Bikini of the Week

In Uniform by Red Carter

I really enjoy putting together our ‘Bikini of the Week’ series. Getting to gush about beautiful bikinis - what’s not to like?!

But it’s also a great reason to step back and appreciate the diverse range of swimwear and swimwear styles around. Even within our range here at Azura, you’ll find incredible variety - from the lingerie inspired and ultra-sexy swimwear of Beach Bunny to the understated elegance of Maya Swimwear.

This week we’re celebrating the masterful styling of veteran swimwear designer Red Carter. In Uniform is the swim suit, and while Red Carter has no defined, signature style, In Uniform does encapsulate many of Red’s prevailing or signature swim suit traits.

Red Carter, like all top-of-the line swim suit designers, has an uncanny ability to take any chosen theme and apply it to a swim suit, no matter how masculine, abstract, simple or banal that theme is. But more than that, he has fun with his swim suits and always adds his own interpretation and unique touch.

I like Red Carter for his controlled flamboyance - his understanding of cut and detailing means that he never has to go over the top with his swim suits to get your attention. The swim suits are always special, always different, but not for any ‘shock value’ he attaches to them.

In Uniform is a great example of all of the above. In this swim suit, Red Carter has gone with the naval theme. It’s an oft used theme, however Red Carter’s approach is neither obvious nor over-the-top, as many naval inspired swim suits tend to be.

In Uniform by Red Carter

View Our Red Carter Collection

The swim suit comes in both white and an olive brown - playing to both the feminine and military aesthetics, and has embossed gold buttons at the hips and mid bust. The military/naval theme continues with fabric strips at the hips (reminiscent of a soldier’s jacket) as well as hipster brief styled bottoms, which in conjunction with the halter top, gives the swim suit a more athletic feel.

It’s a definitely a swim suit you could have some fun in, and be active in. Yet true to all Red Carter’s swim suits, it retains an undeniable feminine appeal, highlighting and enhancing the best of the female form.

I really love In Uniform. If you haven’t has a chance to take a good look at this swim suit, I recommend you do so. Same goes for Red Carter, he is the master of women’s swimwear and not to be missed!

Until next time, enjoy In Uniform by Red Carter, this week’s ‘Bikini of the Week’…

To purchase In Uniform by Red Carter Swimwear, click here.

Bikini of the Week: Lady Lace by Beach Bunny Swimwear

Since its arrival on the designer swimwear marketplace a mere couple of years ago, Beach Bunny Swimwear has quickly become one of the most sought after swimwear brands around. Beach Bunny Swimwear designer Angela Chittenden certainly unearthed a niche market with her super-sexy lingerie-inspired swimwear designs, while also giving designer swimwear fashion a shake-up with a whole new look, feel and something never before seen.

This week on Bikini of the Week, we’re paying tribute to one of Beach Bunny Swimwear’s most popular swimsuits, Lady Lace. Lady Lace has become a signature cut for Beach Bunny, featuring year after year (with slight changes) in their swimwear collection. With its unique, sexy look, Lady Lace was also one of the swimsuits that first put Beach Bunny Swimwear on the designer swimwear map. It’s not hard to understand why…

Knockout! Lady Lace by Beach Bunny Swimwear

View Lady Lace Details 

This ultra-sexy swimsuit has a sliding triangle bikini top with adjustable ties at both the neck and back. But what makes this swimsuit so adorable is its use of fabric. Here, a super-cute black and white polka dot fabric is matched with sexy stretch black lace to give a girly yet naughty mystique to the swimsuit. It certainly works! And as a finishing touch, a sweet black bow has been placed in the middle of the bikini top… it’s so sweet!

Lady Lace’s bottoms are equally a mixture of naughty and nice… I personally think they look a little more on the naughty side! But either way, they’re incredibly sexy swimsuit bottoms. The same fabrics have been used, but here the stretch black lace has been given more prominence, and doubles up as a luxurious fitting waistband. The bottoms have a Brazilian cut backside with moderate coverage as well as the matching black and white polka dot fabric. And let’s not forget the super sweet bow…

Apart from being our Bikini of the Week, Lady Lace by Beach Bunny Swimwear was also recently featured in the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. As if being our Bikini of the Week, wasn’t enough!

Lady Lace by Beach Bunny Swimwear in 2008 Sports Illustrated”

View Lady Lace Details

We recently posted a couple of articles about the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue lineup, highlighting the whole range of Beach Bunny swimsuits featured, as well as some of our other designers, which you can read here and here. But as for Lady Lace, the sexy swimsuit was worn by beautiful model Daniella Sarahyba on location in ***. Absolutely beautiful…

Like we said, it’s not hard to understand why Lady Lace has become one of the most popular Beach Bunny swimsuits around!

