Miami Fashion Week Swim just wrapped, offering a look at what’s in store for beachwear in 2012. Among the notable trends were lingerie-inspired looks, vibrant colors, one-pieces with multiple cut-outs, fringe, scuba-inspired looks, and as always, plenty of stripes, ruffles, and boho prints. Also of note was the debut of the first ever bridal swimwear collection courtesy of Beach Bunny Swimwear and Norma Kamali‘s first Miami Fashion Week Swim presentation. Here’s a look at the most notable shows.
Mara Hoffman: The designer stayed true to her colorful, bohemian aesthetic with plenty of vibrant colors, flowing silhouettes, and fun prints including totem-inspired patterns, stripes, and kaleidoscope florals. Seed beading, macramé, sexy lattice cut-outs, and colorful embroidery were just a few of the details used in the collection. The best piece, however, was a multi-colored tassel tote that I’m crossing my fingers makes it into stores (or at least a sample sale!)
Beach Bunny Swimwear has been a celebrity favorite since its launch in 2004 so they fittingly stayed true to the playfully sexy aesthetic that their clientele loves (this season was particularly Agent Provocateur-esque). In addition to their Cruise 2012 collection, the brand showed their new Beach Bunny Bride line — the first ever bridal swimwear collection — and the show was opened and closed by Sports Illustrated cover girl and Esquire Woman of the Year, Kate Upton. Upton is also collaborating on a design collection with Beach Bunny Swimwear and Kate strutted down the runway wearing a preview of one of those designs.
L*Space by Monica Wise showed off their knack for creating flattering fits (something particularly important when dealing with swimwear) offering little coverage in their line-up this season which included a slew of California-style, easy floral prints, fringe accents, and bold jewelry.
Diesel: Very few brands show men’s looks during Swim Week so it was a welcome treat to see some retro-inspired print and patterned trunks at Diesel. Reality star Kristin Cavallari was also on hand to model a one-shoulder, blue embellished suit, and while there were plenty of wearable one- and two-piece looks for women in this season’s Diesel show, this was not one of them. Similarly, the denim-inspired pieces failed to flatter the models’ bodies or hold much in the way of aesthetic appeal, leaving the men’s looks and basic two-piece women’s suits to shine (or at least stand out as the only viable sellers when these looks hit retail stores).
Norma Kamali: Known for her timeless retro-inspired swimwear, Kamali showed a mix of classics and new styles embellished with crystals and buttons for a perfectly styled collection that came complete with quirky shades and retro-glam hairstyles.
Images: Zimbio.
