Lolita as a halter swimsuit

If you haven’t met Lolita yet, it’s time you did! We feel in love with this purple luxury bikini the moment we saw it. It’s a real knockout, so allow us to introduce you…

The great thing about the Lolita bikini is how seamlessly it converts from a bandeau top to a halter. Tie the soft straps up behind your neck, and it’s a gorgeous halter. Tie the straps down behind your back, and its instantly a strapless bandeau top. Perfect for avoiding weird tan lines when lying in the sun! Switch between when you switch activities (from lounging to swimming), or pick your favorite of the two looks and stick to it.

Lolita as a bandeau swimsuit

Lolita’s bottom is just as desirable as the top. The shirred sides don’t just look great, they help to avoid any embarrassing “muffin top” that might occur with other bathing suits. And the shirred sides come with sliding gold “ViX” hardware that can be moved from front to back, or removed completely, to further customize your look.

The whole thing comes in a soft, luxurious fabric in a smooth purple color that is so in right now. So you see, we can’t help but love the Lolita bikini – it’s so perfect!

Coral Basilae bikini by Maaji Swimwear

Whether you’re a current warm-weather resident or you’re planning a tropical vacation to escape cold at home, you need an adorable designer swimsuit. We’re happy to recommend the Coral Basilae by Maaji as that swimsuit. The designers at Maaji are master pattern-mixers and this suit is a perfect example of that. We’d never have thought to mix an exotic coral and black print with yellow and gray stripes, but once we saw this suit, we knew it worked! The bits of yellow in the coral pattern and three-stud detail on the top and bottom seal the deal.

The cute bandeau top has form-fitting cinching at the center and comes with removable straps that tie in the neck so that you can customize your fit. But what we can’t get over are the sexy little hipster bottoms with ruching on the sides! Here are a few pictures we snapped (on our helpful mannequin Priscilla!) to show you what we mean:

Get your Coral Basilae today or shop the rest of the Maaji 2010 collection.

Yummy Yummy French Toast!

The new Agua Bendita Swimwear has us drooling – literally. Is there anything better on a Saturday morning than the smell of french toast cooking? Well, maybe french toast followed by at day by the pool in a swimsuit also named… French Toast!

The Bendita French Toast is a part of the “Heavenly Delights” collection from 2010 Agua Bendita Swimwear which features other tasty-treat-named suits like the Bendito Pancake, Bendito Brownie, and Bendito Cinnamon Roll (to name a few).

This flirty little suit has our attention – and not just because it makes us think of delicious breakfast foods! We’re also craving the ruffle detail, the scoop-necked bandeau top, and the little hanging “chads!” (Yep, those little cut-out bits are called “hanging chads”, the result of an innovative laser cut technique.)

Mmmm… what a perfect suit for a weekend getaway – french toast for breakfast, and then Bendita French Toast for the rest of the day!

SwimCouture: How do you find time to remain fashionable in spite of being a mom?

Audrey: It’s not always easy. I have always loved fashion. Even as a little girl, I remember I bought my first Vogue when I was in the 4th or 5th grade and just dissected every single page. When Sex And The City came out, I just remember being in awe of their clothing… and I knew I needed to move to NYC. The “fashion capital” of the world. I worked in fashion for 6 years, loving every second. When I became pregnant with my first son I had the most fun dressing up in different maternity fashions. It was a dream come true. And then… after William was born, I just sort of “lost” my fashion sense. I was so wrapped up in being a mom that I completely was just about William. And then I got pregnant again. And again. And then again. By the time I was pregnant with my 4th I thought… if I’m losing my fashion way, then other moms must be too.

That was when I started my 365 Days of Fashion Advice for Moms. You know, I think the only way I find the time is by trying and by putting myself a little higher on the priority list. It’s funny, I used to look at photos of us at family functions from a couple of years ago and the boys were all dressed beautifully… and I was just in jeans and a sweater. Not “who I was.” I put the shift into caring and made sure I found the time. It’s amazing how good we get with time management when we become a mom. Fifteen minutes to me as a mom… I can get makeup and hair done pronto!

SwimCouture: How old are your kids?

Audrey: William is 5. Alexander is 4. Benjamin is 2 1/2. Henry is 16 months.

SwimCouture: Were you a bikini person before children, or did you prefer a one-piece suit?

Audrey: I love this.. I was a total bikini!

