Spotted  

Seriously Sports Illustrated 

Azura sells Sports Illustrated favorites…

   Spellbound, By Beach Bunny    Secret Garden, By Beach Bunny

Lady Lace, By Beach Bunny

If you weren’t able to read last week’s post about the release of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, don’t fear. As I mentioned in that post (which, of course, you wouldn’t know because you didn’t read it and is in fact the whole reason for me saying this again!), this week we’ll be taking an in-depth look and journey through the much coveted 2008 issue, from the models, to the locations and of course, the beautiful swimsuits. Who made it in this year, who didn’t, you’ll find it all out here!

Sports Illustrated and Azura Swimwear

While we can’t take credit for the swimsuits themselves, Azura Swimwear is proud to stock many of this year’s selected swimwear designers. In the fiercely competitive and highly talented field of designer swimwear, Azura Swimwear designers Beach Bunny, Red Carter, Sauvage and Birdie Jo all made appearances in the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. It’s a huge achievement and Azura Swimwear would like to congratulate them all. The women’s swimwear lineup in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is the most highly anticipated each year, so again our congratulations to all the swimwear designers featured.

If you haven’t seen a copy yet, make sure to grab one asap – this year’s is hot! You can also visit www.si.com to view all the pictures featured in the issue, plus the many more that couldn’t fit! It’d be a tough (well, some would argue) job selecting the top 100 images out of the many thousands that are taken, and a shame to not share all those beautiful swimsuit shots. Luckily, Sports Illustrated is kind enough to share them with us all, so do take a look if you get a chance. We’ll also be featuring some of our favorite Sports Illustrated swimsuits here at Lifestyle Azura, so stay tuned…

Interested in owning your own?

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue bikinis, simply click on the swimsuit names or images below. You can also view the women’s swimwear collections of Red Carter, Sauvage and Birdie Jo by clicking here. Happy shopping!

Bikini of the Week 

This is actually our first Birdie Jo swimsuit featured in Bikini of the Week, but don’t let that make you think Birdie Jo isn’t one of our favorites. On the contrary! In fact, we’re actually doing a one month special all about Birdie Jo Swimwear in March, as part of our Designer of the Month series. Birdie Jo Swimwear designers Rebecca Fink and Kate Richter will be our first designers to be featured in this series, and we’re really excited! But before I get carried away, let me stick to the topic at hand, the beautiful Mod Floral Mint bikini by Birdie Jo…

If the 2008 Birdie Jo Swimwear collection is characterized by striking prints and eye-catching color combinations, than the Mod Floral Mint bikini is a shining example of this. And I don’t mean striking in the sense of ‘in your face’ or bold, rather in the sense of being unique. In fact, this bikini is entirely the opposite of bold – it is soft and has an understated charm, like something out of an era now bygone.

Mod Floral Mint by Birdie Jo Swimwear

Birdie Jo designers Rebecca Fink and Kate Richter actually describe the inspiration for this bikini print as mid-century pop graphics, so it seems their ‘of a time gone by’ appeal is spot on! We absolutely love the Mod Floral Mint bikini print here at Azura Swimwear, the mixture of ash and olive greens, yellows and browns on white is super feminine and a little different to the norm. Greens and yellows are set to be popular colors in fashion this summer, so if you’re a fan of the Mod Floral Mint, it seems you have excellent taste!

Our Mod Floral Mint bikini by Birdie Jo comes in an ‘Ashley’ style bandeau top (Birdie Jo has cute names for all their styles and swimsuits!) with gold-plated rings at the top of the bust and at the back as a clip. The straps can be removed which make it the perfect bikini for tanning, or leave them on for more support than your standard bandeau. The bottoms are low rise with moderate coverage at the back and they also have adorable thick band side ties. The whole look is very feminine and flattering for almost any body type.

If you’re as much of a fan of Birdie Jo as we are, make sure to stay tuned for our Designer of the Month feature on Birdie Jo. And don’t forget to stop by Bikini of the Week shortly – we’re bound to have another gorgeous Birdie Jo bikini featured in the very near future!

Happy shopping!

Team Azura

Azura News

2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

I’ll be covering this in great detail next week, but just wanted to share our excitement with you about the recent release of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue … This year’s is an absolute knockout – from the sexy swimsuits, bikinis and cover-ups to the idealic backdrops, island destinations and of course, the gorgeous models. Marissa Miller donned the cover this year - you’ll recognize her as one of our Sauvage Swimwear models (check her out in the Cobalt Crystal by Sauvage below) - so we have a bit of a soft spot for her.

To a swimwear designer, having one of your swimsuits featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is somewhat akin to finding the holy grail, so you can only imagine what Angela Chittenden, Beach Bunny Swimwear designer is feeling right now with Beach Bunny Swimwear being featured 9 times! Yes, 9 pages of beautiful Beach Bunny bikinis! Azura swimwear is proud to stock a number of these including Spellbound, Lady Lace and Secret Garden. Make sure to check them out!

Cobalt Crystal by Sauvage Spellbound by Beach Bunny

Lady Lace by Beach Bunny Secret Garden by Beach Bunny

We’ll be taking an in-depth look at the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue soon, so be sure to stop by for more information about your favorite swimwear designers and designer swimsuits.

Until Then !

Team Azura

Tip Off

Top trends in Women’s Swimwear for Summer 2008

Follow these tips for a summer of fun in the sun!

