Swimsuit Inspo 2024

Sum is soon to come!

I recently harvested some valuable inspiration from the 2006 Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated that I picked up from a vintage shop. I have decided, reluctantly, not to gatekeep my findings. If you wanna look hot this summer, read on!

Brands I Found Worthy of Mention on My Blog:

Beach Bunny Swimwear

Whilst flipping through my almost-vintage magazine, one bathing suit in particular audibly shouted "Sara!" from the glossy page.

Yeah, my magazines speak to me, no big.

Closely resembling lingerie, this bikini was unlike any swimwear I've encountered on the modern market. My eyes drifted to the product description printed in the upper lefthand corner in itty bitty font. I read the brand: Beach Bunny Swim. With doubts that the company is still in business 18 years later, I took to Google. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only has Beach Bunny survived, it has maintained its core vision.

Arriving to the site, I was greeted by a bronzed lady donning a lingerie-inspired bikini! Not unlike the one that caught my eye in the 2006 editorial.

Designer Angela Chittenden is apparently also big on incorporating jewels into swimwear. One of her aqua blue sequin designs with dangling crystals actually reminds me of a lingerie piece I designed a few years ago.

Miss Naory

Doesn't exist anymore. Bummer. I found exactly a few listings on Poshmark. I quickly realized that I was dealing with a 2000s lingerie brand who had branched into a limited line of swimwear. Most of the listings were pieces of actual bras and bodysuits that wouldn't survive a salty ocean. I found one bikini on a deadstock boutique site; the pictured white two-piece with butterfly lace. I'm loving this lingerie-as-swimwear pattern! If you know me, you surely aren't surprised.

Letarte

Once worthy of a feature in the iconic SI Swim Issue, Letarte has been condemned to Walmart! The brand's current Walmart line isn't HIDEOUS, but it def qualifies as uggo in Saralanian. Lots of prints, which I tend to avoid in general.

Exceptions to my no-print rule: Snakeskin, uhhh... that's about it! I'll accept poppies as the only floral I like but otherwise, I do not jive with printed garments.

Some older styles by Letarte can be found on pre-loved resale sites like Poshmark and Ebay.

Luli Fama

This brand still exists!! Impressive that they survived the 2008 financial crisis AND a pandemic yet, I've never heard of them! Their suits are super cute to this day. Lots of prints that, again, I personally wouldn't wear. HOWEVER, I can totally see the girlies rocking their styles.

Opera Swimwear

Designer Sueli Costa briefly owned a swimwear line, Opera, that I can find little information about on the internet. From what I gathered, they really hopped on the low-waist trend that surged during their stint on the market. Sexy stuff. I'm digging the hardware on the teensy tiny turquoise bikini bottoms. I'm becoming a big fan of hardware on bathing suits this year. Bulky, extra bikinis for the win!

Key Trends:

• Swimable Lingerie

• Sequins/Paillettes

• Aqua & Turquoise

• Low Waisted Bottoms

• Hardware

If I weren't 4 years old in the summer of 2006, I'd be all over these styles. Though if I weren't 4 in 2006 then I may not have been me, so who knows! My birth chart would be different and if I weren't a Taurus, I wouldn't be nearly as cool. (;

Researching trends requires a lot of online faire du lèche-vitrines aka window shopping; which translates literally to "licking the windows". The French are so real for that. I get to call browsing online stores investigative journalism which is the first time Saralanian has sounded fancier than le Français. I'm having so much fun writing these blog posts, keep reading pleeeez!

Peace, Sara