Posts Tagged ‘beachwear’
Dawn, Jonathan and I have always been trying to keep one thing in mind with our range. Find only the very best quality items available in the world of swimwear, and then sell them. Our efforts have all been highly concentrating on curating a collection of these higher end bikinis and swimsuits. But we don’t want to restrict what could be a fantastic range of unrivalled selection.
So recently we’ve been looking at our closest brands to find other beachwear that we think people would love to experience alongside their stunning swimsuits. The answer was the ever more popular beach dress.
This is Oroblu’s Haiti Beach Dress. When I said we were looking at our closest brands, I mean we’re looking at the brands whose quality has proven itself time and again. Brands that we can trust to offer us, and you of course, the very best of a new type of beachwear. The answer was one of our oldest partnerships, something we’ve been handling with our other site too. Oroblu, one of Italy’s premier clothing designers.
The Haiti Dress is designed as a kind of elegantly practical mix of the light and comfortable kaftan and the evening wear worthy summer gown. As far as this mix goes, I’ve heard nothing but great things about its comfort and fit, its style and its ease.
As for the design itself, well that’s entirely up to you!
Personally, I love anything that comes in a simple arrangement of colours. No more than three, but ideally two. This is Oroblu’s logic and it works well when you’re looking to make something that blends in beautifully with any scene. This is as ideal for restaurants as it is for basking in the sea breeze.
I don’t know about you, but that kind of hassle free fashion sense is something I’ve yet to see with any gentleman’s swim shorts. Perhaps I should lobby Oroblu for something similar for my own market.
What do you think? Of the dress, I mean.
This swimsuit is quite something, isn’t it?
It’s these kinds of designs that make me reluctant to post about a whole collection all at once.
In my last post on Maryan Mehlhorn’s Summer swimwear, I briefly talked about this design, but it occurred to me that mentioning this in passing just won’t do!
Tell Me What You See
The Leather Belted Swimsuit is something of a Rorschach test, I think.
You look at the markings, which might not mean anything at all, and you say what you see.
I see a couple of things straight off. A tropical island, the blues are the gentle reflection of the ocean, the orange is the air shimmering at sunset. Or it’s a volcano erupting. I can’t tell.
Or maybe the orange is something else. The scales of a marine fish? I think it might be a tiger.
But really, the whole point of a work of abstract art like that is to let you make your own mind up about it. One thing I can say for sure is that Maryan Mehlhorn have created a beautiful swimsuit design, one that’s perfect for a tropical location. The intense yellows and blues are fantastic for the pool, but I think the real potential of this swimsuit comes out when it’s under the shade of a palm tree, spread across white sand with a refreshing drink near by. Something with pineapple in it!
The photography says it all. Wide open spaces, breathtaking views and crystal clear tides. The earthy stitching around the belt and the leathery lace-up breastbone remind me of the famous shot of Raquel Welsh from One Million Years B.C.
Maryan Mehlhorn have got hold of that simple, strong and uncompromising look with the added leather belt. They’ve taken the Cavegirl chic and given it a vibrant edge, whilst keeping the whole look familiar. Even Raquel has a touch of yellow and blue in this photo!
Maryan Mehlhorn’s swimwear is still very new to UK Beachwear, but they’ve been honing their skills in the boutiques of Europe for years. When it first came out, the picture above was called “the definitive look of the 1960′s”. That would be a compliment to most swimwear brands, but it seems to me that these designers wouldn’t settle for that.
After all, who want’s to be trapped in one decade? Maryan Mehlhorn is only interested in being timeless!
Every single season, without fail, Gottex has delivered at least one design that’s a complete jaw dropper.
I’d show you last season’s winner, but as expected, it sold out almost immediately. There’s nothing left to show.
The newest addition is Eva. She’s unbelievable.
I’d like to put part of their breathtaking designs down to fantastic photography and an amazing model. Yes, Gottex is the industry leader for photography, but I think it’s the design that really takes your breath away.
Eva is a halter neck piece, with rather narrow shoulder straps. This is a very wise choice for tanning purposes, but I think the designers had a more visual effect in mind.
The slender straps are very good for the coveted slimming effect and a great way to draw gazes to the neckline.
Of course, this swimsuit has no trouble attracting gazes in the first place! The colour scheme is inspired! I think sharper shades can be a risky choice, but Gottex have always taken the biggest risks and made the biggest payoffs.
Gottex have taken this bright and succulent shade of lime and have really played it to their advantage.
The swimsuit’s real asset is it’s originality. It takes some extremely creative features and blends them beautifully. I’m talking here about the strapped effects on the swimsuits midriff. Again this is a technique used for slimming, but I think Gottex’s design team wanted to make you stand out as well as enhance your figure. This imaginative addition to the design is a gorgeous and inventive way to really express yourself with your swimwear and the ideal way to avoid ordinary and commonplace swimwear.
