Kim Kardashian’s Bra Designer Talks About Wearing Blazers Without Shirts and the Right Way to Take a Selfie in Your Underwear
Kim Kardashian wears La Perla’s timeless triangle bra as a top during New York Fashion week. (Photo: Splash News_
If you’d imagine Kim Kardashian’s lingerie designer in a gilded crystal palace… well, you’d be right.
Today La Perla launched its first line with new creative director Julia Haart, and she picked a castle in Milan for the occasion. There were chandeliers. There were velvet couches. And there were many fashion folk sporting bras (only bras!!!) underneath their black blazers.
Their inspiration? A Kim K. look from New York Fashion Week, when the femme fatale rocked a $325 La Perla bra underneath a wide-open jacket. (Kendall, Gigi, and even Cara Delevingne have played adult peekaboo too.)
So with underwear becoming outerwear — and Haart leading the way — we had to know if, how, and why a bra should count as a shirt.
Yahoo Style: People here are wearing bras and blazers — no shirts. How is this happening?
Julia Haart: Oh, it’s happening — but not the way you’d think! It’s not like those teen girls in bralettes on Instagram. What we’ve done is created bras and bodysuits that fit so well, they pull everything up with them. And we’ve styled them carefully with high-waisted pants, skirts, and shorts. It seems like they’re showing a lot of skin, but when you actually look at it, it’s just a sliver. It’s very sexy while still being covered.
Photo: AKMGSI
So that’s the trick to Kim’s bra-and-jacket look? High-waisted bottoms?
After you’re really young, you probably don’t want your bellybutton showing. It’s not a favorite area for most women. And it doesn’t feel modern to me.
What about the Bella Hadid’s street-style staple: cutout dresses?
Oh, that’s easy. Most women are great with their rib cage, right? It’s a strong area, and it’s usually very lean. We made a dress for the new collection where the cutouts are right on that area, and the dress is fitted by cup size. You don’t have to wear a bra.
Does the dress have underwire inside?
That’s the cool part. La Perla has been doing this for over 60 years. They have techniques to make breasts supported — yes, even large breasts — without underwire. We’re taking that heritage and applying it to new trends.
Photo: Courtesy of Hunter Abrams/BFA/ La Perla
The little suit jacket you’re wearing…
It’s the same way. No bra needed. The bra is built inside, and because I made it with removable [lining], you can have cleavage or not — it depends what you want — when you close it.
Does that mean curvy women can wear smoking jackets without boob tape?
Exactly. But if you want a strapless bra instead, that’s great. I’ve made new ones to clear up the “uni-boob” issue. It’s a duo-boob now! It’s very sexy.
What if you don’t want to look “sexy”? Can you be an empowered woman in the La Perla world without cleavage and heels?
Yes. Absolutely, 100 percent yes. I can’t tell you how to live your life. I want you to be yourself and feel great in whatever way you choose. You know yourself better than anyone else.
Last question: Is there a right or wrong way to take a lingerie selfie?
Who am I to say? The only “wrong way” is if you don’t want to take a selfie but you’re afraid some guy won’t like you otherwise. That’s the wrong way to do anything!
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