Beach Party

As we noted in last year's post, it will be nice to see this type of DIY approach brought to other types of clothing, including shirts, pants and swimsuits, as well as ways to enable consumers to monetize what they create. Either way, though, it's further evidence that consumers really do like making—or at least designing—it themselves!

It was time for new swimsuits at our house. Halfway through the summer and the girls had just about outgrown the suits we got last year at this time. We always shop for swimsuits near the end of July, first part of August because that is when the sales start. My favorite time to go shopping is when everything is on sale!

I’m gonna be two days shy of making it to Aussiebum’s Fashion for Football- A Swimsuit Runway Show. This charity event will feature some of the hottest members of the New York Gay Football League modeling some really hot Aussiebum swimsuits and underwear.

when we drove into town on tuesday (we’d all flown in to medford, oregon, an hour north of yreka), we remembered that none of us had brought swim trunks, and that karla had a new pool and hot tub she was excited about us seeing and using. so the five of us stopped at the yreka wallmart to buy swimwear.

Normally when it’s cold, I just stay home. Today as I was running around, I was reminded of the Polar Bear Club. You know those idiots who put on swimsuits and jump in the lake on New Year’s Day? Yeah, those guys.

Also checkout their swimwear. Not a large selection, but I found the perfect suit for swimming and water aerobics at the gym. The swimsuits are $10 off!

Participants are gauged on four aspects: the interview, business attire, evening gown, and community service (no swimsuits). The winner (Miss Beauty and Brains?) would earn a $10,000 scholarship, and a 6-week casting workshop. (Runners-up get scholarship money too.)

These are swings with a mermaid. The author thinks that kids should go natural and understand that mermaids don’t wear swimsuits.

Meanwhile, in Dharamsala, India, the home of the exiled Tibetan government, women in swimsuits compete in a beauty contest to draw attention to their cause (which is political independence and freedom from the murderous Chinese communist party). Since apparently video of innocent Tibetans being gunned down from afar isn’t enough to rouse passion, maybe some hot chicks will be. Which is kind of depressing.

That’s enough of senseless-philosophy, let’s get back to the movie. So, the movie is about a Child Beauty Pageant, yes, you read it right. WTF is what I first thought, but it is no fuck, it is real. Take a look here - if you didn’t scream in horror after looking that, then you can be sure that your soul is safely resting with the devil. Something like a fancy-dress competition with kids is cool, but something like a two-piece bikini competition with kids? In the movie, the only thing that came to my mind when I saw the 7 year-old girls with 32-teeth-fake-smiles, tons of cosmetics, and in swimsuits, was this. If you think I’m exaggerating, read the comments here (you’ll probably need registration).

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything so I’ll give you an update. Kevin and I have stayed busy working for AOL while Anden is learning and growing at day care. He seems to enjoy the group he’s in and is growing like a weed! Starting in June they’ve had “Splash Day” twice a week for the kids to put on their swimsuits and play outside in water. They also have art projects everyday and get to experiment with things like whip cream, caramel, and ice. My cubicle at work is full of his artwork!

Last time I checked, the beach was for having some fun in the sun and going swimming. With this, the most you get to do with the water is look at it. I can do that with my toilet. But these are not Saudi swimsuits, oh no. This is from a Turkish line. The Saudis get it much worse. Since the entire country is one big beach, the women there have the grand opportunity of wearing black, head-to-toe ninja costumes all day long.

Oh yeah, ladies, I’m talking about the dreaded swimsuit shopping. Since we’re getting ready to head to KC for fun and frolic at Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun, I decided I’d better darn well get to the store and buy myself a fat-suit… er, I mean a swimsuit. I was feeling particularly plucky on Monday, and decided since I’d gotten a little sun at the ball games, I was looking pretty darn good, and maybe trying on swimsuits wouldn’t be the traumatic experience I was stressing about. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Sorry, I crack myself up sometimes…

Yeah right. Not only are the facts wrong (swimsuits are optional), it’s hardly a thing that one must do for a trip to be complete.

I'm all for privacy, but having spent a good deal of time on beaches in Europe and South Florida, where I've witnessed countless thousdands of other, unfortunately Merkel-esque (or worse) German men and women strip down pretty much wherever and whenever they please, I'm not buying the argument. (I can personally attest to the fact that for every hot chick on Miami's South Beach wearing very little, there are three fat Germans wearing even less.)

