MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: V DEL SOLThis year, in its fifth season, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, had its most exciting season to date. IMG hosted more shows than ever in the series of runway and presentation-style shows that took place from July 15th through the 19th at Miami Beach's historic hotel The Raleigh which offered designers multiple venues - the Cabaña Grande, the Beachway and the Oasis, in addition to The Raleigh’s Penthouse event space to showcase their collections. L*Space by Monica Wise, this season's Mercedes-Benz Presents designer, Bohéme Boutiques, Caffé Swimwear, Marysia Swim, Crystal Jin, Aqua Di Lara, Tori Praver Swimwear, Mara Hoffman, White Sands Australia, and Vitamin A were just a few of the designers to make their debut this season, and V Del Sol had the distinct honor of closing the festivities with the season’s final show at the Cabaña Grande at 10pm. MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: LULI FAMAAs Miami Fashion Week Swim reached its close, Miami-based designers Luli and Augusto Hanimian unveiled their Luli Fama 2010 collection. The brother and sister-in-law duo’s collections always have a distinctly Latin flair (the designers were born in Cuba and Argentina), and their style has proven very successful for them over the years as some of the world’s top models, celebrities, and athletes including Gisele Bundchen, Bar Rafaeli, Anna Kournikova, have all been photographed wearing the swimwear line. MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: CIA MARITIMACia Maritima has a rich history of putting on amazing shows. In fact, back in 2006, the label showed in New York during September Fashion Week, and they had over 20 of the most sought after models, including Karolina Kurkova 9who opened and closed), walk the runway in Cia Maritima designs. Naomia Campbell, Gisele Bundchen, and Frankie Rayder are just a few of the other top models that have closed past Cia Maritima shows. Among those who came out to support Cia Maritima was Brazilian Model and MTV Brazil VJ Adriane Galisteu. The collection, designed by Benny Rosset who started the label back in 1990, was shown in the Beachway venue at the Raleigh Hotel. MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: VITAMIN AVitamin A kicked off the last full day of shows at this year’s Miami Fashion Week Swim when the label showed their sexy collection at the Raleigh Hotel’s Cabaña Grande at 7pm on July 19th.  The line, started in 2000 by Amahlia Stevens with four black bikinis, has vastly expanded over the years and now includes both bikinis and resort wear. Stevens claims that she coined the term "California Cut" bikini, which is often used to describe the suits that fall somewhere between the Brazilian and the American bikini cuts. MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: XTRA LIFE LYCRATo cap off the third full day of Miami Fashion Week shows, Xtra Life Lycra showed their collection at the Raleigh Hotel’s Cabana Grande. After checking out the Mara Hoffman show, the Cast of MTV’s The City once again made an appearance front row, as did Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Brooklyn Decker, and Real Housewives of New York star Kelly Killoren Bensimon. MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: POKO PANOPoko Pano Brazilian Bikinis is a long-standing family-owned company that was established in Sao Paulo Brazil in 1990 by Paola Robba. The Brazilian designer showed off her new collection at Miami Fashion Week Swim, where she presented her 2010 Summer collection in the Raleigh Hotel’s Oasis venue. MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: WHITE SANDS AUSTRALIAShowing a collection that truly stood out was Leah Madden, with her White Sands Australia line, shown at the Beachway at Miami Beach’s Raleigh Hotel. The show opened with a striking pink suit covered with a handful of red rosettes, and was followed by a two-piece number, where the top was made of glistening green wide-brimmed leaves covered in flowers. The show then moved into more traditional suits, including frilly bandeau bikinis and strapless one-piece suits, and tiny Brazilian bottoms that were shown with traditional triangle tops, many of which were ruffled. There were also some two piece looks with strapless tops that had underwire built into them, making them look very lingerie-inspired. MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: ED HARDYFrench fashion designer and entrepreneur Christian Audigier has been in the news quite a bit lately. Word is that the Ed Hardy designer is looking to partner with Jon Gosselin of Jon & Kate Plus 8 on a children’s apparel line. The two were spotted spending a lot of time on the designer’s yacht in St. Tropez. For now, there are no official next steps (that the public is aware of, at least). The designer, who showed at last year’s Miami Fashion Week Swim, was back on the 18th to showcase his 2010 contemporary swimwear collection at the Cabana Grande at the Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach. MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: MARA HOFFMANNew York based designer Mara Hoffman, who works with People’s Revolution and regularly shows her ready-to-wear collection in the Bryant Park tents during New Fashion Week, put on one of the most highly anticipated Miami Fashion Week Swim shows of the season when she showed her collection at the Beachway at the Raleigh Hotel at 6 pm on July 18th. MIAMI FASHION SWIM WEEK: TORI PRAVERAmerican model and designer Tori Praver kicked-off the third full day of shows during Miami’s Fashion Week Swim by showcasing her newly expanded eponymous line in the Raleigh Hotel’s Penthouse at 4 pm via a press preview. This season, Praver introduced maillots and cover-ups to her line, and expanded the palette of her bikinis by adding pastels, white, and cream.
Like most of the collections we have seen so far this week, Praver’s designs are uber body conscious. Her two piece looks are mostly of the mix and match variety (although a handful of them matched). |
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