swimsuits

Victoria's Secret Spring Swim Preview

Filed under: Apparel

The Victoria's Secret sirens have brightened up this miserable late winter weather with a preview of sexy swim fashions for spring and summer. The lingerie leviathan whisked South African stunner Candice Swanepoel (above), Brazilian bombshell Alessandra Ambrosio, Minsk minx Maryna Linchuk and more to St. Tropez to frolic in the sun in their latest creations. Leopard prints, bright batiks, near-psychedelic patterns and a smattering of sequins make for an anything-but-understated selection of swimwear. The full collection can be seen in the new Victoria's Secret Swim 2011 catalog hitting mailboxes this week, featuring 50 pages of eye-popping pix. Check out the gallery for a preview.

Gallery: Victoria's Secret St. Tropez Swim 2011

Tags: Alessandra Ambrosio, apparel, beach, Candice Swanepoel, fashion, lingerie, St. Tropez, supermodels, swim, swimsuits, Victorias Secret

Sexy Swimsuits Galore at Miami Fashion Week [video]

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping, Celebrity Design, Video

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week just wrapped up in Miami, showcasing the hottest swimsuit looks for next summer. As New York Magazine notes, the annual spectacle "features more bronzer and boobage than every other fashion week combined", and this year's event was no exception, with designs from Kourtney, Khloe and Kim Kardashian's Beach Bunny Swimwear line among other looks both louche and luxe. Tattoo maven Ed Hardy showed a surprisingly wearable collection, while celeb attendance at the shows and parties was a bit sub-par – OK, seriously sub-par – with, in addition to the Kardashians, rapper/actor Bow Wow and Angela Simmons of MTV reality fame, N'Sync singer and Dancing with the Stars contestant Lance Bass, Peregrine from Bravo's Work of Art, Lipstick Jungle's Lindsay Price and the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The real action was on the runway in any case – check out the video for footage of the Beach Bunny show.

Tags: Ed Hardy, fashion show, fashion week, Kim Kardashian, Mercedes-Benz, Miami, swimsuits

The Fashion Statement: Take the Plunge

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

Summer is bearing down upon us and so is the most fearful word in the English language -- swimwear. Sooner or later we all have to buy a swimsuit and we women like this seasonal ritual about about as much as filing our tax returns.

But this season offers hope. For those among us who aren't blessed with Gisele's bod, now is as good a time as any to hit the fitting rooms. Why? Because, one-pieces, like the throng Dolce & Gabbana (pictured above) sent down the runway, have the ability to cover up imperfections without a whiff of dowdy. If bikinis are more your thing, there are plenty of boy bottoms cut à la Marilyn Monroe that hide a lot more than the essentials. Of course, if you are a Gisele, there are still plenty of ways to show off your assets.

Here's a cheat sheet on who's doing what in swimwear. Then, ladies, gather up your courage, go forth and shop!

RETRO '50s: Designers have gone back to the days of Harry Truman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and the birth of Rock 'n Roll. Maurizio Pecoraro, Stella McCartney, Moschino Cheap & Chic, and Hervé Leger all presented swimwear that jumped out of the mid-century. These silhouettes sit oh-so-low on the leg, but still read sexy because of their emphasis on the waist.

CUTOUTS: Not for the faint of heart. If the retro style is Marilyn Monroe, swimwear with cutouts are more like Grace Jones. Tim Hamilton, Gucci, Roksanda Ilincic, Jen Kao, and Yigal Azrouël sent out suits with a touch of the '80s and a good dose of fierce.

THE DEEP V: The swimwear equivalent of J. Lo's famed Versace dress, deep Vs are de rigueur. Jasmine di Milo, Milly and Twenty8Twelve showed V necks plunging down there that promise to boost the sex appeal of the waif-ish, in particular.

ONE SHOULDER: Gone are the days of the matronly one-piece. Taking a cue from evening wear over the last several seasons, Emporio Armani, Unique, Michael Kors, and Diane von Furstenberg designed swimwear that drape over one-shoulder, with some incorporating cutouts.

ITSY BITSY: Gisele's milieu. Jean Paul Gaultier, Dsquared2 and Emporio Armani used fabric sparingly in their swim collections. Waists are as low as they can go while tops are tiny triangles held together by a string. One-pieces take cutouts to another level -- one from Gaultier is in a harlequin pattern.

Check out the gallery for the latest looks.

Gallery: The Fashion Statement: In The Swim

Tags: Dolce Gabbana, DolceGabbana, Stella McCartney, StellaMccartney, swim trends for 2010, swimsuits, SwimTrendsFor2010, swimwear, Twenty8Twelve, Yigal Azroul, YigalAzroul

Vintage Swimwear As Art

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Decor

Some vintage styles are simply too gorgeous to be forgotten. While many of the most famous pieces, icons done by specific designers or favorites of celebrities, end up in museums or special exhibits, there are an equally fantastic number of designs that can be displayed in your own home. Bergdorf Goodman has several styles, but my favorite is this Red Swimsuit. It was made in the USA in the 1920s and has navy trim and button detailing. It comes framed. Price: $2,325.