It surprises me that we have not yet featured this bikini in Bikini of the Week. I don’t know how it was overlooked – I think we all thought it had already been featured! But as I was reading Continental Girl’s post on purchasing designer swimwear, filled with tips about this season’s hot styles, and in particular, animal prints, I thought of Red Carter’s Kenya. I then quickly skipped over to Lifestyle Azura to double check if we had featured it or not, and to my great surprise, it was nowhere to be found!

So better late than never, this week’s Bikini of the Week is Kenya by Red Carter.

Kenya by Red Carter

Red Carter is the champion of fine details – whether it be in the quality of his suits, the style of his cuts or the added detailing he uses. Usually, it’s all of the above, and his Kenya bikini is no different.

It’s hard to go past an animal print, and no matter how many decades come and go, animal prints will always have their place in fashion. Red Carter actually has two animal prints out this season – the Kenya and the Zimbabwe, both as beautiful as each other, so really this week should be a ‘Bikinis of the Week’ rather than just ‘Bikini’! But as I personally love the black and white appeal of the zebra, I pulled out my card and voted for the Kenya…

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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.

Spotted  

2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: An Inside Peak

Designer Swimwear buyer Yasmin Newman takes us on a journey through the world’s most coveted and highly anticipated swimsuit lineup of the year…

It’s that time of year again, that time we’ve all been waiting for. Yes, the release of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is finally here!

And what a truly spectacular year this year is. The 2008 edition takes us round the world once again, from the historic city of St. Petersburg in Russia to a rainforest hideaway in Maui, Hawaii, scouting out the sexiest locations you could dig up. And amongst some perennial favorites, we also meet the new girls on the block - the 2008 Sports Illustrated Rookies.

So let’s take a look inside, and savor the sights (not to mention the incredible swimsuits) found in this year’s 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue…

Sports Illustrated 2008: The Cover

Landing the cover of Sports Illustrated is something like winning the jackpot in Vegas, or receiving a gold medal at the Olympics. It is the ultimate prize. But unlike Vegas, it’s not all about luck. Marissa Miller, this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covergirl, is testament to this. Having modeled swimwear for years, and for some of the industries most illustrious swimwear designers including Sauvage Swimwear, Marissa Miller has definitely earned her stripes. Shot on location in St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Miss Miller sparkles against a sunset backdrop wearing only an Anna Kosturova swimsuit bottom and glittering jeweled necklaces by Badgley Mischka and Mary Louise Designs.

The 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models

This year we see the return of swimwear sirens Bar Rafaeli (current girlfriend of Leonardo di Caprio), Jessica White, Brooklyn Decker, Julie Henderson, Oluchi Onweagba, Anne V., Anna Beatriz Barros, Tori Praver, Irina Shayk, Selita Ebanks, Daniella Sarahyba and of course, covergirl Marissa Miller.

We were also lucky enough to meet a total of seven new blossoming beauties, also known as the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Rookies. From American born Quiana Grant, Melissa Haro and Melissa Baker, to Hawaiian beauty Jarah Mariano, Perth, Australia girl Jessica Gomes, as well as Brazilian babes Yasmin Brunet and Jeisa Chiminazzo, this year’s newest talent certainly gives some our previous favorites a run for their money!

And let us not forget the special guest appearances by the NFL cheerleaders, Indycar driver Danica Patrick, the four wives of sporting stars Jeff Gordon, La La Vazquez, Carmella Garcia and Johnny Damon, actor-comedian Will Ferrell and long-time Sports Illustrated favorite Heidi Klum.

The Locations

Sports Illustrated wouldn’t be Sports Illustrated without red-hot destinations so tempting you’d want to pack up your bags right now and jump on the first plane outta here! And this year’s trail blaze around the globe is no different. The journey begins in the historic city of St Petersburg in Russia were Russian born models Anne V. and Irina Shayk give us a guided tour around town. We next head to Israel to pay a visit to Caesarea and the enchanting Dead Sea where models Brooklyn Decker, Julie Henderson, Jessica Gomes and Tel-Aviv native Bar Rafaeli are kind enough to show us the sights.

After a 70s themed extravaganza and dance about town with funny man Will Ferrell and model Heidi Klum, Sports Illustrated heads to Lahana, Maui where models Jessica White, Tori Praver and Jarah Mariano show how to enjoy life Hawaii style. And this year, Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos play backdrop to the stunning yearly showcase of ‘Body Paint’ executed by world-renowned body painter Joanne Gair, while St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands offers a water wonderland for models Oluchi Onweagba, Melissa Baker, and covergirl Marissa Miller.

Heidi Klum and Will Farrel, Red Carter Swimwear

View our Red Carter Swimwear Collection

Next stop is Singer Island, Florida where Indycar driver Danica Patricks swaps her racecar leathers for some sexy bikinis, before Sports Illustrated heads to Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands for a bit of pirate warfare with models Daniella Sarahyba, Melissa Haro and Selita Ebanks.

And last but not least, we journey to San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua to watch Ana Beatriz Barros, Jeisa Chiminazzo and Quiana Grant frolick in the sun before ending the world tour back in Maui in Haiku. Models Jessica White and Yasmin Brunet bid us adieu from their hideaway tucked away in the beautiful rainforest, and while it is sad to see the journey finish, it is the perfect ending to a whirlwind tour.

The 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuits

And now to our favorite part - the swimsuits!
Did you know that around 30 percent of readers who buy the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue are women? Yes, we women all love to dream about beautiful beach destinations and island getaways, and we certainly won’t deny that we don’t enjoy admiring the gorgeous Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. But when you boil it down, we’re in it for the swimwear!

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has become somewhat of a bible for those interested in the ‘what’s hot’ of designer swimwear, so let’s take a look at this year’s swimwear designer lineup…

This year’s top favorite would have to be Beach Bunny Swimwear, followed very closely by Delfina Swimwear, Pompei Beach and Luli Fama. Red Carter, Zoe NYC, Debbie Wilson for Maui Girl, Ashley Paige for Girls Gone Wild, Becca by Rebecca Virtue, Domani and Letarte Swimwear all put on a good show with a couple of features as did Sugar Free, La Perla Mare, Perry Ellis, Chio di Stefania D, Badgley Mischka Swimwear and Anna Kosturova.

Lady Lace by Beach Bunny Swimwear

View Our Beach Bunny Collection

Amongst others Ondademar, Betsey Johnson, Emamo, Birdie Jo Swimwear, Maryan Mehlhorn, Pursuit, Melissa Odabash, Agua Bendita, Sauvage Swimwear, Karla Colletto, La Isla Courture, Vicky Moreinis Swimwear, Salinas Swimwear, Lenny, Cia Maritima, Aquarelle, Vix Swimwear, Lunazul, Juicy Couture, Aqua di Lara, Shay Todd, Lisa Lozano, Eberjey, Omo Norma Kamali, Trina Turk, V Del Sol and Diva were all featured.

But with so many great designers, not to mention swimsuit styles, there’s not enough time in a day! For a full list of the swimwear designers featured in the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, visit www.si.com. And make sure to check out the 2008 issue for yourself to choose your favorite designers and designer swimsuits.

So until next year, Sports Illustrated leaves you with some very pleasant thoughts…

© Yasmin Newman
Yasmin Newman is a swimwear buyer for online retail store Azura Swimwear.
www.azuraswimwear.com