Feel Good Half Naked

While at the Miami Swim Show last month, we saw several exciting new swimwear trends emerging for 2011.  As promised, I’ve put together a sneak preview of what’s hot, for my blog readers:

Trend #1: Flirty Ruffles.

We’re seeing ruffles at the neckline, down the middle of a 1-piece (to disguise the tummy), and along the bottom of tankini tops. The ruffle trend was introduced this past year with a great reaction from our customers, so we’re happy to be able to offer even more ruffle styles for the coming year!

Trend #2: The Single-Shoulder 1-Piece.

There were a couple of false starts with this trend, because of design flaws that caused unexpected “flashing” when you raise your arm to wave. “Yoo-hoo! Oops!”. Without boning on the side of the suit or adequate length in the torso, single-shoulder suits can spell disaster for the unsuspecting fashionista! Thankfully, most designers are now providing the necessary construction in the suits to make them functional as well as stylish, so you can skip the surprise peep show!

On Its Way Out…

One style that’s cooling off is the cutout 1-piece. Designers are moving on to the single-shoulder style, with its 1980’s influence, instead. 1-piece cutouts are often labeled by magazine editors as “The Sexy Suit”.  However, cutouts are notoriously difficult to fit unless your torso length is perfect for the suit. Of course the style looks great on supermodels, but if you have any extra padding in the middle, it usually squeezes out the sides of the suit and becomes framed by the lines of the cutouts. Not good! Perhaps the single-shoulder 1-piece will be a more flattering way for our trend-setting customers to show off their fashion acumen.

I’ll have more of 2011’s hottest swimwear trends to report next week.  Stay tuned!

I just got back from the Miami Swim Show held each year at this time in South Beach. There were five of us from Swimco in attendance – three Buyers, our Sales Manager, and me. This annual show is our only opportunity to see all of the major swim lines at once for the coming year. There are hundreds of product lines and thousands of swimwear Buyers from around the world!

For four days we walk the floor, see presentations, write copious notes, and take hundreds of photos so we can remember all of the product we’ve seen. It’s a lot to absorb in a short time! By the end of the four days we feel pretty much “done in”. The challenge is to stay sharp the entire time so nothing is missed. Our business for the upcoming year is greatly affected by the impressions and decisions made at this show.

Despite the fact that our schedule is hectic, I always enjoy the Miami Swim Show. It’s exciting to see new styles and brands, meet new people in the industry, and visit with our supplier friends. We even managed to fit in a visit to the world-renowned Mr. Chow restaurant in South Beach’s new W Hotel.  The green prawns were actually green and very delicious! We also stumbled upon a live performance by the band Neon Trees and later caught glimpses of ourselves in their YouTube video.

Pictured above is part of our Swimco team with our Australian and Canadian friends from Seafolly. In my next blog, I’ll give you a sneak peak of some of the hottest 2011 swimwear trends that made waves at the Miami Swim Show!

Hope you are enjoying your summer.