doesn’t bring you happiness. But there is a flip side of that cathartic coin: What to do when you realize you’re going to need to replace those old standbys?

Take, for example, The Bra. You know the one we mean. It’s stretched out so far you’re supporting it rather than the other way around. It’s been through the wringer literally and figuratively. Yet, beyond all reason, you love it. You cling to it. It is so. Very. Comfortable. But make no mistake, it’s shot. Yep, it’s time for an intervention.

We challenged Bra FIt Expert Brandi Macholl to help some BN staffers part ways with a few beloved bras that are admittedly well past their expiration dates (not even women who work for a bra company are exempt from holding onto a favorite long after its time has passed). In each instance, she came up with a new, equally awesome replacement. “Dare to do better,” Brandi says. “That’s what we’re here for.” (Put her to the test yourself: 877-728-9272)

Tags bras, when to replace bras

Meet the Merchants Personal Style Swimwear

The Best Tummy Hiding and Tummy Control Swimsuits

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date March 21, 2016

When donning a swimsuit, everyone has her own hot-button issue. And unless your idea of a good time is contracting your abs every waking minute (not ours, for the record), chances are your nemesis may be the stomach area.

Fear not: There’s a bunch of different ways to find a tummy-hiding swimsuit you’ll feel confident in, according to our genius swimwear buyer Jeni Doherty. Here are her four foolproof favorites for the best tummy control swimsuits:

Tags best tummy control swimsuit, best tummy hiding swimsuits, tummy control swimsuits, tummy hiding swimsuits

Meet the Merchants Personal Style

Best Spring Lingerie Trends for 2016

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date March 14, 2016

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.

Tags lingerie trends, lingerie trends 2016

Meet the Merchants Personal Style Swimwear

The Best Bathing Suits for Curvy-Figured Women

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date February 29, 2016

Women who are curvy and need some support in the form of a bra-sized swimsuit are in luck. First of all, c’mon: those enviable curves!

And, just as important, Bare Necessities specializes in the widest assortment of solutions-centered swimwear on the web (band sizes 30-40 and cup sizes D-K). In other words, we can for sure help you find the best swimsuits for curvy figures. Consider us your DD+ destination.

Now let’s return to our swimwear expert Jeni Doherty, who has the following shopping tips to find the best bathing suits for curvy-figured women:

Tags bathing suits for curvy women, best bathing suits for curvy figures, best bathing suits for curvy women, best swimsuits for curvy figures, best swimsuits for curvy women, curvy bikini, curvy swimwear, swimsuits for curvy bodies

Meet the Merchants Personal Style

What Color Bra to Wear Under White? The Little Red Bra (and More Bra Styling Tips)

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date February 1, 2016
10 Comments on What Color Bra to Wear Under White? The Little Red Bra (and More Bra Styling Tips)

Valentine’s Day is imminent, and we’ve got red on the brain. In fact, this is usually right about when we start attempting to unearth the scarlet bra from the far reaches of the lingerie drawer. But why reserve rouge for February alone?

Bare Necessities has learned the red-bra styling trick French women have long used that’s guaranteed to blow your mind…

Tags EBP123, red bra under white shirt, what color bra to wear under a white shirt, what color bra to wear under white shirt, white bra under white shirt

Meet the Merchants Personal Style Swimwear

Bras Go for a Dip: Bra-Sized Swimwear from Lingerie vs. Swimsuit Brands

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date January 25, 2016

At the beach or pool, looking good really comes down to feeling good. Inner confidence radiates. And when you’re wearing a swimsuit, you’re putting yourself out there in a major way. (Even more so than with lingerie…who really sees that?!) It never hurts to have a style secret weapon and, as far as we’re concerned, it’s bra-sized swimwear. Because you ought to be swimming in support!

Though you may be noticing the supportive swimwear category cropping up more and more, know this: Not all bra-sized swimwear is created equal.

We got the scoop from Jeni Doherty, our resident swimwear whiz with 17 years of experience. She curates the most supportive, cutest swimsuits so you can look and feel amazing. Per Jeni, bra-sized swimwear can either mean:
1) Lingerie manufacturers who are making bra-sized swimsuits
2) Swimwear manufacturers who are making bra-sized swimsuits

On paper, they might sound more or less the same, but there are significant differences in their size ranges and how they fit your figure. Let’s dive deeper….

Tags bra sized swimwear, cup size swimsuits, cup size swimwear, cup sized swimwear, supportive swimwear

Meet the Merchants Personal Style

Style and Function: The Bralette Fashion Trend

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date December 14, 2015
2 Comments on Style and Function: The Bralette Fashion Trend

Krista Molinaro, our contemporary and luxury buyer, is just back from Market—one of four weeks a year she spends visiting vendor showrooms in NYC for a look at your underwear drawer’s future—with an exclusive spring preview.

