fashion rio: lenny

(images via ffw)

i've elaborated profusely in various blog formats the tediums of swimwear, enough that ought suffice to explain i don't enthuse over the medium, save for exceptional cases. and while i'm not about to make the case that the lenny s/s 2011 collection is exactly deserving of that adjective, i will say there were several pieces here that were very nice indeed.

in particular, the piece at the top of this review, resembling gilded toilet roll having wound its way around the model's torso like an experimental prom-goer's outfit stood out, as well as the two looks below this paragraph, with a slouchy sexiness very comforting in their dirty gym-bag hues.

the designer's bio informs us (in such splendid verbiage, one doubts paraphrasing would do it justice), "Lenny Niemeyer first arrived on the scene in Rio in 1980. With her tanned skin and golden blond hair, Lenny was ready to take on this new city." although there wasn't enough on the market capable of withstanding the scorching heat the bombshell emitted, she decided to make one herself, eventually launching her signature brand in 1993.


thanks to lenny's craftiness, we have her to thank not only for the glamor-encrusted swimsuits which ooze brazilian animal magnetism, but, apparently for introducing us to scores of top models, as she informs us, "Lenny started the careers o [sic] many models and, over the years, her catwalks have been adorned by the likes of Giselle Bündchen, Naomi Campbell, Letícia Birkheuer, Isabelli [sic] Fontana, Michelle Alves, Ana Claudia Michels and Devon Aoki."


*ow...give yourself a moment and a pinch to reflect on your luck & we'll move on...


bitchy commentary aside, although there were a plethora of basic bikinis, she did offer some fresh options on the maillot (or one-piece), all of which are shown somewhere in this review, as well as the couple of other specifics i've called out. with so little material & in a time where a two-piece rules, it's nice to see a designer offering innovative choices on a more conservative front, still permitting them to look sufficiently smoldering.

in the end, if your primary motivation is design, this isn't necessarily one of the best labels seen this week; however, aspiring catwalkers may want to skip the next rounds of auditions for top model & chill outside her atelier asking for a gig. don't say i never gave you anything.