Miami Swim Week came to town in July. Highlights included SwimShow turning 40, Cabana’s attendance exceeding its 2019 numbers, Hammock relaunching under new ownership, Paraiso holding more than 25 runway presentations, and ProColombia getting behind 50-plus brands to participate in fashion shows. The word on the beach is that buyers are back. Here, they critique the week. (Editor’s note: The comments have been condensed and edited.)
Divya Mathur, chief merchandising officer, Intermix
Trends: Microkinis, tankinis, shine, sheer, mesh, crystals, crochet (here to stay), cutouts, ruffles, bold color and prints, and matching sets.
New talents: Lily Franco, Palo Rosa, Ancora, Alix Pinho, Gigi C, Monica Hansen, My Beachy Side, Alma Arena, Bahama Mama and VDM.
Impressions of the overall week and industry: There was incredible energy. It was well attended by countless brands, including a high number of emerging brands, and designers at various curated event spaces. With high interest and demand, it will be interesting to see how long the Florida and travel booms can last.
Side notes: Collections are more curated and sexier with bold cutouts and micro bikinis. Brands are going after head-to-toe looks to wear day-to-night. Size inclusivity and sustainability remain key pillars.
Arielle Siboni, ready-to-wear fashion director, fashion office, Bloomingdale’s
Trends: This season was all about empowerment and feeling comfortable, most importantly, confident in your skin. “Look at me” shades including hot pink and lime green were fun pops of color and continued the celebratory spirit of high-shine fabrications and crystal trims. Lingerie-inspired separates, mesh panels and flirty cutouts were bold trends that will undoubtedly turn heads. Mermaid-inspired styles were one of the newest trends (and my personal favorite). Look to shell shapes and motifs, crochet in many forms, ombré and sea-like cerulean to drive this trend.
Favorite collections: Baobab, Bahía María, Capittana and Agua Bendita.
Impressions of the overall week and industry: After seasons away, there was a definite excitement to come together and showcase the latest in creative pursuits for the swimwear market. From casting to design details, inclusivity was top-of-mind.
The buying team led by Karen Klimkiewicz, general merchandise manager, Ron Jon
Trends: Texture solids still continue to be big, and we’re seeing ditsy florals for 2023. Next year’s colors like lime green, bright orange and browns are bold and polarizing.
Best collections: I was very impressed by the print offerings from missy/contemporary brands like Maxine and 24th and Ocean. For juniors, Kulani Kinis and Rhythm had the best prints for our customer.
New talents: Unfortunately, we were unable to find new brands. We found that the vendors we work with had the busiest booths. Most of the show’s new vendors are out of our price range. There was a surplus of beautiful printed caftan/cover-up vendors that were priced $200 and up.
Impressions of the overall week and industry: The show was just OK. We didn’t find the newness we were looking for, and most brands were just not in our price range. A big focus was finding vendors that offered juniors/contemporary with extended cup sizes — there’s a demand for them. I haven’t been able to find many price point vendors with great silhouettes and prints for younger customers.
Lori Marten, vice president and divisional merchandise manager, active, Nordstrom
Favorite trends: Three-dimensional textures and a new take on embossing, shine, mesh, eyelet, terry and seersucker. We were excited to see linen cover-ups with new color and shape fabrications that our customers will love.
Emerging trends: We saw the evolution of sexy, minimalist style emerge with an emphasis on cinching, ruching, twisting and knotting for a more elevated look.
Noteworthy collections: We’ve been watching Andrea Iyamah for two years and really love where she’s taking the label with a focus on details, color palette and new silhouettes. Ostra Brasil has beautiful strap details, wrapping techniques and interesting cutouts. Good American had strong silhouettes, textures, colors and cover-ups.
New talents: Maylé Vásquez’s versatile cover-ups stood out as timeless, elevated pieces that take you from poolside to a wedding. Cala de la Cruz has stunning print work. Devon Windsor’s swim and versatile rtw collections featured newness in fabrications, and cutouts and hardware that were subtly sexy.