SwimCouture: Did your swimsuit preference change after having kids?

Audrey: OMG, yes! The first 3 summers after becoming a mom I was like – “Don’t they make swimsuit tents!?”

SwimCouture: Briefly tell us your experience with getting back to your pre-baby body. How long did it take you? Did your cup size go back to its original size? Did anything else change for good?

Audrey: This was a little different for me. I literally had 4 babies in 5 years. My first 2 sons were planned to a “T,” so I wasn’t really caring or thinking about getting back to my “old” body. After Alexander was born (my 2nd son) I started running and eating healthy again. Then I found out I was pregnant in Jan 2006. Alexander was 4 months. I miscarried that baby, and then… I just wanted to get pregnant. I got pregnant with Benjamin 7 months later. After having Henry (my 4th) I knew it was time to get back into shape.

It took me about 6 months. I walked and ran. I have to admit, my boobs never got any bigger with any of my pregnancies! Bummer, right? It was the strangest thing, I kept thinking I would get bigger boobs… and they stayed the same. Everything else got bigger! My hips definitely changed. I still can’t get myself into some of my old jeans. I’m the same weight, but my body just sort of shifted around.

SwimCouture: What did you do to lose the post-baby pounds?

Audrey: I actually committed to running a 5K last Thanksgiving. I knew if I signed up for something that I would do it – the accountability factor into play. I knew I needed to have a goal. I didn’t want it to be a number on the scale. I wanted it to be something exercise related that I could do with other people. So my husband and I signed up for a Turkey Trot last year and it was amazing. I was able to run the 3.1 miles. I felt good. I felt like I really accomplished something.

Also, I really just started getting the kids moving outside. If I wanted to be active, they needed to be active. We would walk around the neighborhood. Go to the park and run around. And then I got myself into a routine at our local YMCA. Getting back into shape was important to be because I knew it made me feel the most healthy… and I need and want to be healthy for these 4 little boys. Not to mention, my husband went on a weightloss journey last year and lost over 65 pounds… so our eating habits have changed. Lots more cooking at home, not eating out!

SwimCouture: If you won tickets to an island vacation for your entire family and a voucher to buy a new swimsuit, what you would chose?

Audrey: Aww… OK. I would buy a halter top style bikini top with a low rise bottom.
RED.
I have always wanted a classic red bikini….

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Many thanks to Audrey for taking our interview questions! When it comes to that classic red bikini she wants, we can’t help but think of the new Lipstick Red Sophisticate Bikini from Badgley Mischka Swimwear 2010. What do you think – is this the swimsuit for Audrey?

Swim Couture: What are your favorite new trends for winter 09/spring 2010?

Angie: For Winter ‘09, I’m besotted with sheath dresses, voluminous pieces, slouch boots, fly away cardigans, stirrup leggings, menswear inspired clothing, moto jackets and non-patent handbags. Basically anything with an 80’s flavour captures my interest.  For Spring ‘10, the resurgence of lower heel heights and lots of yellow tickles my toes.

SC: What are the worst new trends in your opinion?

Angie: I’m not fond of leg shortening ankle length pants, harem pants with sagging crotches and soaring 4 to 5 inch heels that look unnatural and are
uncomfortable.

SC: What colors and tones were prevalent during fashion week?

Angie: You’ll see all the colours in Fashion Week. There’s always a lot of black, grey and white with brights and soft pastels. It’s hard to pick out which are most prevalent.

SC: Are you a fan of plaid, and how long do you think this trend will
continue?

Angie: Yes! I love plaid skirts and pants and feel that they’re always in fashion as long as the styling is current and flattering.

SC: Are you a bikini or a one piece suit girl?

Angie: I’m a one piece gal for sure.

SC: What are your preferences when it comes to swimsuit style (color options, bandeau vs. triangle, Brazilian cut vs. full coverage, padded vs. unpadded, etc)?

Angie: I like a colourful one-piece swimsuit style that’s high-cut on the thigh and high-cut on the neckline with a super low back. I don’t mind padding as long as it looks natural. I love to match up my swimsuit with a transparent sarong and raybans.

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Many thanks to Angie for taking our interview questions! Do you have any follow-up questions for Angie? Leave them in comments!

