Fashion & Beauty

New York City Living 360

Gottex’s Swimwear Spring/Summer 2011 Collection:

Great Halloween Superheroine Gear

Watching the Halloween Parade in the West Village brought flashbacks of the Gottex Spring 2011Swimwear Collection during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  Of course there were plenty of super heroines – Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Lady Gaga. And if any one of them had wanted to update their uniform they could have raided the runway looks from Gottex’s Spring 2011 Collection. The runway show at Lincoln Center revealed the design powers of Designer Molly Grad, Gottex’s superwoman.  She let fantasy fly in a fusion she says was the blending of “technology and luxury” -- a collection with a 21^st century edge.

Let’s face it, female superheroes like Superwoman basically sport swimwear with a cape and some leotards thrown underneath.  This collection celebrates the female form rather than offering utilitarian creations for the function of swimming.  You won’t want to go into the water in these fantasy creations. But you might feel empowered enough to attempt to save someone in distress!

Lycra was ruched into flattering feminine forms and in some cases transformed into foiled metal lycra or covered with Lucite or resin rock-like formations.  Ms. Grad went a little “heavy metal” using silver, bronze and foil metallics for heroines using rock bands as a cover to hide their super identity.

If Super Woman has found an effective defense against kryptonite Ms. Grad designed a Lurex woven mono-kini heavily embellished with rock crystal embroidery, which could easily be replaced with the appropriate rock crystal antidote for kryptonite.

Lots of super heroines wear blue, so Ms Grad’s use of a color palette of baby blue, cobalt and royal blues is perfect for a female crime stopper.  Chiffon capes -- some maxi, others mini- - floated behind bikinis formed from foam material.  Remember, it’s not really the cape that does the flying – it’s the super power within the heroine that does the work!  Ms Grad worked with delicate fabrics – crepes, chiffons, silks and tulle-- to form flattering feminine silhouettes.  

Of course, after performing those super feats, a girl needs to wind down, right? Ms Grad offered options for space travel style lounging by pairing swimsuits accented with chiffon kimonos and mini-boleros.  And although super heroines don’t get cold Ms Grad’s metallic crochet poncho could be perfect for keeping ice crystals off the skin if our heroine is flying in deep, deep, deep space. 

For anyone wanting to reincarnate as Cleopatra cruising the West Village any one of the three ensembles that closed the Gottex show would be perfect.  In my fantasy I’m not in the Halloween parade, but cruising down the Nile in the royal blue encrusted bandeau suit with the double sided metallic skirt – the first of a a stunning Egyptian-esque trinity of that closed the show. 

Jumping off my barge and taking a dip in the Nile would be followed by my donning Gottex’s royal blue double-sided metallic caftan over my wet look suit with its matching belt. And ifIf I happened to find an X-Man for a date I’d slip into a criss-crossed midnight blue encrusted high waist bikini made regal by an embroidered encrusted skirt trailing between me. Truly fit for the Queen of the Nile.  Ms Grad’s fantasy-fueled collection is perfect for the Super Heroine or simple space travel lounging.  Next spring you’ll find scaled down versions of these fabulous fantasy creations that just might make you not want to get them wet!

Photography by David Bismuth

www.david-bismuth.com