bandeau - The Seventh Sphinx

I enjoy a bikini. I seem to have quite a few of them, now that I take stock, and they all fall solidly into the category of stuff I like. On the blog they go! I imagine the choices will be telling.

I cannot be the only one who really enjoys mixing and matching tops and bottoms. Thinking about colors and patterns and how they might best be combined never gets dull for me. Swimsuit slant rhyme! My stamp of individuality!

I do not turn to Victoria’s Secret for many things–so much of their product is branded to death–but some of their swimsuits are great, particularly when they are on sale. [I went a bit crazy last year and got a number of pieces, so they will come up again.] I must have spent two hours fiddling with combinations online and was, at the time, determined to get something with polka-dots. Turquoise is fantastic with a bit of summer tan (it’s been on my mind lately), and I like this bright, almost aquamarine shade of it. Here we have the double string bikini bottoms and the bandeau top. I’ve already covered my love of bandeaus. This is a bit retro with the polka dot bandeau, and one of my more playful options.

Also like the idea of yellow polka-dot bottoms with this…maybe later.

I have so many bikinis, one has to justify owning them somehow. Pairing a bandeau with a high-waisted skirt (or pants, or shorts) makes it so much friendlier, so much more wearable. There is still a fair amount of skin on display yet the effect is, to me at least, conservative. Well, let’s call it summer conservative, compared to a full abdominal display.

I sometimes enjoy when a photo turns out blurry as the image then really comes down to the silhouette, which is a preoccupation of mine. Whether or not I like a look often comes down to the overall silhouette, which it is in a way easier to see from a distance (literal or figurative), without the distraction of the details. This shot has the ideal amount of blurriness. Probably there is a technical term for that?

[UPDATE (one option): bokeh, n. a Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image. Thanks, Chris.]

Goorin Bros. hat, marimekko for anthropologie bikini top, American Apparel pencil skirt, gladiator sandals from Italian eBay boutique*, vintage Timex watch, Scotch & Soda wrap bracelet, Spektre sunglasses.

*I was looking for gladiator sandals in a very specific style (leather straps of a certain width, arranged with a certain degree of complexity–not more, not less–with ankle straps, not shoddy, affordable…) for about four or five years before I found these, and they meet all of my criteria.

Tag: bandeau

bikini of the day: turquoise mix & match

I’m with the bandeau