Miami Swim Week Diary 2016

Miami Swim Week has become a fundamental part of A Bikini A Day. Not only is it an opportunity for us to preview the latest collections from our favorite brands, but also a time to celebrate the swimwear industry as a whole with all of our favorite people. However, before we could get down to business, there was something else that needed celebrating… Tash’s Birthday!

 

July 13th

Upon our arrival in Miami we had to pop by and see the East Miami property. We have heard so many amazing things about it, especially the roof top restaurant and bar, Sugar, and had to see it for ourselves. It is definitely one of our new favorite spots!

July 14th, 2016

As per usual, Tash’s Birthday Bash was spent on the shores of Miami Beach at one of our favorite places in the world, Soho Beach House. The day was full of surprises, and the weather was a dream. However, anybody who knows Natasha knows a Birthday Bash isn’t complete without a Birthday Brunch, so after some playtime on the beach, we set up our station on the beach beds, ordered and early lunch and a bottle of the Birthday girls favorite Rosé – Whispering Angel.

After a perfect afternoon in the Miami heat, we headed back to the room to prepare for dinner. Upon entering the room, Tash was greeted by multiple bouquets of lily’s and roses, French champagne, chocolate cake, and the smiling faces of our favourite seal squad, Blog, Junior and Arnold!

We dressed up for a dinner at Casa Tua, an Italian restaurant that will have you planning your next trip to Miami before you’ve finished the entrée. It was an intimate occasion with a few special people, and the icing on the cake (so to speak) after such an amazing day.
Birthdays aside, there was business to tend to, not to mention some much needed rest to prepare us for our first day of Miami Swim Week…

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Friday July 15th

This year was especially important for us due to the launch of Monday Swimwear’s 2016 Summer Collection, but also the launch of Monday Active! There was a lot of hard work that went into the planning of our private suite at Soho to show off our new baby Monday Active and also showcase the gorgeous bright colors in our new Monday Swimwear Summer Collection! We couldn’t have pulled it off so seamlessly without the help of our dear friends at In House Ideas MIA. We are so ecstatic to have been able to meet so many of our supporters and fans in person, and actually see you guys rocking Monday – in real life! It was super special and we love and thank you all so much for sharing it with us. 

After a morning of excitement in the Monday Pop Up Shop, we headed over to the Glamour Magazine Bungalow at The Miami Beach Edition. Every year the Glamour Magazine events get even more glamorous, with amazing brands like Moroccan Oil doing some fun hair styling, the European Wax Centre holding eyebrow tutorials, Photo Booth fun, drinks by Soto Sake and Whispering Angel and even a rack full of adorable bikinis to shop from Ola Feroz! 

After all the fun at the Glamour bungalow we left (goodie bags in hand) and headed back to our room for hair & make up by our Glam Squad angels. They always make us feel like glowing beach babes for all the events and runway shows during Swim Week and we have full trust in them as they have never let us down! 

The Tash & Dev Cocktail Party was first on our list of events for the night, featuring our very own brands Monday Swimwear & Monday Active, as well as the gorgeous Niin Styles Jewelry, Gee Beauty, Frank Body and Bandier. It was so much fun to be sharing the event with other brands we admire and adore that all have strong beautiful women behind them. Love you girls!

 

Next up was a pit stop at the Pitusa event at the Soho Beach House rooftop pool. If you aren’t familiar with Pitusa and love bright and colorful kaftans and beach cover-ups, you should totally check them out.

 

Last but certainly not least on Friday was the Vix by Paula Hermanny Runway Show! We absolutely LOVE Vix and just died over all the gorgeous new pieces in the new collection. You guys know how much we appreciate natural, summery fabrics and Paula’s latest ready to wear range is full of the most beautiful cottons and linens, sun dresses and sets. Can’t wait to get our hands on some of the new pieces!

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Saturday July 16th

First things first- The Monday Swimwear and Monday Active Brunch was top of our to do list for today, and walking into the crowded Soho Suite to see a room full of our amazing supporters and friends was so humbling. This was a welcome break from what is generally the busiest few days of the year for us, and also a chance to meet new friends, and catch up with old ones. There was a beautiful spread set out for everybody to enjoy, a bar stocked with our fave rosé, and a view of the ocean to die for. Frank Body and their entourage of beautiful models in nothing but their underwear had taken over the suites bathroom, and the Gee Beauty girls were showing off their skills in the lounge. Thank you to everyone who joined us for brunch we had so much fun!

