Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim
Day 4: July 21, 2013
L*Space, Luli Fama
at The Raleigh Hotel
1775 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
By day four, we were pros at the game that was Swim Week. We knew that each show customarily ran up to 45 minutes late, so we didn't bother wanting to kill ourselves if we got stuck in a traffic jam or had to actually, you know, eat something. We also knew that sometimes, people who sat in the front row would leave their goody bags when the show was over, so finders keepers.
"Oh look, another Real Housewife" was the recurring theme at the tents this weekend. Our first Bravo-lebrity sighting was cool, but by day four we were nothing short of unenthused to see yet another one of The Real Housewives of Miami and the posse of photographers they attract, who always managed to get in our way when rushing from one show to the next. We also ran into Joe and Melissa Gorga of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but seeing them in person is exactly like seeing them on TV. It really bummed us out that our only celebrity sightings were not of celebrities of any real merit.
But on to what really made our last day of Swim Week special--two of the very best shows we've attended all week, and with the hottest bodies to boot.
See also:
- Full coverage of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim
- More photos from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim
L*Space
We were elated to finally get the best seats of the week for one of the best shows in our book. The looks at L*Space were casual and wearable. Ankle boots completed the looks for that Southwestern-meets-LA look. We especially loved the resort wear, which included breezy gauze dresses, chevron-print halter maxi dresses, and off-the-shoulder tie-dye day dresses that all transition from day to night.
We also liked that the collection didn't discriminate with age, because let's be honest, not every beach goer is in her late teens to early 20s. There were just as many skimpy pieces for the younger gals, plus more sporty, supportive, yet still very sexy pieces for the ones who are not.
Standout looks: A green one-piece that will make just about any woman look svelte; a coral fringed bandeau top with a pale pink bikini bottom; and a billowy cream dress that we wanted to buy off the runway.
We could do without: The accessories left a lot to be desired. Some of the jewelry was too over the top for what is obviously a laid-back, hippie line. It took away from some of the looks. We were also confused as to how the sparkly naval officer hats fit into the theme.
The Vibe: Sparkly naval officer at a Coachella pool party.
Cute Factor: Each model had a sleek, braided ponytail, but the ante was upped on the otherwise basic hairstyle with gold glitter. Seriously, we're already trying to figure out how we can dip our head in gold glitter.
Luli Fama
We couldn't have picked a better show to end our Swim Week experience with. Everything, everything was praise-worthy. Even the models at this show were straight out of a Victoria's Secret catalogue, with vibrant personalities to match the vibrant looks.
The show opened up with a Latin musical performance and a sexy salsa dance number. It was exciting and awe-inspiring, really. Once the runway show started, the presentation broke necks with a grand total of 66 looks, each divided into four mini collections, each with its own theme and color scheme. Look after look was of gorgeous jewel-toned colors. True to its reputation for being sexy, all the bikinis were Brazilian-cut and therefore, perfectly plump derrières were all. Over. The. Place.
Luli's resort wear featured an array of crocheted and chiffon cover-ups, sarongs, tunics, maxi dresses, and resort separates, which can be mixed and matched to create easy-breezy ensembles for a tropical vacation or everyday Miami-living.
Standout looks: It's hard to choose just one of Luli's looks, but the Soy Sirena collection within the collection featured a turquoise and gold mermaid-inspired two-piece with fish scale-like detailing on the butt that we absolutely loved. The caftan dresses and rompers in kaleidoscope of colors were also high on the list of our favorites.
We could do without: Though not in every look, the rhinestones were a bit superfluous.
The Vibe: Girl from Ipanema with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Cute Factor: Ruffles on the shoulders, scallop trimmed bikini bottoms, braided straps, and flower crowns. Cute. Cute. Cute.
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