The Swim + Resort Series
What a way to welcome summer! On Sunday, Fashion Council WA and Telstra Perth Fashion Festival invited us along to celebrate the new swim and resort designs to come from our WA Designers and Australian favourite, Camilla.
Set on Fremantle’s beautiful beach at Bathers Beach House, the sun over the water was the perfect backdrop to a white sand catwalk. We’re obviously known for our sandy white beaches and crystal clear blue water so if there was an event to get us excited for a West Australian summer – this was it!
The WA Independent Designer Runway was the first show of the afternoon, showcasing the incredible new collections from WA locals Natalie Rolt, NU Swimwear, Gypsea, Amore & Sorvete, Bernice Sara, PALM Swimwear, Rue Stiic and Ocean Zone. This season, our local swimwear brands have taken things to a new level with on trend designs.
Natalie Rolt, who has wowed us with her most recent Ready to Wear collections has added another amazing collection to her belt and shown that there is nothing she can’t do. Her beautiful, flowing designs encapsulated what a woman wants from resort wear perfectly.
If simple designs and block colours are your thing (as much as they are mine), you need to check out PALM Swimwear’s latest collection. Full of blacks, whites, maroons and classic but activewear inspired cuts, every new bikini or one piece that sashayed down the runway I wished would immediately enter my closet.
Bernice Sara has absolutely nailed the art of the one piece – the sexy silhouettes matched with block colours are what every girl needs in her swimsuit collection to take her through a number of summer seasons.
Richie (of The Bachelorette fame) strutted his chiselled abs down the runway for Ocean Zone alongside a bevy of other male models, which, by the sounds of the reaction from the girls, was a crowd favourite. Abs aside, the beach landscape and iconic prints on each pair of boardshorts made the designs unique and a different option for what is usually simple male swimwear.
Showing us just how important the accessories are to the swimsuit of choice, I adored the addition of floral arrangements to the Bernice Sara collection, bandanas to PALM Swimwear, and AudioFly headphones to the Gypsea range (if only I looked this cool on my beach adventures).
The second runway show saw Australia’s darling of fashion, Camilla, grace the runway. The collection, titled ‘My Wandering Heart’ showcased both swim and resort wear – featuring silk kaftans, flowing maxi dresses and playsuits alongside printed bikinis and one pieces.
In true Camilla fashion, there were masses of fabric billowing in the wind, the perfect colour combinations of blues, purples, yellows and pinks, and of course, embellishments on everything. Models were also decked out in gypsy jewels and headpieces, a definite reflection of designer Camilla Frank’s recent adventures to Spain and Turkey and the longtime tribal influence in her designs. For someone who isn’t too much into “colour” nor decorations on my clothing, I was definitely figuring out how quickly I could get one of the new Camilla pieces onto my body.
Styled to absolute perfection by the always on point Teagan Sewell, the WA fashion FROW and lovers alike welcomed the Swim and Resort Series in it’s second year and are already anticipating the next instalment. Well I am, anyway.
WA swim and resort wear is well and truly on the map, and so it should be as it aptly reflects the incredible beach culture we have. Bring on Summer!
Images by Stefan Gosatti
