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The rain couldn’t keep the fashionable set away from scoping out the latest in swimwear—but not for lack of trying. The cloudy weather threatened show-goers earlier Friday evening, but when the time came to cram into the clear plastic Oasis tent at The Raleigh hotel, all bets were officially off.
The rain couldn’t keep the fashionable set away from scoping out the latest in swimwear—but not for lack of trying. The cloudy weather threatened show-goers earlier Friday evening, but when the time came to cram into the clear plastic Oasis tent at The Raleigh hotel, all bets were officially off.
Frankie’s Bikinis is the brainchild of Francesca Aiello—and she’s the youngest designer to ever show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. The surfer and teen entrepreneur—she’s only 19!—was inspired by Southern California’s coast and the Hawaiian shoreline, and the suits are fit for standing out in.
Aiello used her social media savvy to launch her swimwear line, posting on Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter and more, and getting the attention of supermodels and celebs like Candice Swanepoel and Ireland Baldwin, who’ve sported her suits.
Aiello grew up in Malibu, and adds a surfer’s perspective to designing her girly swimwear. We half expected bodysuits, covered-up pieces and traditional surf attire, but were pleasantly surprised last night to see the complete opposite. The next step in her burgeoning swim empire: Mercedes-Benz-Fashion Week Swim.
The show started—ever so subtly— with pastels. Beiges, blushes, and creams adorned barefoot models who quickly came out of their shells as the music started pumping and the colors and prints started popping.
Faint daisy prints and barely-there bottoms proved that any woman can have curves with the right swimwear, as friendship bracelets adorned models’ wrists, ankles and hair. The models were fun, young and flirty with gold-speckled faces, as they danced and sashayed down the runway in laser-cut halter one-pieces with wispy, beach babe hair. Think: fishtail braids, waves and beach frizz so perfect it’s chic.
These swimsuits are for making a statement, with pieces like polka dot monokinis with strappy, braided backs; string bikinis with criss-cross backs and barely-there stripy bottoms; and one-pieces with huge, laser-cut pattern centers that were at once stylish and artistic.
As the music went from mellow pop to a full-on fist-pumping dance party, the models seemed to almost be looking for cheers as they sported tribal stripe prints, bright blues, and plenty of red. This show almost made us forget how hard it was pouring outside. A mere glance up at the clear ceiling made show-goers fear for their makeup; did we remember to waterproof? The rain leaked ever so slightly onto the edge of the stage, and no one seemed to notice, as the vibe and the energy were so on-point.
Oversized striped beach bags were the only other accessory, with raffia detailing and plenty of room to store up beach essentials and then some. Flowy sarongs proved to be the perfect, versatile cover-up, and Frankie’s Bikinis truly had something for every demographic. Army greens, neon pinks, blues, pastels: the pieces ranged the color spectrum, clearly flattering for all skin tones and body types. And as the thunderstorm grew more intense, rain leaked from under the tent onto the sand. But we didn’t care; we had something else on our minds: Hello, tan lines!
Favorite Piece: white triangle to with macramé detailing (look 16)
Theme: subtle and feminine, transitioning to prints and pops of color
Color Scheme: beige, blush, cream, tribal stripe prints, bright blues, red
Trend: strappy suits with girlie detailing
Christine Borges 
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