Australia is well known for its beautiful sunsets, scorching hot summers and glorious landscapes so it will come as no surprise that an Australian brand has encapsulated this imagery and reinvented it into a swimwear collection. We Are Handsome has successfully created the ball gowns of beach wear by making bikinis with prints so dreamy and exotic that it would be a crime to wear them without heels, and swimsuits that are so chic you may feel inclined to pass them off as a top and tuck them into a high waisted skirt.
Spring-Summer 2012/13 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week
The brand uses shots that capture a sense of paradise and exotic worlds to create swimwear that represents the epitome of summer. The carefully selected prints have a photo like feel capturing inspiring natural scenes such as horses galloping through fields, the sun setting over palm trees, a lion’s face and swans with carefully positioned necks to insinuate the shape of a heart. This gives the collection an arty feel to it with the images being comparable to something that may be found on a canvas at an art exhibition. But why have such imagery on the wall when you can have it on your swimsuit?
Patterns are also a feature of the brand adding a sprinkle of vintage to the spring summer 2012 collection. The Memories print is made up of smaller snapshots perhaps depicting a photo album from a travelling experience, while the rose garden print is less photographic allowing the staple floral pattern of the summer catwalk to make an appearance. The Matriarch print is my favourite giving a pretty feminine feel to any bathing suit especially with the delicate little frill attached around the neckline on The Matriarch all in one. The landscapes and patterns are also available in dresses, tops and leggings. So being handsome isn’t something that has to be confined to the beach.
Celebrities such as Rihanna have been spotted sporting these exquisite garments and so naturally the brand has become ever more prestigious, and with prestige comes a large price tag. So I have skimmed the high street to see what handsome inspired pieces I could find with a less handsome bill. Topshop has various bikinis and all in one swim suits for less than £40 that successfully incorporate that arty, postcard feel. Marks and Spencer’s have also latched onto the trend offering their version of the flamingo print, which comes in a swimsuit and bikini, for less than £35 each.
Written by Julia. Check out her Tumblr here.
