Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim kicked off this week in Miami with five days of runway shows from top designers including Beach Bunny, BCBG Max Azria Group, and ViX Swimwear. Its ninth year in a row, swim fashion week is bringing some of the best swim designers together for an all fashion beachside blowout.


Amid the parties and presentations the runway shows popped with bright patterns and colors making for a week of nothing but summer. The BCBGeneration show mixed sizzling whites and bold colors in skin showing monokinis, midriff-baring wetsuit tops and strappy monochromatic bikinis. Prints were hot for runway week with more than a few designers including Nanette Lepore, Aqua Di Lara and Mara Hoffman going tribal with multicolored patterns. Geometric patterns were seen all over Gottex and Suboo; even animal print was a hit with CM Cia.Maritima and Beach Bunny.


Strappy swimwear is a bikini staple and there was no shortage of strings and wraps on the water covered runway, even one-pieces had more straps than needed to hold them up. While bosom-baring bikini tops were the fashion favorite, a few cropped rash guards made their way into the shows. Suboo, Oakley and BCBGeneration all featured the short surf shirt perhaps in tribute to Roxy, who celebrated their 25 year anniversary as a surf wear industry leader at the start of fashion week.