The Prize: You’ll get to pick any swimsuit or coverup from our 2010 collections, any designer, any style, ANY PRICE. Choose from a wide array of swimwear brands such as Badgley Mischka, True Religion, Betsey Johnson, OndadeMar, the coveted Agua Bendita Swimwear, Maaji, Despi, and more. Yep, including the ones we haven’t announced yet – you can wait a bit and pick the newest of the new, if you win!

How to Win: Just leave the most comments on our blog (any post, old or new) between now and 11:59pm ET November 16th, 2009. There’s even a helpful little tracker in the sidebar of the blog that will tell you who the current leader is!

Rules: Just a few things to keep the contest and the blog from turning into the Wild West!

1. The contest is open to anyone in any country that The Orchid Boutique ships to, but if the winner is located outside of the United States, shipping charges of your choice will apply. If the winner is located within the U.S., we will ship your free item via USPS Priority at no charge.
2. You may not reply to yourself in the comments on any individual post. If you were the last person to comment, you have to wait until someone else leaves a comment. And don’t try commenting under two names just to reply to yourself – our super-smart blog robot will know!
3. Comments must be relevant to the post and must have some meat to them! Don’t just write “Great post!” Add to the conversation, or we may delete the comment and it will not count.
4. All comments left on any post on Swim Couture (old or new) count for this contest. So go ahead: dig through our archives and comment away!
5. The owners and bloggers of The Orchid Boutique and Swim Couture are the sole deciders of what constitutes a legitimate comment for the purposes of this contest. Spam, hate speech, and duplicate comments will not be approved for posting on the site and will not count for the contest.
6. The winner will receive one free swimsuit or coverup of their choice from any 2010 collection, as soon as the item debuts in our store. No exchanges granted.

This post is also open for comments, so feel free to start here! To get the conversation rolling, why don’t you check out the 2010 collections at The Orchid Boutique and let us know which suit you have your eye on for the contest?

The Heavenly Delights collection (aptly named, might we add) is exactly that. A collection with every single swimsuit named after a dessert. YUM. On top of that, there’s an Agua bendita bikini – a brazilian cut, no less- with the words “fast food” written all over it. One might wonder what on earth were the Agua Bendita designers (two twenty something females) thinking?

Well, we asked them and this is what they said in a nutshell: Agua Bendita is a swimwear brand that is extremely unique. To be trend-setting and avant-garde it’s important to find different ways to express yourself, and what better way than with irreverent & fabulous style? A true fashionista knows this well!

We say, embrace it! Embrace your chocolate-loving ways. Embrace your curves, your fabulous, womanly curves. And if you got it, flaunt it, honey!

XOXO

Shop all Vix Swimwear here.

Its huge roster of celebrity clientele speaks volumes of VIX’s upscale chic flair. Just to recap on major celebrity sightings… the black bikini worn by Kara Dio Guardi to upstage “bikini girl” on American Idol’s season finale? Vix Swimwear. The bikini worn by Britney Spears while lounging with her new boy toy? Vix Swimwear. The chosen two-piece to showcase Eliza Dushku on the cover of FHM… Vix Swimwear. Not to mention Lindsay Lohan, Denise Richards, Charlize Theron, Kourtney Kardashian, Ashlee Simpson, and more.

The list goes on, and VIX 2010 has plenty to be proud of. The sexy cruise collection is available now for shipment by Oct 15th. It features sexy leopard prints, solid black styles, and gorgeous tortoise detail in their hardware. Our favorite style in the Vix 2010 collection is the Bardot Ruffle Bikini. The elegance and chicness it exudes merges the joy of beach life with the sophistication of high fashion. We can’t wait for Vix Swimwear 2010 !

Another good thing this year? Removable pads for (most) new styles. Hey, for those of us out there who need a little extra oomph up top, they are GREAT.

Pre-order your new VIX swimsuit here at The Orchid Boutique for delivery by October 15th. Also, 2009 items on sale are available now at our Vix designer page.

Titled “Herbarium”, the 2010 collection is nature themed with tons of botanical and floral influences. Oh yeah, and it’s totally blowing us away! This line brings us everything we crave from a Maaji suit: color, pattern, texture and loads of their signature spunky attitude. Here’s a sampling of what’s to come from Maaji this fall:

This line has something for everyone in it: it’s feminine, edgy, and endlessly chic. Definitely a must-have for any fun-loving fashionista!

The full collection will be available here at The Orchid Boutique as soon as it debuts this fall. Love their style but can’t stand to wait? Check out the 2009 collection, on sale now!

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