Bikinis and Boardies in 2009
Posted August 7, 2009 , trackbackSwimwear 2009 themes are giving me a serious flashback to the beach style in Sydney, Australia when I lived there in the late 80s / early 90s. Australia, mecca to surfers and beach culture, is the birthplace of major surf labels like Mambo, Billabong and Rip Curl, to name just a few. I loved, loved, loved the fluoro (neon) colors an was particularly fond of anything in the orange spectrum, as well as the bold and simple patterns. But, like all reinvented fashion, garish neon colors have been modernized with sophisticated, and sometimes restrained, color palettes and combined with edgy design elements.
For women, triangle tops remain a staple, but updated with punky patterns and colors like Roxy’s Venice Beach Tiki Tri Bikini.
Bandeau tops, a classic 1950s silhouette, take on an edgy twist with look-at-me elements juxtaposed with elegant color palettes like Seafolly’s Bardot bandeau, and Insight’s Skywalker Bikini.
Bikini by Insight
And the full piece, once the suit of choice for those preferring modesty, is looking much sexier than the bikini these days with midriff cut outs and bold graphics like Volcom’s Knotty One Piece.
Men traditionally have had less selection on shape (it’s a choice of either speedos or boardies, unfortunately) have much more variation with strong graphical elements like chevrons, circles and stripes, even mish-mashed together, offer variation such as the Reef Technic Boardshort, which I find just plain fun to look at.
I especially love how the colors and cut of these Insight Retro Stud Mid Boardshorts work together for a modern take on a 1960s length.
As a photographer, boardies with photo transfers are my personal favorite, as seen here with the masculine design of Rusty’s Smoke Em 20, which reminds me of Donald Sultan’s large format smoke ring photographs.
Boardies by Rusty
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