So what lingerie look is she most excited about?

Tags bralette fashion, bralette style, bralette trend, what is a bralette

Bra Fit Experts Personal Style

Holiday Gift Guide: Top Picks for Holiday Gift Ideas from our Bra Fit Experts, Part Two

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date November 30, 2015

Welcome to the second installment of our expertly curated holiday gift guide. In this season of giving thanks, we’re thinking of all the family and friends on our shopping list. So we’re tapping our plugged-in Bra Fit Experts for their favorite holiday gift ideas, bras and beyond, of all time and at this very moment.

From a pair of PJs anyone would covet to over-the-top cashmere extravagance, we hope you can check a few loved ones off your list with a little help from these holiday present ideas from your friends here at Bare Necessities. Meanwhile, we’re hoping you and yours had an exceedingly happy Thanksgiving!

Tags 2015 holiday gift guide, bra gift, holiday gift guide, holiday gift guide 2015, holiday gift ideas, holiday gifts, holiday present ideas

Bra Fit Experts Personal Style

Holiday Gift Guide: Top Picks for Holiday Gift Ideas from our Bra Fit Experts, Part One

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date November 23, 2015

When it comes to finding the perfect holiday gifts for the ladies we love in life—up to and including ourselves—we’ll leave no proverbial stone unturned. But where to begin? With the experts, that’s where.

Our Bra Fit Experts are always the first to hear what customers are buzzing about, and they know from experience what’ll fit and what’s bound to be a hit. So here’s our gift to you: their smart suggestions for gorgeous, crowd-pleasing holiday present ideas in every category, including their most beloved bras.

This week and next, they hope to make this happy-if-hectic season easier by saving you hours of site-surfing and personally pointing the way to a few of their favorite things to give and receive as holiday gifts. (“One for me, one for you. One for me, one for you…!”) Because this time of year is just as much about uplifting others as it is about taking time to pamper yourself a bit, too.

Tags 2015 holiday gift guide, bra gift, holiday gift guide, holiday gift guide 2015, holiday gift ideas, holiday gifts, holiday present ideas

Meet the Merchants Personal Style

The Modern Woman’s Hosiery Style Guide with Expert Erica Luster

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date November 16, 2015

Though we still say things like “ugh, I got a run in my stockings,” chances are what we’re actually wearing is tights. This time of year, when all of the legwear options come back into full rotation, here’s everything our in-house hosiery expert Erica Luster wants you to know. Consider it a gams glossary of sorts, a lexicon of legwear…

Tags hosiery style, hosiery style guide, leggings, pantyhose, sheers, stockings, thigh-highs, tights

Meet the Merchants Personal Style

Decoding Comfort: Expert Jeni Doherty on Everything You Need to Know About Sleepwear vs Loungewear

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date November 9, 2015
4 Comments on Decoding Comfort: Expert Jeni Doherty on Everything You Need to Know About Sleepwear vs Loungewear

On crisp fall days, we’re all about two things: pumpkin spice lattes and the comfiest, coziest clothes we can get our hands on.

“Everyone is working longer hours, and we’re staying in work clothes for more than half the day before going to bed late,” says Jeni Doherty, sleepwear and loungewear expert here at Bare Necessities. “All you want to do is walk through your front door is change into something super-comfortable,” she says. Amen to that.

Read on to meet Jeni and see what options she suggests to reach maximum relaxation.

Tags loungewear, pajamas in public, PJs, sleepwear, wearing pajamas in public

Behind the Seams Personal Style

Fashion Month Style Inspiration: There’s Something About Shaneek

Post author By Brooke Glassberg
Post date September 28, 2015
4 Comments on Fashion Month Style Inspiration: There’s Something About Shaneek

Our mission here at Bare Necessities is to lift women up so they can soar, which is why we’re featuring the women of this company (stay tuned for the men!) who come to work with a singular goal in mind: to empower you. You just met Mette; next up, introducing Shaneek Anderson, our marketing project coordinator.

NY Fashion Week may be a wrap but, around here, it’s always Fashaneek Week. Every morning, the office waits to see which Shaneek will show up: on Monday, she may be all business in a pencil skirt and tie-neck blouse; on Tuesday, it’s artfully mixed stripes and florals; Wednesday could be glam worthy of the red carpet; Thursday, she may be easygoing in a boho look; by Friday, she’s relaxed in head-to-toe denim. Clothes aside, what she’s really doing is telegraphing different aspects of her personality. That’s charisma: You want to find out more.

Tags style inspiration