Cia.Maritima Swimwear - Love the Look, Love the Price

If you consider yourself a savvy shopper and have not yet discovered Cia.Maritima Swimwear, then where the heck have you been?  Cia.Maritima (pronounced see-ah mar-ee-shee-ma) is a Brazilian swimwear line that has been making its way into the US market. Launched in 1990 and designed by Benny Rosset, a family member of one of the largest garment manufacturers in South America, the Rosset Group.  Cia.Maritima is reportedly the biggest producer of beachwear in Brazil.

Cia.Maritima made their U. S. debut in New York at Olympus Fashion Week in 2006.  More recently, the CM 2010 line hit the runway again at the Mercedes-Benz Swim Show in Miami.  What's so nice about this line is that Mr. Rosset's style is high glam, but without the high end designer price tag, with their 2010 bikinis starting at just $89 retail. 

Athens Coral String Bikini-$89

The look is elegant and sexy, with lots of matching cover-ups and beach frocks. The fit is very good, tailored for the American market. The price is certainly right.


Pisces Cover-Up by Cia.Maritima - $159
 
I'll keep you posted on what Cia.Maritima brings us for 2011.
 
~ C.

Melissa Odabash Swimwear 2010 - Class & Fun Rolled Into One

Melissa Odabash Swimwear is another one of those classic swimsuit lines that always looks timeless and tasteful, yet still has a touch of fun flirtiness about it. Miss Odabash started her own swimwear line after modeling swimsuits in Italy that were not exactly to her liking. She created her own bathing suits, took them to the shops of Milan and they immediately caught on. She later opened her own store in London where she sells a variety of her beachwear styles and accessories.

Her look is simple and refined and in a word, “refreshing.” The quality of an MO swimsuit is impeccable, employing only the best of fabrics and trims. All of her patterns and designs have comfort in mind. Melissa Odabash exclusively uses a special twisted elastic support that is sewn into her bra tops, Instead of the more traditional under-wires that most other manufacturers use.

This year the look for MO is cool and calm. The Luxor Bikini is a simple, black bandeau that is spiced up with a thick, chunky chain detail. The Sienna One Piece Swimsuit is polished and clean, with graceful lines and a design sense that will get you through more than one summer. Of course, that’s what Melissa Odabash Swimwear is all about…enduring elegance.



~ C.

Karla Colletto Swimwear - Timeless

Let's face it, not all of us are looking for the tiniest of bikinis.  One piece swimsuits are beautiful, comfortable to swim in, and yes, even sexy.  U.S. "East Coaster," Karla Colletto, along with her sister and business partner, Lisa, have been creating innovative and high styled swimsuits for several decades, never becoming stale or boring. 

Their use of new and modern textiles and creative manufacturing techniques keeps them ahead of the game and always fashion forward, while maintaining a high degree of quality and workmanship.  All of their swimsuits are made to order from their production line in Virginia, assuring that each bathing suit gets the proper attention that their customer deserves.

Ruching One Piece by Karla Colletto Swimwear 2010

Karla Colletto swimsuits are not just known for their workmanship, but also for their fit.  Karla uses a special, hidden, floating underwire in many of her bras and bodices that give the swimsuit support and structure, while creating a smooth, sleek silhouette.  Each year, Karla Colletto Swimwear comes up with timeless designs that will last for several seasons. 

This year the line took on a slightly edgy look with ruching, cut-outs and strappy details.  One of my personal favorites is the Metallic Piping One Piece Swimsuit and it has been our biggest seller this year.  So, if you're looking for a fabulous one piece, trust me, Karla Colletto won't let you down.

~ C.



Metallic Piping One Piece Swimsuit by KC 2010

Tyler Rose Swimwear

Ok...this stuff is too cute!  Tyler Rose Swimwear has a ton of attitude and designer, Nicole Carroll, brings it on strong with her Haute Indian Summer Spring 2010 collection.  These are 3 bikinis from the TRS line-up for 2010.

~ C.

Ramble On Bikini - TRS 2010

Squeeze My Lemon Bikini by Tyler Rose

You Shook Me Bikini by TRS

Mixing It Up With Maaji Swimwear

Fun, fresh, young, clever...all words to describe Maaji Swimwear.  This emerging swimwear label from Columbia dishes up a rainbow of mixed prints combined with cute styling.  The fit is on the small side, it's really more in the Junior/Teen size group than the Missy category.  Maaji Swimwear was extremely popular at Tropi-Ties this year.  The 2010 swimsuits and bikinis from Maaji are almost sold out.  We can hardly wait to see what's in store for next year.  Look for updates on the 2011 Maaji Swimwear styles, coming soon.

~ C.

Ruffled Juniperus Bikini by Maaji

Invencible Dianthus Bikini - Maaji Swimwear

Sao Paulo Fashion Week SS 2011 - Swimwear

Sao Paulo Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2011, the premier event in Brazil and the swimwear world, will be taking place Tuesday, 06/08/01 through Monday, 06/14/10.  I'll b posting updates and reviews of some of the lines.

~ C.

Salinas Swimwear - We Still love it!

After all this time, I still love Salinas Swimwear.  Tropi-Ties began carrying the Salinas brand back in 1999.  We were the very first online retailers to stock their sweet, little bikinis.  I have to say, I wasn't really keen on carrying Salinas at first.  It seemed like it was just another one of many Brazilian bikini labels to have hit our shores during that time.  Shelly Scott, the rep for Salinas back then, politely and continually prodded me to stop by their booth at ASR.  One day I finally did.  I could not believe how cute the stuff was!  With lots of, "I told you so," comments coming from Shelly, I reviewed the line. There were unique bodies with loads of sex appeal, not to mention tiny bums, done up in fun colors and prints, with embroidery, sequins and other embellishments...just adorable!  I had not seen anything like it in the California surf market, or the entire US, for that matter.  The price point was great too.  Oddly enough, I was the only buyer in their booth that day.  It was hard to believe that the word had not yet gotten out about these fab Brazilian bikinis. Of course, that didn't last for long.  The following season the Salinas booth was twice the size and it was standing room only. 

Salinas quickly became our number one seller and really helped to build our own company.  It flew off the shelves as quickly as it came in.  Everyone, including our warehouse staff, could hardly wait to see the what the newest shipments revealed.  Every bikini was a surprise.  All of the people from Salinas were wonderful and business relationships were good and strong.  Salinas was now distributed everywhere in the US, including major department stores, surf shops and online retailers.

But then came the economy.  Although all of us have struggled through these rough times, Salinas took it especially hard.  Sales slackened, their trusted distribution faltered and a new generation of swimsuit buyers, none savvy to this iconic brand, emerged.  The flow of merchandise slowed to a crawl and it looked like the end for them.  I reluctantly continued to carry their bikinis, partly because I felt a sense of loyalty, partly out of hope that they would return to their former glory.  They toughed it out and kept the brand going.

As the economy comes out of this recession, we're now seeing a change for the better for Salinas.  The designs are fresh and sassy and with new US distributors, the merchandise flow is making headway again. Young women are rediscovering Salinas Swimwear and sales are coming back.  The new 2011 Salinas bikinis are cuter than ever and we expect strong sales for this brand next season. I am confident that they will make a full recovery and be back even better than ever.

~ C.