It’s that time of year again… Yes, it’s swimwear season! (Well, at the very least summer is fast approaching). So now is the perfect time to start thinking about your own swimsuit collection.

Whether you’re a one-piece, Brazilian bikini or tankini kind-of-a girl, this summer is set to be a scorcher with the range of hot new swimwear designs we’re seeing from the industry’s hottest designers.

The Miami Swim show (as part of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week) saw some fresh, new faces and rising stars, as well as the return of heavyweights Gideon Oberson and Lycra. Longtime favorites Red Carter and Shay Todd were also there, making for a glamour-packed event and some incredible, new women’s swimsuit designs.

From bejeweled bikinis to safari prints, the verdict was feminine yet sexy, with elegant swimsuits with an added twist of fun. Ready for a summer of fun in the sun? Dive in with these surefire tips for 2008’s hottest new swimwear styles.

Ruched Bottoms
Ruched bottoms are all the rage this year, being donned by the bums of Beach Bunny and Maya Swimwear to name a few. Ruched bottoms? It’s an inner seam up the center back of a bikini bottom that has been slightly gathered. The effect is ultra-flattering to the behind (no more flapping, excess fabric) and the look is super cute. Playful and flattering, what more could you want from a bikini bottom?! Beach Bunny is also known to add a diamond-shaped dip at the top, as well as jeweled rings, to highlight the effect.

Bejeweled Bikinis
Speaking of jewels, this season is filled with them, dazzling on bikini tops and bottoms left, right and center. Sauvage Swimwear has been keen on the lead with glittering numbers ‘Cobalt Crystal’ and ‘Jade Mountain 2’ taking center stage. Swarovski crystal and African turquoise stones are just an example of the quality, as well as the luxurious look, you can expect this summer. So jewel up to sparkle and shine!

Bandeau Tops
Bandeau is back this year and looking gorgeous as ever. It seems every designer has its own rendition, with everyone from Red Carter and Sauvage to Odabash offering their take on the beautiful bandeau. While classically without, this year sees the bandeau in some cases with the addition of removable straps. Birdie Jo Swimwear is a favorite with this look. Great for those who need additional support, and once removed, great for tanning. For an ultra-feminine swimsuit look, you can’t go past the bandeau this summer.

Metal Rings
For another hard to beat (and hard to miss) look this season, keep your eyes on metal rings. Ring detailing can be seen in just about every designer swimwear collection – Odabash, Red Carter, Sauvage, Beach Bunny, Vitamin A, Luli Fama, Vix, the list goes on. Rings are particularly favored on the hips (and are often curved to fit) and paired with bandeau tops bearing matching rings at the center front. The look is glamorous and a little sexy with the additional hint of skin. Go for gold or silver and choose small circles or medium elliptical shaped rings for maximum effect.

Safari Prints
Animal prints have long been a favored women’s swimwear motif. But 2008 sees the animal print with a new-found twist. This summer, look out for safari-inspired designs, like the ‘Zimbabwe’ and ‘Kenya’ swimsuits of Red Carter whose zebra and giraffe style patterns are detailed with embroidered sequins and beads. Or take the lead from Beach Bunny and Sauvage and mix things up by choosing animal prints in unique color combinations, like aqua blue and black, or forest green and brown. For sexy and wild this summer, go animalistic!

Black, White & Blue
For straight-up color, 2008 is all about black, white and blue. Blues can be seen at both ends of the spectrum, with aquas and marines featuring prominently. Odabash favored a range of creams, but pure white is the star this season. The runways of Vix, Beach Bunny and Maya, amongst many others, were filled with striking solids in Miami this year, so make sure to grab yourself a signature suit in one of these hot colors.

The 2008 women’s swimwear collection is hotter than ever. With a sizzling summer soon approaching, make sure you’re ready with a hot new swimsuit to enjoy some summertime fun in the sun!

Azura News 

Lyin Eyes & Secret Garden !

We have some great news to share with you today! While the 2008 Beach Bunny Swimwear Collection was officially launched last year for industry types etc (a little perk of the business), the swimsuits themselves don’t become available for purchase until a later date.

Well that date has now come. Tomorrow we will be releasing two hot new Beach Bunny numbers, hot off the press (so to speak!). Azura Swimwear is one of the first and only to have their hands on these gorgeous new swimsuits, and as you can imagine, we’re incredibly excited.

So as a little teaser, take a look at these:

View Our Beach Bunny Collection

Both of these Beach Bunny beauties are available for purchase right now even though we won’t be ‘officially’ releasing them until tomorrow. We thought we’d reward our dedicated readers with a little perk of their own! … And to be perfectly honest, we just couldn’t wait!

Beach Bunny’s Lyin’ Eyes in white is the gorgeous sister swimsuit to the Lyin’ Eyes aqua animal print already available on our site. I love both - the appeal is surprisingly different between the two swimsuits. It’s amazing what a change different fabric can have on a swimsuits overall look. Lyin Eyes in aqua has been an incredible seller, so make sure not to miss out on it in white!

Now to Secret Garden. This Beach Bunny swimsuit could quite possibly be one of my favorite swimsuits we have here at Azura Swimwear. And if you think it looks cute in the picture, just wait to see it in real life. The colors are absolutely adorable and the detailing on this swimsuit is superb. This is such a wonderfully feminine swimsuit, a must-have for any collection…

Until next time, make sure you click on the photos above and take a look at these two Beach Bunny swimsuits. They are simply gorgeous!

Team Azura