Miami Swim Week Diary 2014

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim is the most highly coveted event in the swimwear industry, and it seems as though each year gets bigger and better. The creme of the crop swimwear brands gather in Miami from all over the world to show case their newest collections. Obviously MBFW Swim is the place to be when you are bikini connoisseurs like ourselves! Show after show, event after event, things can get a little bikini crazy at times, but there’s nothing like the buzz of the shows and excitement in the air. Take a little look into what our week at MBFW Swim looked like from behind the scenes!

Before Swim Week began, we had a few days to unwind and relax at our favorite spot, Soho Beach House. We spent our days at the beautiful beach eating yummy quinoa salad and sipping out of coconuts. You can see some photos from the beach that were snapped of us here. We also celebrated Natasha’s birthday before Swim Week began by spending the day at the beach of course, and finishing the night with an incredible dinner at Prime 112. The fried oreos we had for dessert there were the perfect birthday treat!

We kicked off Miami Swim Week 2014 by attending the Tara Ink. Runway Show featuring the wonderful brands Cote d’Or and Meskita. We loved that the runway was constructed over the pool at Soho Beach House to perfectly encapsulate the Miami Swim vibe. Cote d’Or had a lovely display of bold, graphic prints, while Meskita was the epitome of luxury with flowing coverups and plunging, deep-v necklines!

Miami swim isn’t only about bikinis, there are a number of great men’s ranges displaying their collections as well! We visited the Orlebar Brown showroom, a new and upcoming brand from London which has well fashioned, extremely classy board shorts and beachwear for men, they are taking a new approach to men’s swimwear with immaculately constructed and tailored men’s shorts that can be worn from the beach to the streets. Orlebar Brown quickly became a new favorite of Natasha’s boyfriend, Martin!

After, we were invited to walkthrough the Tropico Showroom with the gorgeous Carolina Melo, where we viewed the newest collections of a lot of familiar Brazilian brands as well as many new ones. There is nothing like a Brazilian bikini, and as you all know they are undoubtedly some of our favorites!

That evening before heading over to the shows, we attended the Brasil Foundation Dinner at Cecconi’s at Soho Beach House where we rubbed elbows and talked swim with some of the top names in the Brazilian Swimwear Industry like Glamour Brazil.

With so many great brands showing at Miami Swim from all over the world, it is hard to make all the shows and literally be everywhere at once. We selected a few of our favorite designers shows to attend at The Raleigh in Miami beach, where the main events of MBFW Swim were held. The shows are held over 4 nights in a group of tents. On the first evening we started out with a bang seeing the always sassy and exciting Wildfox show, followed by the equally fantastic We Are Handsome show where the models sported live snakes along the runway as if they were accessories; what a show!

Wildfox

We Are Handsome

Something we really enjoyed, being the bikini addicts that we are, was having a chance to get up close and personal with many of the designers. Natasha was the host of IMG’s collaboration with MBFW Swim, “Tower Talks”. We had an all access pass to the behind the scenes and backstage of the biggest event of the year, definitely a perk in our eyes! You can see all of Tash’s interviews with designers of Wildfox, Mikoh and many more here.

Up and at em’ ! Of course in between all the craziness fitting in a workout was a priority, so we decided to try our very first Flywheel class while in Miami. What an insane workout, we’ve never done anything like it, the instructor was so motivating and it was almost like being on a ride at Universal Studios. We can’t wait to take more classes at the Los Angeles Flywheel studio!

We were lucky enough to stop by Tory Burch Press Preview which was the definition of simplicity, class and style. We are so thankful for the gorgeous gifts we received, we are always happy to add some Tory Burch pieces to our personal swimwear and accessory collections.

We managed to squeeze in some time to head over to Gee Beauty at Bal Harbour Shops for an oxygen facial which not only served as a quick getaway from all the Swim Week craziness but helped us revitalize our skin after traveling. The girls of Gee Beauty gave us some great tips and products to keeping our skin fresh and glowing during our busy week. After our facials we visited Jade Signature Residences and took a look at some of Miami’s premium real estate. It never hurts to look ; ) !

Later in the afternoon we were back at Soho to attend the Self Music Festival where we were able to enjoy some unforgettable watermelon, vodka, lavender cocktails whilst listening to live music and watching the sunset. The event was also sponsored by one of favorite “Essie” nail polish and was a great way to start off an evening of runway shows and events.

As the night went on, the fashion shows continued with more of our absolute favorites! Each designer brought something unique and exciting to the runway and we were blown away each and every time. Mikoh Swimwear started their show with a full blown traditional Tahitian dance, where the dancers were of course wearing Mikoh, then followed by a sassy runway show to show off their sexy new collection. Next up was the Mara Hoffman show, which is one we look forward to every year because of her stunning designs and bright colors. There was no lack of color and once again we were impressed by the energy and visually stimulating show and collection.

Mikoh

Mara Hoffman

“No rest for the wicked” said our Fly Barre class instructor – the next morning we were straight back to it, starting off the day with the Glow Getters Beauty Brunch in Soho’s stunning penthouse. It was our first time trying Fly Barre, it was a tough workout, but such a rewarding feeling at the end! Afterwards, the Gee beauty girls gave us a quick pampering and some touch ups to send us off to another busy day!

Next on the agenda was a visit to Meskita and Jade Event in the Vogue Brasil Style Lounge at Soho Beach House. We adored the crochet dresses the models were wearing, if we can have one of everything that would be great ; ) !

That night we got the opportunity to stop by the Guess sunset rooftop party at Soho Beach House. The Guess team was so lovely and even gifted us a couple pair of gorgeous Guess sunglasses!

Next we hurried off to the shows. The first show we attended that night was Suboo. Now Suboo is one of our long time clients from Australia and we love each and every suit we’ve seen by them so needless to say we were really excited to see the show. Just as we suspected the collection was perfect. Our favorites were all the leather-like black pieces! Mia Marcelle was up next and the collection looks fantastic. Getting to see the pieces up close and personal on the live runway was such a rush for us! Like a couple of the designers, Mia Marcelle incorporated some male models into the runway mix, which we’re not complaining about. Last but definitely not least, was the Luli Fama Show. Known for killing the Miami Runway, Luli Fama always shocks the audience with a grand entrance. This year the show began with stilt ribbon dancers who walked up and down the runway! Then of course the traditional catwalk began with gorgeous models and a fantastic collection. Congratulations to all the designers, you truly blew us away!

Suboo

Mia Marcelle

Luli Fama

We closed off Swim Week by attending Fashion For Breakfast. As we enjoyed a fresh and healthy meal at Cecconi’s, we had the privilege of listening to an informative interview with the lovely designers of Wildfox, Basta Surf and Suboo about their experiences in the industry. Hearing what they had to say only strengthened our love and appreciation for the swimwear world, it is filled with so many talented driven women but this doesn’t take away from how kind and friendly everyone is and that is something we really admire.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim 2014 certainly did not disappoint, and we left with a lasting impression of all the brands showcased. We will be sharing all of the latest designs we discovered in our features over the next few months. We already can’t wait to be back on the beaches of Miami next summer for another fabulous Swim Week!