Jamie Mizrahi and Simone Harouche Debut The Kit, a New Line of Underwear and Styling Tools You Never Knew You Needed
Who among us hasn’t wished they had a personal stylist? One who knows exactly which dress you should wear to that black-tie wedding and can also choose the right shoes, jewelry, and (just as importantly!) undergarments to wear with it? As stylists with 20 years of collective experience, Jamie Mizrahi and Simone Harouche get the most questions about the latter category. What bra do you wear with a backless gown? What kind of underwear is best for a high-slit slip? “For us, these things are so second-nature, but there isn’t an educational resource out there for women who don’t know,” Mizrahi tells Vogue, “so we decided to create a brand that simplifies the process of getting dressed.”
Launching today, The Kit—named for the kits, or “little bags of magic,” stylists bring to set with pins, tape, and styling tools—is comprised of “foundational undergarments” like smoothing high-rise briefs (with a dreamy fabric that’s “thin, but doesn’t roll or slide down, and shapes without suffocating” according to Harouche), seamless thongs, classic molded bras, and soft wireless bras, as well as “accessories” you’ve likely never seen before: adhesive thongs, two types of pasties, a “body stocking,” and “bandage tape.” They’re inspired by the items Mizrahi and Harouche had to make themselves or custom-order throughout the years, each with a specific purpose: The X-shaped nipple cover curves to the contour of your breast for the most natural look; the adhesive thong is for high-slit gowns; the body stocking is for sheer “naked dresses”; and the bandage tape can be used in myriad ways to lift and contour the breasts.
“We were always trading our tips and tricks, asking ‘how do you conceal that?’ or ‘where did you have that made?’” Mizrahi says. “Between us, we had so much knowledge and experience dressing women with different body types. We asked ourselves, what are the problem areas women face when they’re purchasing something or packing, and how can we take the guesswork out of it and make it easy?”
One way is with their actual “kits,” which include three or four items you can throw in a suitcase (i.e., the “under packer kit”) or wear to an event, like the “strapless black-tie kit.” Mizrahi and Harouche will also be posting how-to videos and Q&As online and on The Kit’s Instagram to show you how to use the bandage tape or to explain why the “tap short” is the ideal undergarment for short dresses. “That’s a trick Simone learned from Jennifer Lopez,” Mizrahi adds. “I used to just wear regular high-waist briefs under dresses until Simone introduced me to the tap short, and now I have 20 pairs of them.”
Speaking of celebrity clients—Mizrahi has worked with Katy Perry, Riley Keough, and Nicole Richie, while Harouche is known for styling Miley Cyrus and her longtime friend Kim Kardashian—the duo asked a few of their influential friends and clients to post selfies in The Kit in lieu of a traditional campaign. “We wanted it to be about self-love, with women in control of the photos they’re taking,” Mizrahi says. “We took the money we would have spent on a campaign and donated it to the Women’s Cancer Research Fund.” Throughout the month of October, which is breast cancer awareness month, they’ll be donating an additional dollar for every selfie customers post with the hashtag #kitstokickcancer. “We want everyone to be able to do what Kate Hudson or Mindy Kaling are doing, so every woman can be part of the message.” Shop the first drop of pieces now at thekitundergarments.com, with prices starting around $20.
Photo: Courtesy of The Kit1/8Simone Harouche and Jamie Mizrahi
Photo: Courtesy of The Kit2/8Mindy Kaling in The Kit
