We’re a month out from Valentine’s Day, what with all its red rose and chocolate connotations. But as with most things in life, we firmly believe there’s more than one way to play it.
Find your February 14th signature style before it’s too late with a little help from the Bare Necessities buyers, who’ve stocked everything you might want to feel your most wanted, from cuddly-cute pajamas to heart-adorned lingerie designed explicitly (and we do mean explicitly) for the holiday.
Rachel Bertsche’s calling card as a writer is throwing herself into uncomfortable situations to find the lesson so that we don’t have to. That’s what she does in The Experimentalist, her monthly Chicago magazine column, where recent exploits have included freezing off her fat cells and demolishing electronics in a “rage room.”
After relocating to the Midwest from New York, Rachel sent herself on 52 blind “friend dates” over the course of a year, trying everything from improv classes to rent-a-buddy services. That became the subject of her first book, MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend, which she followed up with Jennifer, Gwyneth & Me, channeling the likes of Jessica Alba’s pregnancies, Sarah Jessica Parker’s wardrobe and Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop-iness to see if she could live like a star on a mortal’s budget.
Her adventures have landed her a third book deal in the genre of very personal journalism: The Kids are in Bed, due out in 2020, looks at how parents can make better use of their scant spare time. We picked this Power Figure’s brain to find out what’s in her research for us.
Whether you’re going to a black tie party or a dive bar, if you’re leaving the house to ring in 2019, you’re going to want to start by layering on the shapewear. It’s the farthest thing from constricting anymore—on the contrary, its stretchiness makes curves look flawless while still allowing you to eat a slider. Or five.
We sat down with Bare Necessities shapewear expert Melissa McDonald to outfit-strategize. You’ve got the invites, we’ve got the style solutions. Here’s exactly what to wear under your ready-to-wear….
We’re all in on the holiday traditions right now, including (but not limited to) Christmas stockings and the goodies that gets stuffed into them. Those kinds of tiny, thoughtful tokens go a long way, because not everything has to be a lavish grand gesture, right? Sometimes, the little things mean the most.
It’s extra nice to extend that sentiment to the people who help keep your life on track: a coworker, the kids’ teachers, the babysitter, the dog walker, the front-desk staff that always gets you in for an appointment. So spare them another gift card, and give presents that will get some use.
This week, hot on the heels of National Sock Day, Bare Necessities hosiery buyer Kelly Morales is here to point out her favorite holiday “stockings.”
Wintertime, and the hibernating is easy when you stick to Bare Necessities buyer Megan Irvine’s handpicked mix of pajamas, loungewear and the like. Her gift-worthy favorites are a surefire way for you and your near-and-dears to snuggle up in high style.
Ready, set, Cyber Monday!
Virginia Sole-Smith wrote the just-released book The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America and co-hosts the new podcast Comfort Food, about the joys and meltdowns of feeding a family. Trained as a magazine journalist, Virginia embedded with nutritionists, dietitians, critics, mothers, food obsessives and others to get at why our meals are so often served with a side order of guilt and self-loathing.
Her deep dive wasn’t inspired by idle curiosity. Virginia’s daughter Violet was born with a rare, dire congenital heart condition. She spent the first weeks of life spiraling into heart failure, too weak to nurse. Once the problem was discovered, Violet was subjected to countless emergency procedures, including open-heart surgery at five weeks old. Stemming from her trauma, Violet stopped eating and became dependent on a feeding tube. It took two years for her to learn to eat by mouth again.
Bare Necessities talked with Virginia about body image, hunger, the so-called “clean eating” trend, the specious connection between health, weight and nutrition, and modern diet culture. (Virginia is adamantly anti-diet.) Surprisingly, the takeaways couldn’t be more uplifting.
The holiday season goes hand-in-hand with cozy sleepwear and lingerie that invites snuggling to chase away chills. We just so happen to know a thing or two about those worlds here at Bare Necessities.
To make it easier to cross off a few items on your endless gift list, this year we’ve organized your life by recipient. From matching pajama sets for every family member to edgy teddies for you to wear behind closed doors, there’s something here to jingle everyone’s bells.
So tell us, who are you shopping for?
Whether you’re driving to the next town over or flying across the country, Thanksgiving entails pretty much the same degree of travel planning as any vacation, and it means dressing strategically. That’s why we asked the Bare Necessities buying team for their recommendations for what to wear on every (turkey) leg of the big event so you can look cute and super comfy.
