Bare Necessities has done a great job compiling their Top 10 Hosiery picks featuring the best of the best from sheer and smoothing to opaque and shaping styles.  Featuring brands like Hue, Wolford, SPANX, DKNY, and more, there is something for everyone this fall.  Reflecting the trends on the runway, many tights and leggings this season have an 80s feel with prints, patterns, and colors reminiscent of that era.  In a more classic vein, textures and patterns take center stage featuring chevrons, herringbones, plaids, and argyles (one of my favorites!).  See below for a sampling of styles available this fall and know that there are plenty more where those came from!

Fortunately for all of us (and all of our budgets), Bare Necessities is an equal opportunity provider of trends at all price points.  And, of course, you can’t be the free shipping with orders over $100!  With over 250 styles to choose from, you are bound to find something perfect for you.  New styles are added frequently and others are frequently on sale, so check back often.

Speaking of new styles, those of you who love Ed Hardy & Christian Audigier will be happy to know that an assortment of hosiery from both brands will be hitting the site very soon along with my personal favorite.  I’m overjoyed that none other than Commando has launched into the  hosiery world with laser cut waistband, opaque tights!  The same innovative elements of Commando underwear is now featured in a variety of tights!  Currently, Bare Necessities is selling the Matte Opaque Tights.  Not only can you choose from black or brown tights, but also choose from a solid or paisley print waistband.

Happy shopping!

See below for just a few options from Va Bien, Wacoal, Miraclesuit, and SPANX.

Time is running out so start shopping!

In this past year, hosiery has exhibited this trend.  According to sources cited in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. women’s hosiery sales have risen 2.3% over the past year.  Dan Sackrowitz, vice president of business development for one of TLP’s favorite online retailers, Bare Necessities, says that customers have been purchasing opaque or patterned tights as a way to update their current wardrobes.  He further remarks to the WSJ that sales of hosiery increased 60% in September and 70% in October.  Wow!  (See here for the full article.)

Want to know more?  Check out Rene’s series of informative posts on popular hosiery brands.

Want to know what I have my eye on?  See below for my favorite hosiery picks (available at Bare Necessities).  And with $5 shipping every day, you can afford to stay in and avoid venturing out into the cold to buy them! 

Ivanka Trump and Kirstie Alley like the Elle Macpherson Intimates Coranto Contour bra, a demi bra with delicate lace and molded underwire cups. Beyonce was also featured in Blender Magazine wearing this bra.

Eva Longoria included Elle Macpherson Intimate’s Dentelle Countour Bra in her wedding trousseau, and Katherine McPhee wore it in Stuff magazine.

Katherine Zeta Jones wears Sassybax’s Torso Trim Camisole while filming movies to smooth her figure and whittle her waist on the big screen. You thought that stunning figure was natural, but she actually has a little help!

Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpon, and Rebecca Romijn all love Honeydew. Paris goes for the Rumba Panty while Jessica and Rebecca prefer the Mesh Boyshorts. They had better stock up; the style is being discontinued and it’s on final sale!

Even Jessica Alba welcomed some help from Spanx in “The Fabulous Four” to look her best in her costume.

Nicole Kidman is reportedly a big fan of Hanro panties, and even personally chose the Simply Satin V Camisole and the Simply Satin Hi-Cut Briefs to wear in “Eyes Wide Shut.”

The absolutely gorgeous Chantelle Africa collection is a favorite of both Hillary Swank and Emmy Award winner Mariska Hargitay. Hargitay’s favorite color is Ebony, which definitely shows off the delicate detailing.

Dolly Parton, who is notoriously unashamed of her assets, still knows that sometimes you don’t need to advertise everything. She has reportedly bought hundreds of Fashion Forms Satin Breast Petals.

To see more (like the women who love Hanky Panky and all the Chantelle fans), visit the HerRoom.com website.

