I love bikinis. The ability to wear one year round was one of the reasons I moved to South Florida in the first place.
Naturally, I get excited when Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim comes to town. This was my second year covering the event, and a conflict arose when I had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica the same weekend. When it came down to it, the chance to actually wear a bikini in a tropical locale I’d never been to before trumped watching models walk down the runway in the latest fashions. (More on Costa Rica soon. Promise! Loved it!). However, I made it back in time to catch the shows at The Raleigh Sunday and Monday night.
The trends I was most excited to see included funky ’80s throwback looks, including a monokini by Beach Riot I swear I owned at age eight and leotard-style one-pieces that look like they came out of a Jane Fonda workout video.
Beach Riot, Aquarella Swimwear, Beach Riot
I also loved the high-fashion, creative cutouts in bright colors, like yellow and royal blue, lending a futuristic look.
Indah and two looks by Aquarella Swimwear
Of course, the itty bitty bikini will always rule, and I loved seeing solids and prints in shades of pink, yellow, turquoise, and nude with embellishments, like ruffles, tassels, and fringe.
Luli Fama, Lolli Swim, Aquarella Swimwear
There were creative textures employed, like knits and neoprene, and resortwear silhouettes in voluminous maxi dresses and cutesie rompers. I also saw a recurring theme in collections reflecting the colors of the ocean in deep blue, turquoise, and silver.
Backstage at Wildfox Couture, Anna Kosturova, Indah
Two looks by 6 Shore Road and A.Che
I covered Swim Week for Miami.com. To read my reviews of Monday night’s shows, click here. For Sunday night’s shows, click here. I also wrote a fun story pairing the latest swim looks with sexy Miami hotel pools, and you can read that here.