HEADING HOME
Athleisure is the name of the game when it comes to planes, trains and automobiles, and that goes double for one of the busiest, most maddening travel times of the year. Flying the day of is always the most affordable; if you get out early enough, you’ll arrive in time to say grace. This year, Tuesday and Wednesday are both predicted to be some of the worst times for heading out, transit-wise.
So no matter if you’re going to the airport or your own garage, leave yourself loads of extra time, pack your patience and, above all, wear something really comfortable, from your base layers (we’re partial to the Calvin Klein Modern Cotton padded bralette) to your whole outfit. You’ll be smugly pleased with yourself that you went with the unbelievably soft Barefoot Dreams collection.
Welcome to sweater weather! Though there’s less skin on display, what you’re wearing underneath your clothes matters. From T-shirt bras that sit smoothly under thin knits to shapewear that refines your figure for that party dress, these sleek foundations set you up for greater wardrobe satisfaction.
Much like these are the bras you need around in warmer temps, here’s everything you’ll want to have on-hand this fall-winter, according to the Bare Necessities in-house experts.
FALL MUST HAVE: A T-Shirt Bra
Why you need it now: “You need a good T-shirt bra for wearing under sweaters and for layering smoothly under a cami, a cardigan, or whatever you pile on top,” says premium buyer Heather Viskovic.
T-shirt bras we love:
1. Prima Donna Twist Tresor T-Shirt Bra: This smooth operator works in your figure’s favor every which way, from the uplifting underwire to the not-too-thick-not-too-thin contour cups, the supportive sides and no-slip straps.
2. Freya Idol Balcony T-Shirt Bra: For style as good as the support it provides, go with this Bra Fit Expert Pick. Pretty pinstriped, full-cut cups prevent show-through with a soft foam lining. Bold colors brighten up your day.
3. Natori Pure Luxe T-Shirt Bra: See all those five-star reviews? They’re because this bra lives up to its name. It’s comfortable to the point of decadence—no elastic ever so much as touches your skin—and seamlessly supportive at the same time.
Halloween is creeping up on us, and we at Bare Necessities are here for it with our annual cheeky collection of lingerie costumes intended for the bedroom. Because if now isn’t the time to have some fun playing dress-up, then when? Trust us, dahling, you’ll look bootiful. (Also bootyful.)
Trick or treat? Spicy or sweet? Your call, ghoulfriend. Whatever you do, have yourself a hot Halloween.
Meredith Bodgas has built her career on walking women through every major life stage and milestone. She’s been an editor at some of the most prestigious websites and magazines like The Knot, Glamour.com, WhattoExpect.com, Babytalk, WomansDay.com, Parenting and Ladies’ Home Journal to name but a few off her resume.
As a married mom of two, Meredith’s job and life goals aligned in real time when she became editor-in-chief of Working Mother. She’s as real as can be with readers, opening up about touchy subjects like ‘working mom purgatory’ (“When you’re too tired to function, not tired enough to use a precious sick day“) and “When you leave your child crying and feel like a crappy mom for working” and tackling them head-on from a totally personal yet universal point-of-view.
When it comes to advocacy, Meredith takes her platform seriously. She’s made it a priority to show way more diversity among the mothers she profiles and, when she realized Working Mother‘s leave policy didn’t hold a candle to some of the companies they were applauding in print, she prepped a presentation for the company’s leadership and negotiated a better deal for her colleagues…all while out on maternity leave.
True to form, and right in time for American Business Women’s Day, this Power Figure found an hour in the middle of the night while nursing her son to one-handedly tap out her replies to Bare Necessities.
Follow the Fashion Week catwalks or pick up any magazine right now, and you’ll notice the lingerie-as-daywear trend. Yep, it’s totally okay to leave the house baring your bra—thanks, Millennials!—if done right.
That tiny caveat is why we wanted to take a minute with Bare Necessities buyer Kelly Himes. She’s sharing her best styling advice, and taking trepidation out of the equation, so you can step out in confidence.
“Silky, lacy pieces used to never see the light of day, and that’s a shame. All that’s changing now. These separates are making their way out, and why not? What’s the point of saving your prettiest underthings for the dark?” says Kelly. “These pieces blur the line between innerwear and outerwear, doubling the use you can get out of them. Of course they’re perfect in the bedroom, but don’t be afraid to incorporate them in with the rest of your closet. It’s a cool, modern way to think about getting dressed.”
The key to not feeling overexposed: balance. Pair something frilly with deconstructed denim; a crop top with a high-waist bottom, fitted with flared.
“Find your own style within each category,” suggests Kelly. “You can go fully lined if you’re not a lingerie lover, or you can go sheer if you’re expert-level. Try it out, mix it up, see the reaction you get and have fun. It’s only fashion.”