Just a quick story here to put a smile on your face for the day. As I was tucking my son into bed last night we had our usual bible story time so we decided to discuss Moses’ role in freeing God’s people from Pharoah’s hands of slavery. The discussion had its usual dialogue (”Let my people go!”, etc.) and then we made our way to the Red Sea. We talked about how powerful God was that He could do such awesome things as to part such a large body of water. I interjected that crossing the Red Sea was something that the Israelites could not do on their own, that they needed God’s help. When I questioned Noah as to why the Israelites couldn’t cross the Red Sea on their own, he responded by saying, “because they didn’t have any swimsuits back then.” I love him.

Reading Glamour depresses me. It’s like, my eyelashes aren’t long enough. My hair needs highlights. Lips could use some plumping. Don’t get me started on skin, shoes, or swimsuits. And it’s not enough to make me feel like I’m just some sort of monster (with HUGE potential if I could just get to Ulta…), but then they do the relationship articles. If I ever thought something bad about a man, I was RIGHT! and if I ever thought something good about him, I probably misunderstood, because there is no way on earth I could possibly interpret my own relationships with people. No way. You need Experts for that.

This ratings thing is why the Olympic beach volleyball team has to wear swimsuits to play volleyball. A few years back an attractive woman named Gabriel Reese tried to wear a full-length pair of stretchy pants made of spandex, but they said, “No dice, put on a swimsuit so we can see your butt cheeks when you lunge for the ball. While you are at it, if you can bend over a lot so that we can take close up pictures of you bending over that would sure help ratings too”.

Last week much agonizing went on over the declining interest in Miss America. Should they ditch the swimsuits? Jettison the talent show? Get off the platforms?

The usual suspects are throwing a fit over a “Girls of EC” calendar.

The emergence of Students in Free Enterprise’s Women of UWEC swimsuit calendar has caused mixed reactions from students across the university.

8. Stop ogling the ladies. They’re just trying to work out and get in shape. Yeah, there’s something about a good lookin’ broad in one of those sporty speed swimsuits and in their workout clothes on a treadmill but they honestly just want to do their workout and go home. They don’t need anybody to show off for them (see rule 7). And while we’re on the subject...

From the message boards: I need help finding swimsuits that can support and minimize my bust. I probably wear between a size 6-8 but my bra size is 32DDD. I want to find something cute and flattering that doesn’t look matronly. Are there any websites you can point me to?

Don't get me wrong. My mother didn't walk around in muumuus and umbrella caps (although the latter, had she known of their existence, might've found their way into her closet). She wore nice clothes, just not ones that exposed her bottom for the valley that it was. And she wore swimsuits. She had several of them, in fact, and when I grew big enough to wear them, which was around twelve years old, I tried them on when she wasn't home. One after another I rejected them for none of them covered enough of my derriere.

For the past fifteen years I've spent a good part of each summer in the south of France. While making arrangements for this year's trip I began to reflect on how these annual sojourns have evolved. I arrived in Nice by train one sweltering July day having left my flat in Paris with the intention of being gloriously idle for a couple of months. I had packed in my small valise only the barest essentials- swimsuits and a few shirts, and had with me nothing more formal than my travelling outfit which consisted of cut-off jean shorts, a white linen shirt and suede Gucci loafers. By chance I happened upon a small family-owned hotel that seemed to evoke a primitive charm. Although it lacked many conveniences it was centrally located and extremely cheap. So there I stayed. For six weeks.

Boy is the heat on. I was going to go out swimming, but the heat was so bad, that I decided to stay in at home. I have thought about going to the public pools swimming, but the one thing that I would worry the most, is what would people say about a guy who wears women’s one piece swimsuits. I know that in urban areas, people would think I am gay or some kind of freak. So this is why I would go to places that are private and places that have older people because the older generation has had guys whom wore one piece swimsuits in the past generation. I have swum in public with my one-piece swimsuit in the past, but people would stare at me and look at me as if I was a freak. I would wear it when I go to the beach or swimming, but I would only wear it in places that are private and in remote areas. I would wear it in public, but only if people had an understanding and were educated.

We had a briefing at 10:00 AM but it turns out that I don’t have to attend because I went to CRC. So instead, everyone except for Paige went to hang out at the pool. When we got to the pool, there were two arab families already there. The boys were wearing modern swimsuits but they went down to the knee. The girls were wearing swimsuits that covered them from knee to elbow. The mom was wearing a baggy swimsuit that covered her from ankle to wrist and had a hood.