But I’m not saying that Gottex is entirely new and never-before-seen. I think Gottex’s swimwear still has a healthy attitude to popular new trends. They’ve given Eva and so many other designs a modern edge. Their work relies on simplicity.
The Eva swimsuit design is slender, areodynamic and uninterrupted. It’s expressive, but never obnoxious. It’s simplistic, but never ordinary. Eva is a brave design, and when it comes to good design, Gottex’s bravery is really paying off!
A few weeks ago, Richard Barnes, our Gottex agent, told us he was snowed under with a new project. Naturally, we got nosy.
“What’s the project, Rich? A new Brand?!” asked Dawn.
“Yeah” he replied, “I’m very excited. It’s a very exclusive French bikini designer. They’ve asked me to be their agent!”
He told us his new brand was Pain de Sucre.
Pain De Sucre is one of the best bikini designers in Europe. If you’re in the bikini industry, you’ll find that people get protective. A lot of designers like to claim that their the very best. It’s pretty understandable.
Pain de Sucre is the exception. When you mention their name, everybody’s respectful. Their legacy is huge. Everyone knows their work. Everyone takes inspiration from them.
Of course, Richard would be busy. These guys are popular but they aren’t in too many shops. He probably spent most of his time fending off potential retailers!
We were very excited to here about the French bikini giants coming to the UK . We were more excited when Richard asked us if we’d be interested!
Even though their bikini range are different to our other brands, we knew their bikini designs would be the perfect addition to our site. I’ve noticed that a lot of our bikini items concentrate on simple and elegant designs. While Pain de Sucre is definitely elegant, it’s portfolio isn’t the exercise in Minimalism that Roidal’s is.
They’ve a greater mixture in their bikini pieces. Most of their Spring/Summer bikini collections are a blend of Bohemian patterns and classic colours. A lot of scarlet and baby blue, along with plenty of paisley and floral.
I’m not going to write a review of all Pain de Sucre’s bikini items in this post. I’d just like to introduce you to the brand and say how glad I am that Richard made us a retailer. He’s a good agent and has impeccable taste in bikini resellers!
Over the next few days, I’ll publish reviews for each new bikini. They’re on our site now, if you want to look before then.
Subscribe by email, via the box to the right, and the reviews will go straight to your email address as soon as I publish them!
Enjoy!
Roidal’s Canne Swimsuit is a masterpiece. This is no exaggeration. I saw this piece at the Swimwear show in Harrogate. It’s my favourite in the whole collection. It sums up what Roidal’s swimwear has aimed at for seasons, and it’s going to set the design benchmark for all swimwear.
Just a note. I don’t know why, but someone has put Smoke and Purple on our site as two different products. I think because both images are stunning and we don’t want to sacrifice either one. They are beautiful, too.
This swimsuit jumped out at me at the Harrogate show. I’m walking about the place, awestruck. This is my first show. I shan’t lie, part of the awe is the models. I think their make up is stunning!
Roidal’s agent, David, is on his stand. Racks of extremely expensive looking items and a wall full of Roidal paraphernalia surround him. There’s a model there too. Roidal is our sanctuary. Every swimwear designer is at Harrogate. They’re all there, trying to get you on their stands, feeling their swimsuit, mauling their kaftans. Roidal is the place you go to find the gems. They don’t need to try and sell it to you.
We’re with David now. Dawn’s drunk. David’s wearing an impossible tie. I’m scanning through their look-book. I know why I’m here. The thing that’s got us on Roidal’s stand. It’s in the designs!
Roidal only work with a purpose. They don’t add anything that won’t improve their work. They don’t have the cluttered extras others insist on adding. Some of Roidal’s swimwear is vibrant and colourful, but it’s never too much.
Simple is the hallmark of great thinking. Truman Capote, responsible for the world’s most perfectly written book, used to say “I prefer the scissors to the pen”. Clothing’s no different. Armani is famed for it’s simplicity, it’s quality and it’s colossal business empire. They getting something right, I suppose.
The Canne Swimsuit masters the understated. The body of the swimsuit is bold and undistracted. The shoulders are slender, dynamic and unobtrusive. The cups are the only part of this swimsuit that aren’t entirely plain. This is where Roidal have been very clever.
People often mistake simplistic with bare. They mistake elegance designing with no designing. Roidal has avoided visual poverty by adding a ruche to the cups of the Canne swimsuit. They’ve taken an otherwise plain item, and with one simple alteration, turned it into something really special.
With only one detail on the swimsuit, Roidal has created a swimsuit that the eyes down the length of your body and compliments your shape perfectly.