DD+

We wanted to make shopping our catalog fun for fuller busted women. So we filled the book with great DD+ bras, and put a little orange “DD+” icon to really highlight those styles. One highlight was the Aragon balconette bra and thong set from Harlequin, a new brand that understands full busted women want luxury too. Full busted shoppers looking for fun, flirty bras (without having to sacrifice any support!) really took to the Arabella plunge bra from Freya. And we’re getting great feedback from our DD+ customers on Ultra lift strapless bra from Va Bien. The patented boning constructed within the cups keeps the girls up and keeps you looking fabulous all day.

Your Summer Bag of Tricks

We devoted a half page of our catalog to Pure Style Girlfriends, so we could show off this new designer of fun wardrobe solutions. Plenty of ‘oh, I didn’t know they made that’ styles that are perfect for summer fashions. Such as Stay Put Double Sided Fashion Tape to keep everything in place (pre-cut in a cute dispenser that is small enough to fit in most purses), or the Haute Stuff Underarm Liner, to prevent unsightly stains on your clothes.

No matter what they say, I still haven’t found a black dress friendly deodorant, so the new underarm liners are key to dancing your summer nights away. Pure Style Girlfriends offers seven different wardrobe solutions in all.

Under Summer Whites

Want to look great in white pants this summer? It’s all about the foundation. Such as Spanx High Falutin’ footless styles, perfect for under long and Capri length pants. Or Spanx footless panty hose, to provide shape from your mid-riff to your thighs and rid you of VPL. Love your white shorts or skirt?? Try Commandos CYA Panty. This laser cut seamless panty is virtually invisible underneath clothes. And of course, summer whites evoke simple luxury. Our catalog features the newest collection from Hanro, Cotton Sensation. The combination of the finest fabrics and classic silhouettes makes this group truly irresistible.

You may view our entire premier catalog here.

Heather – BareNecessities.com
Heather is the assistant buyer over at Bare Necessities. She buys shapewear and the luxury & designer bras (like Chantelle, La Perla, etc.), so she knows her lingerie.

Read all posts by Heather right here!

Whenever a person mentions swimsuits and James Bond, usually the first image to come up is Ursela Andress as Honey Ryder in Dr. No. The swimsuit was a huge success and, in 2002 Halle Berry wore a modern version of it in Die Another Day. To this day, designers are still inspired by Ursela’s suit and S.P.A.N.X has created a James Bond knicker. Thanks to Knicker’s Blog for first letting us know about S.P.A.N.X’s gorgeous Bond inspired lingerie.

The little black bathing suit has always been a good staple, even for Bond women. This black bikini (with circular hardware on the top) is the front cover of the Thunderball book. When the book came out, it was a popular style, and today you see this design too. Fortunately for us this season, Vitamin A has a Rico Shimmer sleek halter bikini top with ring detail that mirrors the Bond suit.

Goldfinger was a huge hit when Shirley Eaton (as Jill Masterson) died from being painted entirely of gold. In the image, she’s wearing a gold metallic panty. Metallic swimwear and lingerie is hot this year and will be for a while! This season Shay Todd features Bohemian Rhapsody triangle bikini set and updates that unforgettable gold panty.

I can’t end without including Daniel Craig’s Grigioperla swim trunks by La Perla. Thanks to Bond Lifestyle for letting us know where we can find this suit. It could be argued that this one image of Craig did more for James Bond than all the Bond women put together.

If you enjoyed this post, drop me a line. I’m posting a retrospective series called “Intimates over the Years” that highlight lingerie and swimwear that we’ve seen in past films and popular culture that are making a revival today.

The catalog features a Hanky Panky sleepwear set, exclusive to Bare Necessities, as well as the new luxury collection, Wacoal Luxe, prominently displayed on the catalog’s cover. My favorite part of the catalog (naturally), is the easy-to-identify icon indicating bras designed especially for full busted ladies – through size K (see more in the photos below)! With an online site that stocks over 3,000 styles from 125+ brands, I’m sure choosing what to leave out of the catalog was the most difficult task for this premier retailer.

As with BareNecessities.com, catalog shoppers have access to quality customer service including expert advisors, easy returns, and $5 shipping. Order online or by phone 24 hours a day.

