Padma Lakshmi’s lingerie launch: balancing beauty and comfort

Padma Lakshmi faced a quandary when deciding what to wear for her first lingerie collection launch party with Bare Necessities.

When choosing what to wear for the launch party of her first lingerie collection with Bare Necessities, Padma Lakshmi faced a dilemma.

She had planned to wear a revealing mesh dress to showcase the bustier she designed for the new collection.

However, when it came time to put it on, she had second thoughts—her intensive gym routine had been disrupted by the demanding shoot schedule for her forthcoming cookbook. “I knew this launch was coming up, I really wanted to be in shape for it,” Lakshmi shared ahead of the event at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York City.

A Moment of Reflection

Confronted with the mesh dress that had been, as she describes, burning a hole in her closet for several years, she pondered, ‘if not now, then when?’ “My body’s changing, things are going south instead of north,” Lakshmi remarked.

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“I told myself, ‘yeah, ok, maybe your bum isn’t as high as it should be, but on the other hand, you have this whole body of work. I’d rather have this body with my accomplishments, than have the beautiful body I did in my twenties without any accomplishments—I think people need to hear that.”

A Celebrated Career

Lakshmi’s impressive body of work includes hosting the Emmy-winning series Top Chef for 17 years, creating the acclaimed docu-series Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, and authoring five books. Last year, she was named one of the 100 most influential people in TIME Magazine.

Often overlooked in Lakshmi’s rise to fame is her start in fashion, which began when she was spotted by high-fashion photographer Helmut Newton during her senior year in college. Lakshmi spent several years modeling lingerie in Italy and France before transitioning to television in the 1990s.

Challenges in Lingerie Fit

Throughout her years of modeling lingerie, Lakshmi noticed recurring issues with fit.

“I found it odd that I would be a woman who had the figure to model lingerie for a living but still couldn’t find things that fit,” she said. “What you don’t see in those ads is a big bulldog clamp in your back sucking it all in.”

While Lakshmi has always loved lingerie, she says she’s less willing to suffer for her appearance as she gets older. Consequently, expensive and impractical lingerie pieces often collect dust in the back of her closet, while she repeatedly reaches for her T-shirt bra instead.

Designing for Comfort and Beauty

It’s for this reason that Lakshmi wanted to create pieces that balance beauty with comfort in her new collection. “You don’t want a garment to wear you, to have to fidget and pull, and pluck at yourself, you want to be feeling at home,” said Lakshmi.

“What I want from this collection is for people to wear it, feel great in it, and then forget it.” This philosophy reflects her broader approach to life and work, emphasizing the importance of feeling comfortable and confident in one’s own skin.

A New Chapter

Lakshmi’s new lingerie line with Bare Necessities represents a new chapter in her diverse career, merging her fashion roots with her commitment to practical beauty.

As she continues to influence and inspire through her varied accomplishments, Lakshmi’s latest venture is yet another testament to her enduring appeal and innovative spirit.