My First Bikini

Story by Tomas Meier

I created my first Bikini in 1987. At the time, I was a stylist for Hermès' ready-to-wear line, and the Bikini was one of the items in the first summer collection I made for this House. To tell the truth, I hadn't paid too much attention to the question, but creating a Bikini turned out to be a very difficult operation and a very interesting experience: I liked to imagine models because I appreciated the constraints involved in developing this unique piece of clothing. I soon had many more ideas than there were models on the catwalk of a fashion show. A few years later, I launched my own line of swimsuits and have continued to devote myself to it ever since. For me, a bikini is the result of a bold collaboration between a stylist and a woman. When it works, the experience is exhilarating. In the opposite case, the failure is obvious. The small size of the garment is a challenge, for my client as for me. Nevertheless, I am well aware that it is she who exposes herself to the sun with about seventy centimeters of fabric on her skin. Therefore, neither of us can be wrong and our margin for error is very small. Then there is the function that the swimsuit fulfills, and this question really only depends on the stylist: a Bikini must stay on the body, stay in place and be able to be used both for swimming and for sunbathing. I would add my own requirements: it must have a natural look; it must be comfortable to wear, be light: when you take it off, it must not leave unsightly marks on the skin. Creating a Bikini is a task that never gets boring in the long run, because fabrics are constantly evolving. The models worn by my mother and her friends in the 1960s were made of woven canvas with elastic edges and clasps as fasteners. Then came LYCRA®, and during the 1970s swimsuits, generally made of jersey, became softer, more natural. In the 1980s, it became a very rigid garment: it was the era of high-waisted panties and tops with foam cups. I hate this rigid look, but the design of a Bikini depends on technical factors. Also, the appearance of new fabrics opens up new possibilities. Of course, some things don't change: harmony is always a fundamental element. The lines of sexy Bikinis must take the right path, so as to obtain, for the swimsuit as for the body, the right measure and the arrangement of the seams must respond to technical and aesthetic factors. In fact, I always design small panties like a string bikini: I believe that they highlight the body more. And, in my opinion, the color of a Bikini depends less on fashion trends than on skin complexion and sun intensity. I like neutral colors: cement, stone, skin tones, black. I consider that a dark brown Bikini represents the height of chic. Conversely, a white Bikini is the most difficult thing to wear, but can be strikingly beautiful if the effect is successful. However, a stone-colored Bikini that looks pretty in Amagansett (Long Island) will lack sparkle in the Caribbean or the right shade will be a pastel pink. Only the woman who wears the garment can decide such things, and this is one of the elements of the collaboration that is established between the stylist and her. She trusts me to design a Bikini that produces the desired effect, and I want her to be comfortable enough in the model I create to want to wear it. A sexy swimsuit looks like nothing else you can find on a hanger.

Tomas Meier

Models offered by Sealinea

Brazilian bikini thong half-buttock purple blue taupe "Janeiro"

Push-up swimsuit thong hippie green pink and orange "Janeiro"

Brazilian bikini push up thong blue white "Janeiro"