Lands' End introduced its Swim Finder feature this spring. The online service lets a user view different versions of swimsuits on a three-dimensional body likeness.

After the housecleaning, I went shopping for a swimsuit. This what I learned: I am WAY too chubby right now to be trying on swimsuits! None of them look good one me. So, I bought a pair of overalls instead. It is much kinder to the general public for me to wear overalls instead of a swimsuit. So, tomorrow starts my diet in earnest. I have to lose a few pounds and tone up before we go to Vegas! You are all my witnesses! Feel free to call me on the carpet if I write that I am eating any really fattening food! I will let you know how much...

According to the Washington Post today, Cape May no longer bans men from wearing Speedo swimsuits. The town also eliminated a rule barring bare-chested men from walking down the boardwalk. Now men of all ages and unfortunate shapes can wear skin-tight swimsuits. Can a male thong be far behind?

I really hate looking for swimsuits! And it doesn't help that they are so expensive! I have recently found a few online but I can't pick which one I like best, so I need help.

Did I mention it’s a beautiful drive? One of those bridges is seven miles long and looks like the bridge to heaven on the incline - just you and the sky above you. I’ve never seen the like and it was breathtakingly cool. We were so enthralled we didn’t stop until mile marker 40 - Bahia Honda State Park. Just like the John Pennekamp, it’s $3/person to get in. we parked in the swimmer’s lot and changed into swimsuits in case we got the urge to jump in. We walked around the trails and saw what looked like a little movie...

This story is both frightening and comical. Only in the EU. HT SDA at Shotgun:

Ever the masters of punctilious regulation, the European Union's 25 Commissioner have outdone themselves with a code of conduct for their new and beautifully-appointed Brussels sauna.

A 10-point code sent to Peter Mandelson and his colleagues advises them on etiquette in the mixed facility, which opened last week. Nudity is de rigueur, according to the commission's infrastructure office, but bravado is not.

More flexibility coming your way, this time courtesy of DuPont. They’ve created a digital printer for fabrics that promises to transform the way people make swimsuits, purses, slipcovers and curtains. All they would ahve to do is create an archive of fabric patterns and should they require a certain fabric, they could use the printer to print one to order. Saves time and money.

The problem is, Miss America may have seen its day. Women in swimsuits competing for scholarship money used to be exciting TV. (Remember how I Dream of Jeannie's Barbara Eden wasn't allowed to show her belly button while wearing her genie ensemble because it was considered too risque?)

Oh, where to begin with all the fun preppy bathingsuits this year? You have several (somewhat diverse) sources for preppy swimwear and zillions of choices of colors and styles. Let’s start with J.Crew’s adorable seersucker set. Pieces are sold separately with a hipster tie bikini ($34); french tie bikini top ($36); and matching bikini skirt ($38). My previous rantings (see earlier posts) about the perceived decline of J.Crew quality notwithstanding, I HAVE found their swimwear to be well-made in recent seasons.

We were expecting it to be colder, so we wore jeans and t-shirts, and were quite disappointed that we didn’t wear our swimsuits. Oh well, hopefully there will be time for another excursion, maybe after exams.

My mother describes the knitted swimsuits she used to wear as a girl. Something like this, I wonder, but with a cap?

I did it.

I faced the looming three-way mirrors and the harsh fluorescent lighting to try on swimsuits. And not just “swimsuits” but (gasp!) bikinis. Which I haven’t dared even try on for years.

More coverage is the trend and swimsuits are starting to take on the look of streetwear. TNA and Salinas have brought out a cute, little, “skirtini,” that covers the bum nicely and goes great with a little cami for a day in town.

One-piece swimsuits are such a cut-up this year, just as they were last season. That fun, “monokini,” look, with cut-out sides, is hotter than ever. But seriously, look for some great, one-piece swimsuits that you can actually swim in. Hey, even us fashionistas have to keep in shape somehow.

100 year old Jantzen Swimwear of Portland Oregon shocked swimwear buyers by the re-introduction of its classic ‘30s vintage swimwear for both men and women for the 2006 season. Desiner/Spokeman Sam "Speedo" Bulger said "The suits look depression era but are perhaps the most technologically advanced suits on the planet.