Roidal’s stand at Harrogate had a lot of people on it. We were lucky to get in at the time we did. Looking at the Canne, you can see why. When you’ve got something this beautiful in your hands, you can understand why people are drawn to David’s stand. You can see why I only make fun of his tie behind his back!
Shopping can be hard. When you walk into a boutique, there’s everything you could want, except the thing your looking for. The solution? A shop that finds it for you.
And so the new UK Beachwear site was born. We started off with a basic website, but like our first online shop, UK Tights, we decided a new and improved website was in order. When I first heard about the new UK Tights website, it was just the Technical Department fixing some problems in the search bar. Naturally, it soon snowballed into a whole new design project. Our swimwear site followed soon after.
Our first priority is, of course, to make our search system the best on the Internet for swimwear, so you can find exactly what you need. But a new look was irresistible. I always say, the shopping experience is almost as important as finding what your looking for. So a good looking site is important. It shows how serious we are about giving our customers the high quality swimwear they want and more importantly it makes your shopping experience that bit more enjoyable.
The new site also includes a swimwear brands section in the navigation bar, so you can find all of the designs from your favourite brand. If your a Gottex girl, you’ll have no problem finding the best of the fashion season by this designer. If you’re not sure what brand you want to try, but know you want a bikini, our navigation bar has a full bikini section, so you can see every two piece item UK Beachwear has to offer. There’s also sections for swimsuits, tankinis, kaftans and we’ve recently started a section for plus sized swimwear too.
So, I’m happy to say that the new site is finally up and running, so now you’ll have no problem finding that special bikini or that up-to-the-mintue fashion swimsuit!
Poko Pano Swimwear is the newest brand to be welcomed into the UK Beachwear family, and what an addition it is proving to be! Their range has already been very well received and I’m sure you can find something in the collection that will be what to be seen in this summer.
I found Poko Pano at a swimwear convention with some friends last year, and we were instantly excited by what we saw. Well, we say that we found them, but really they found us – the agent for Poko Pano spotted us and rushed over to us with an enthusiasm I had never seen in anyone working on a Sunday before. Sabrina, a young American agent brought us over and we went through their catalogue of designs with her.
Poko Pano doesn’t come from the US though; it comes from the sun, sand and swimwear capital of the world: Brazil. This is our first Brazilian brand and I knew straight away that a bikini from this company would be worth every penny. Brazil is home to some of the most beautiful beach locations in the world and the designers have to be very special to make a name for themselves in their native country.
The first item to catch my attention was the Poko Pano Pimenta, a bandeau bikini that showed everyone just how up to the minute these swimwear designs are. The candy-cane pattern on one cup is a popular design that we’ve had a number of requests for over the past few seasons and combined with the pimenta chilli pepper design on the other cup and the briefs, the overall look is fresh and sweet and sure to be amongst the best on the beaches this summer.
Poko Pano Capri Balconette keeps with the sweet candy theme with a very tasteful lime and chocolate spring design. The cups of this bikini have small bumps inside the cup that lifts and shapes for the perfect beach-ready figure. The little gold ring is also a very clever addition that, like the balconette cups, helps draw attention to the top and really enhances the figure. This bikini has a very tasteful and fashionable tie side and the ever popular halter neck, both making this item that little bit more noticeable and special than other swimwear you’ll find on the market.
The Mykonos has proved to be very popular already and the pink, green, azure and yellow patterning captures the beauty of the Greek island it is named after. As you can see by the picture, the candy is still very strong in this collection. The lighter pastel colours and the floral briefs of this design are perfect for both sunbathing on hot beaches and relaxing on those cooler evenings. A very versatile pattern and one of my personal favourites.
Jasmin Haltern is the definitive sunbathing bikini. The triangle cup, ever popular with those looking to achieve maximum tanning, makes this design a sure winner for summers away and a handy item to have for those hotter days at home. The whole bikini is, as you might expect, much more revealing, with tie sides on the briefs, back and neck.
And finally, another great one for sunbathing and candy fashion, Mosha is my favourite item of swimwear this season. The full candy bandeau is perfect pin up and the bottoms use a perfect colour contrast (for contrasting colours this spring/summer, my other blog might interest you). The black and white patterning and the one tie side makes this a unique swimwear design and one that’s been popular with casual holiday goers diehard fashion enthusiasts alike.
Well, I really hope this has given you something to look forward to this summer and whether you’re travelling abroad or staying home, it’s never a bad idea to treat yourself. Poko Pano is of the upmost quality and with them coming from Brazil; they definitely know great swimwear when they see it, a little bit like myself! So take my expert advice, Poko Pano Swimwear receives the full stamp of UK Beachwear quality and I insist you to enjoy every minute of sunshine you can with your new Poko Pano bikini!