Want to be the first on your block to have a catalog of your own (they just hit mailboxes on May 14th)? Sign up here to be a part of this groundbreaking, industry redefining endeavor. Happy shopping!

1. Spanx Power Panties

Spanx of course is the hottest brand in shapewear right now, and their Power Panties have been a best seller for us for the past year. Spanx offers 2 styles of Power Panties; the original style, which sits right at your waist and shapes you down to your upper thigh, and the Higher Power, which hits right below your bra line and stretches down to your upper thigh. (They even offer a third style, a maternity shaper called the Mama Power Panty!), My own personal preference is for the Higher Power style, because it eliminates “muffin top” and shapes your thighs without riding up. It also eliminates panty lines and is not binding on the leg. These styles are great to wear everyday in place of your regular underwear.

2. Slimming layers.

Layering will be a popular trend again this Spring, and there are several new shaper camisoles that will allow you to layer AND slim. This trend really works for us because you get to show off layers of Spring color while keeping the muffin-top at bay. My favorite shaping tank this season is by Yummie Tummie. Designer Heather Thomson started with an everyday comfy cotton tank and added moderate control microfiber fabric in the midsection. It’s available in an assortment of colors to serve as a perfect bottom-layer to any layering camisole.

Another great option is the TC Fine Shapewear’s Seamless Firm Control Camsiole. It has adjustable straps for extra support and firm shaping material to smooth out love handles. The bottom of the tank has a comfortable silicone lining that keeps your tank from riding up so you are not tugging all day long. Perfect under any top.

3. No VPL

This season there are several good solutions to the dilemma of, “I want a smooth, slim-looking waistline, but if I wear shapewear, the bulk will create panty lines or worse, even peek through the bottom of my skirt!” The shapewear thong solves that dilemma; smooth control where you need it, and only where you need it. Two of my favorites for getting rid of VPL and still achieving a smooth, slim looking waist are the High-waist control thong from Bodywrap, and the ‘No Show Thru’ shapewear thong from TC Fine shapewear. These shapewear thongs are seamless and made of a soft microfiber that will keep you feeling comfortable yet supported all day long. And best of all, they are on sale at BareNecessities.com this week only (through 3/27) for 25% off!

4. Shape me all over.

Of course, regardless of season, customers are always looking for their go-to I-feel-like-looking-fabulous-tonight all-over body shaper. For me, that would be the Seamless Body Toning shaper from The Body Wrap’s Lites collection. This light control bodybriefer is great under skirts and dresses. It comes with both traditional and clear adjustable straps that makes it easy to wear under this seasons hottest trends.

That’s it for now!

Heather – BareNecessities.com
Heather is the assistant buyer over at Bare Necessities. She buys shapewear and the luxury & designer bras (like Chantelle, La Perla, etc.), so she knows her lingerie.

Read all posts by Heather right here!

The bra(g) has also received a lot of attention lately in Hollywood. Golden Globe nominees received the new Spanx product Bra-llelujah inside the bra(g). Additionally, the bra(g) was featured on the Today show in January!

Find out more about these functional and fashionable bags on the bra(g) website. Order there or check them out yourself at stores worldwide. Tell us all about your experience with the bra(g) in our forums.

The figleaves.com Lingerie Awards received thousands of consumer votes for categories such as ‘Best Lingerie Brand,’ ‘Best T-shirt Bra,’ ‘Best Sleepwear Brand’ and ‘Figleaves Favorite,’ among others. For the first year, the brands and pieces on the shortlist for voting were pulled from the consumer favorites – the top items that consumers had reviewed favorably on the site throughout the year.

And the winners are…

· Best Lingerie Brand: Chantelle
· Best Value Brand: Triumph
· Sexiest Lingerie Collection: Le Mystere Francesca
· Best DD+ Brand: Fantasie
· Best Controlwear: Spanx Power Panties with tummy control
· Best T-shirt Bra: Fantasie Allure molded balcony bra
· Best Sleepwear Brand: Eberjey
· Best Swimwear Brand: Panache
· Best Menswear Brand: Calvin Klein
· Figleaves Favorite: Vanity Fair Floral spot underwire bra