Beach Buddy - Indian Express

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Paromita-Chakrabarti
Posted: Apr 22, 2009 at 0307 hrs IST

If you are searching for surf and sand to while away this summer, here’s a pick of designer beachwear to make you look your best through it

Floppy hat. Check. Flip-flops. Check. Oversized glares. Check. But what about the ideal beachwear to see you through your summer escapade? If the sea and the sand happen to be on your mind, then you might as well look chic while at it.

Every year, Raakesh Agarvwal does a big resort wear collection that will make you feel at home from Goa to Miami. “The collection is more detailed than your regular swimwear,” he says. So Agarvwal spins out elaborate looks — bikini/bathing costumes, caftans, tunics and accessories including jewelled brooches and do patti chappals. The bathing suits come in bright colours — peaches, oranges, raspberries — and with detailed embellishments. “We do a lot of drapes and fluting techniques, and even use jewels as embellishments,” says Agarvwal. The price varies between Rs 1,900 and

Rs 39,000 depending on how ornate your selection is. Available at Ensemble, Ogaan and Aza in Delhi and Mumbai, Amarra in Mumbai and Elahe in Hyderabad. Overseas, Agarvwal’s resortwear is available in the UK, US and Southeast Asia.

With a clientele that includes Beyonce Knowles, Shakira and several Hollywood A-listers, it’s little wonder that designer Sanchita Ajjampur is such a big name in resortwear in Europe and the US. Now Ajjampur has set up shop in India and her label Sanchita retails out of Ensemble in Delhi and Mumbai, Amethyst in Chennai and 85 Lansdowne in Kolkata, besides The Gallery at The Leela, Gurgaon. Inspired by the graphics of American advertisements in the 1940s and animal imagery, Ajjampur’s collection is a chic statement of having arrived. “The entire collection is designed in a way that it can be converted from a casual look to lounge by the sea, to a more glamorous evening look without having to do much,” she says. In keeping with the mood, there are also totes, flip-flops, ponchos and caftans to take care of all your sartorial needs on the beach. Her collection has something for everyone, with bikinis beginning at around Rs 1,800, and going up as high as it can for the high-octane glamour pieces.

It’s probably the unlikeliest embellishment, but how about a swimsuit that has parts of discarded mineral water bottles or Coke cans as add-ons? If you are thinking it would be the last thing you want on your posh vacation, think again. Parvesh Kumar Sharma and Jai Prakash Singh’s resort and beachwear label Blue Coral dabbles in ethical fashion and has won recognition in France, Greece, Italy and Turkey. This season, the two are working on a marine theme with techniques like tie-and-dye, stitch buttons and have added Swarovski crystals for high drama. “The colours too are in keeping with the theme. There are a lot of corals and fuchsias,” says Singh. They are also experimenting with using recycled elements in their beachwear besides going for unconventional beachwear fabrics like kota, cotton and even khadi. The range is available at their store in Shahpur Jat, at Sattva in Mumbai and Ffolio in Bangalore, besides boutiques in Europe and the US. Delhi designer Ranna Gill’s swimwear pieces from her spring-summer collection “Havana” draws from the Cuban capital, with a lot of graphic and geometric prints in bright shades of jade, tangerine and canary yellow. Priced modestly between Rs 1,500 and Rs 3,000, they are available at Gill’s studio besides noted boutiques around the country. If you are looking for something out of the ordinary, you could give newbie designers Shrivan Bhatia and Narresh Kukreja’s collection a try. Their expertise in beachwear won them a scholarship in Italy’s Istituto Europeo di Design, and several international awards later, they launched their label Shrivan Narresh at the Mare di Moda, Cannes, last year. Their forte is seamless beachwear, which will now be available from their new studio in Gurgaon, for anything between Rs 3,500 and Rs 35,000. “The looks are contemporary and completely stitch-free, something that is only done by brands like Armani Prive and La Perla,” says Bhatia. Time to reach out for the sun-tan lotion.