Impressions of the overall week and industry: It’s exciting how brands are pushing the limits of swim and cover-ups as wardrobe foundations beyond styling solely for vacations. We appreciate how the industry continues to celebrate and elevate brands founded by diverse designers, and emphasizes the importance of size inclusivity.
Nicole Perry, senior buyer, Marissa Collections
Trends: Head-to-toe crochet, whether your bathing suit, sarong or handbag. Cutouts — the trend that never ends — what came back in the high designer world a few seasons ago is now prominent in our casual, everyday wear. Nautical — all your favorite yacht attire like wide-legged linen pants, cutout shirt dresses and swimsuits versatile enough to be worn as tops and bodysuits.
Favorite collections: Paolita, Temptation Positano, Azulu and Maygel Coronel.
New talents: S-Mode, an Argentinian line focusing on linen with beautiful nature-inspired prints.
Jodi Kahn, vice president, luxury fashion, Neiman Marcus
Trends: We’re noticing a shift from the minimalist trend that we saw in swim last year to more novelty pieces. Collections feature unique design details such as crochet textures and embellishments including ruffles, appliqué trims and jewelry hardware. We see an explosion of color with the return of neon pink, orange and blue hues, along with sophisticated, artistic painted florals.
Favorite collections: Lenny Niemeyer, Paolita, Alémais and Verandah all presented extraordinary collections.
New talents: Azulu, La Revêche and Me369.
Impressions of the overall week and industry: After coming off of a strong swim season, the energy was electrifying. We’re looking forward to continuing this momentum with resort.
Side notes: Swimwear continues to draw inspiration from sportswear designers by upping the sophistication factor. Swim tops and one-pieces that double as sportswear and bodysuits are becoming more prevalent, as well as chic ensemble cover-ups that effortlessly transition from beach to cocktails.
Jenni Johnson, senior director, fashion office, Macy’s
Colors: Hyper brights with a spotlight on pink, textured whites in eyelet, lace and crochet; black with black, aqua blues.
Key styles: The slipdress and matching sets (swimsuit and cover-up, matching top and shorts/pants/skirt).
Fabrications and details: Feminine details like 3D floral appliqué and ruffles. Summer shine such as sequins, lurex, paillettes and metallics. Terry cloth, textured and crinkled fabrics, crochet and openwork. Cutouts continue.
Teresa Azizian, owner, Pesca Boutique
Trends: Shimmer, textured/ribbed, and lots of blues, knits and appliqués. High-waisted bottoms shouldn’t be full coverage, so I’m happy how they’ve evolved.
Lacking items: Underwire in general, and one-pieces with underwire. Fun, cute prints and styles for larger cup sizes. We need more thong one-pieces like in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The ‘90s had a great high leg.
Favorite collections: Bohodot and Lily & Rose had beautiful detail, Lenny Niemeyer was stunning, and Pho Firenze for beachwear bikini dresses.
Impressions of the overall week and industry: As a buyer, it’s extremely inconvenient to run around to all the shows. It was truly draining. Buyers would place more orders if the show’s in one place. I found the most unique mix of lines at SwimShow.
Dayna Ziegler, senior vice president and general merchandise manager, women’s contemporary and modern rtw, Saks Fifth Avenue
Trends: Bright and bold colors, particularly green hues, as well as beautiful resortwear to complement swimwear. Cutouts and crochets also continue to be strong.
Best collections: Camilla, Andrea Iyamah and Shoshanna.
New talents: It was lovely meeting Carolina Lopez at Cabana as we just introduced Cala de la Cruz at Saks this spring.
Impressions of the overall week and industry: We loved swim week’s overall energy, and it was exhilarating to be back in Miami for the first time in a few years. We are coming off of a strong swim season, and it was great to see new offerings from so many of our brand partners. Saks pursued the category in a big way this spring with the introduction of more than 20 brands including Baobab, Veronica Beard, Good American and Agua Bendita.