Until next week, happy shopping!

If you’d like to purchase Lady Lace by Beach Bunny Swimwear, click here and start shopping now!

Bikini of the Week  

Black Signature Cut by Maya Swimwear

Our very first ‘bikini of the week’ was the Jade Mountain 2, an adorable white bikini by Sauvage swimwear.

Well this week, black is back.

The Black Signature Cut by Maya Swimwear is a swimsuit must-have. It’s like the equivalent of your little black dress - every girl needs one and it turns heads every time.

Like white bikinis, there’s something so eye-catching about a plain black bikini. It has a purity of color that is striking in its simplicity. But while white is demure, black is bold. It commands attention and is undeniably sexy.

Your little black dress… in a bikini

View Maya, Black Signature Cut Details

When it comes to designer swimwear, Maya is the clear-cut winner for signature cuts and just what you’re looking for in your quintessential black bikini. The swimsuit design is strong enough to hold its own and is unique and special in its own right (as you’ll see, it comes in a range of different colors). But it’s not over the top and doesn’t need embellishments to dazzle - it let’s the colors truly shine. Add in the black and you’ve got one killer bikini that suits absolutely any skin tone.

This gorgeous black bikini by Maya Swimwear has a sliding triangle top with adorable ruffled trim (Maya does love its ruffles… and so do we!) as well as neck and back ties. The bottom has an alluring hipster shape at the front and a cute brazilian bikini cut at the back. You’ll get more coverage than your typical brazilian bikini, but definitely less than an American bikini. It’s playful and very flattering.

And when it comes to the small details, Maya is queen - the back has a ruched inner-seam with a diamond dip that is absolutely to die for. While the front is also ruched and comes with a ruffled trim (what did I say about Maya swimwear and ruffles?!)

Maya Swimwear is an undeniable celebrity favorite, as is its ‘Signature Cut”. The Signature Cut has been seen on Fergie, Jessica Alba, Linsday Lohan and Vanessa Minillo, to name a few, and each seem to have a couple of bikinis in each color. Be sure to check out our “Designer Bio” section for pictures of these celebrities in their favorite Maya swimsuits.

So until next week, we pay our respects to this beautiful black bikini and thank Maya Swimwear for its wonderful work … Thank you Maya, and black bikini, we love you.

To purchase the Black Signature Cut by Maya Swimwear, click here.

Bikini of the Week 

I’ve been waiting patiently for the chance to feature Cobalt Crystal as our Bikini of the Week. It’s one of my personal favorites, and also one of our best sellers here at Azura Swimwear. We’ve already sold out of this bikini twice now, and it’s only the beginning of the year.

It’s not hard to understand why this bikini is so popular. Just take a look for yourself…

But let’s start with the color. While blue may be the color of choice for swimwear this summer (for more information on swimwear styles and trends, read our 2008 Designer Swimwear Forecast here), this is no ordinary blue. This swimsuit comes in a color of blue known as cobalt blue (hence the name), which is a very particular type and shade of blue.  As you can see, it’s quite mesmerizing and has an intensity and uniqueness to it. Sauvage Swimwear designer Elizabeth Southwood has done an incredible job of finding just the right hue and of sourcing a swimsuit fabric capable of showing off its brilliance.

But now to the crystals. In my opinion, crystals on a swimsuit is the ultimate in indulgence and class. The look is elegant and show-stopping. Ordinarily however, you’ll see the crystals embroidered onto the fabric, either on the bust or bottom of the swimsuit as part of the fabric design (take a look at this Sauvage swimsuit for an example), and the crystals are most often a mixture of sequins, beads and/or small faux gems.

But not the Cobalt Crystal by Sauvage Swimwear. In this swimsuit, the crystals are used to form the neck tie, beginning at the top of the bust and extending to the neck, creating a truly unique point of difference. It also shows off a bit of skin, which combined with the crystals, gives the bikini a very sensual, sexy feel.

The Cobalt Crystal bikini sold here at Azura Swimwear comes with a simple low rise bottom – with such a stunning bikini top, there’s no need for additional embellishment. The swimsuit bottoms have a really cute shape and provide moderate coverage. And, being made from an imported nylon lycra blend, they also feel incredible on the skin.

I’m so glad that we were finally able to feature this beautiful Sauvage swimsuit number, the Cobalt Crystal definitely merits the title of Bikini of the Week. To all our readers who have purchased this bikini, enjoy your new swimsuit! And for those who haven’t, make sure to grab one before summer hits! This bikini is seriously one of our best sellers and we would hate for you to miss out…

Happy shopping!

Cobalt Crystal: Click here for full details. Start shopping now!

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