Next stop on our Swim Week schedule was the Bikini Beer Garden at W South Beach. It was held in the cutest bungalow, complete with hammock chairs, pool toys, bouquets of daisies and, of course, bikinis (by Ola Feroz). But, unfortunately, our time at the Bikini Beer Garden was limited. It was time to get back to the room for H&MU and change for the Ford Models Cocktail Party.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Ford Models Cocktail Party. GlamSquad was going to have to pull their best tricks out for this event, possibly a full overhaul if necessary. Just kidding 😉 This was so exciting for us. A chance to meet the talent we’d seen rocking the runways and the folks that make it all happen behind the scenes. The Cocktail Party was held in the Monday Suite, so it was also amazing being able to show the collection to industry people, hearing their thoughts and seeing how excited they were about the line. You know you’ve done something right when swimwear models and fellow industry insiders compliment you on the quality and design of your suits. SO HAPPY!

It’s difficult keeping to such a strict schedule when you’re having an amazing time, but we were really cutting it close, so soon enough we were on our way back to the Funkshion Tent for the Tori Praver Runway Show.

Incase I failed to mention, the was something different about the tents appearance this  year, and by something different I mean there was a huge photo of us from the Monday Swimwear campaign on the front of the tent. Huge. And, as if that wasn’t exciting enough, we’d been given permanent seats at the show with our names embroidered onto them. This was an amazing time for us, and we felt more at home at Miami Swim Week than ever before.

We attended the Tori Praver and Luli Fama shows and were blown away by each of them. Both designers are so unique in what they offer the swimwear industry, but are also extremely inspiring, creative women with strong, distinct aesthetics and clearly a passion for what they do. Tori Praver, from Maui, has been a long time friend and inspiration to us as her line has been consistently stunning over the years, sticking to a simplistic and chic vibe that we will always love. Luli, also a huge inspiration to us, basically runs Miami in the swimwear world and really is the OG designer that Miami Beach will always know. Her shows are notorious for their fun and crazy surprises – this year before the models came out there were fire eaters and tribal dancers! Both were shows to remember!

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Sunday July 17th

Sunday morning we attended the Rachel Wirkus lunch at the Penthouse Suite in Soho Beach House. Rachel Wirkus is the designer behind Formes Swimwear – a line created for the bigger busted and curvy woman, but inspired by all body types and the concept that beautiful swimwear doesn’t need to be catered towards any one specific shape. We love Formes because it reflects perfectly what our personal body image beliefs are; a healthy lifestyle and positive attitude go a very long way when it comes to self judging your own body image. As long as you’re healthy and happy, and aiming towards the best version of yourself, that’s all that matters. It was such a beautiful event, and so incredibly refreshing to be apart of the launch of a brand that has such positive body image attributes. We took in the gorgeous view form the penthouse, chatted with Rachel about the brand and enjoyed a seriously delicious lunch. Keep an eye out for more Formes Swimwear in the near future.

Obviously, a major part of Swim Week is Cabana – a place for beach lovers to get their fashion fix and buyers to get their orders in. This is without a doubt the best, most efficient and most enjoyable way to view the latest collections from your favourite brands – but, beware… you will want to buy almost everything form Cabana. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

After an hour or so of completely overwhelming ourselves at Cabana, we headed back to the hotel. It was time for these beach babies to get glammed up for the next big show – For Love and Lemons.

For Love and Lemons is more than just a swimwear brand. They have some of the most beautiful ready to wear pieces that are also included in the Miami Swim Week runway shows. Their vibe is very boho beach chic, and their use of lace, delicate fabrics and soft feminine colors are some of the attributes that makes them so special. The show was pretty unforgettable, leaving us dreaming of the pieces we’re desperate to get our hands on.

Last, but not least was the Maaji show. Their shows are always so much fun and definitely one of the shows we look forward to seeing most. They always bring so much to the table and accessorise their runway outfits like noone’s business. It was definitely an amazing way to finish off a long few days and end Miami Swim Week in style.

Signing off from Miami Swim Week 2016 –

Tash & Dev

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