Swimwear ’13: Cut outs, high waists and bustiers

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, which wrapped up on July 23, saw some of the industry’s biggest names including Mara Hoffman and Cia.Maritima descend on Miami Beach, Florida to present their Spring/Summer 2013 beach collections. Here is a roundup of five of the biggest trends to look out for next year, including colour blocking, cutouts and jewellery adornments. And yes, it’s swimwear that we’re talking about:

Jewels

Jewellery is going to play a key role in swimwear next year, with gold detailing adorning yacht-ready creations at Nicolita, Cia.Maritima and Dolores Cortés. At Sauvage, a star fish brooch sparkled just below the navel, while gold adorned models’ necks. Gold studs were seen at Agua Bendita, while sheer kaftans were enhanced with jeweled embellishments at Mara Hoffman.

Colour blocking

There was a rainbow of patterns on display during the five-day event, with floral, tie-dye and tribal among the most prevalent. Xtra Life Lycra Brand and Red Carter were two of the biggest purveyors of prints, while Eclairée and Poko Pano both made an impact with their colour block swimsuits. The latter favoured pink, yellow and green geometric shapes, while Eclairée introduced a touch of color with horizontal blocks of pink and beige.

High waists

Ladies not confident enough to don the skimpy string bikini bottoms regularly seen on the Miami Swim catwalk will be pleased to hear that high waists are going to be a major trend for Spring/Summer 2013, with labels including Luli Fama, Poko Pano, Mara Hoffman and ANK embracing the look. White Sands presented ultra girly floral and frilly varieties, while L*Space showcased a sleek grey and black pair–both prevented theirs looking frumpy by teaming the bottoms with youthful bandeau tops.

Bustiers

Good news for women who’re rather well endowed on top is that bras incorporating swimwear were also big news on the catwalk. L*Space’s sporty bandeau tops had underwired support while Luli Fama kept bra tops from looking dull with bow adornments. Aqua Di Lara and ANK both favoured lingerie-inspired bustiers, and the latter contrasted fitted white cropped tops with high-waisted black bottoms for a monochrome appearance.

Cut outs

And finally–though perhaps not ideal for optimum tanning–the cut-out trend is going nowhere in Spring/Summer 2013. At the Dolores Cortés presentation, show-stopping neon creations featured stomach cutouts that were ideal for showing off toned abs, while cut-out detailing was also big at Mara Hoffman and Eclairée, where swimsuits featured daring sheer vertical panels. One of the highlights on the Xtra Life Lycra Brand runway was a yellow and purple cut out one piece with capped sleeves.–AFP Relaxnews