From the gorgeous mermaidgirl Tala Michelle, who pens her own blog Bathing News,a dreamy underwater concoction of swimwear fashion:

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kiki’s inspirashe!

one of my fave designers kiki of kikidoll swimwear sent me some of her oldies but goodies inspirashe following my vintage bikini pics, and i just looooved it! take a lookie at just a little peak at what makes the kikidoll tick (edie sedgwick, romy schneider, jennifer o’neil, francoise hardy, jane fonda, of course bardot although not featured)! designers…feel free to send your inspirashe of any kind over this way to share on bathing news we’d looooove to seeeee! xoxo to the doll kiki who’s got some amazing things involving birds and tropicals comin soon…ooohwiiii i can’t wait any longer!

From where this beach girl hangs, it does not look like any end is in sight for summer. Mind you that’s true in the tropics!

But, everywhere else other than on a paradisical beach, it seems that September beckons, and the dog days are winding down and into a back to school- back to work frenzy, and forward to Fall.

Labor Day–the traditional day to not work–is full of sales and even more closings. Close out the beach house, close out the pools, close out the holiday, last day at the seaside.

But is it really the end?

Indian Summer is not far away–that time of the early autumn when summer comes back for a drive-by–a last lingering glance at the love affair that was a full-on summer crush. Heat and humidity and sunshine roll in like a jilted lover taking over your life for a week or so. Then, poof–it’s gone, and what remains is often a frosty reproach!

Just like 5PM, though, remember it’s always summer somewhere!

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Image via Wikipedia

April turned it’s nose up over the weekend and May popped out like a Springy jack-in-the-box.  Banish winter and its slashings of wet, May is here in all its Springtime allure and abundance and promise of  gorgeousness.

The light is clearer, the air is fresher and, of course, the sneak peeks of summer are everywhere, but none so where as much as on the fingernail sliver of sand and sea off the southern French coast stretching from St. Tropez to Monaco, its crown jewel in the center, Cannes, glistening  like the Hope diamond in a tiara, beckoning and brightening all things lush and beachy.

In May, on the 11th,  the Film Festival in Cannes hosts the globe’s bronzed and the beautiful, the veterans and the vedettes, and the tone of the coming international summer beach scene is set in Cannes.

It was in Cannes that the world’s first-ever worn bikini was unveiled.

It was in Cannes that the doyenne of the forme feminine–Brigitte Bardot– was first ‘created’ as God’s gift to Men.

It was in Cannes that ‘going topless’ on the beach began (and continues!)

It was in Cannes that playboys and supermodels cavorted and films and deals were made, and contracts broken, and a few hearts along the way, too!

Holding court at La Croissette, would-bes, wannabees and It Girls have held center stage for over half a century, 64 years to be exact. In Bardot’s era the sweetly demure gingham checked demi-balconette push up bra bikini made schoolgirls blush and grown men worship a teenaged real-life Lolita goddess. Capri trousers, mid-riff peasant tops and hippie sandals still abound several generations later, and of course, that same style Bardot-esque bikini, re-worked is omnipresent!

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• Seeing stars at Cannes Film Festival (inside-digital.blog.lonelyplanet.com)
• The stars of Cannes (guardian.co.uk)

Spring is springing up and the sun is shining on the beaches.

Banish the sweaters and treggings, and get out those teeny tiny eeny meany mine-y string bikinis.

Better yet, grab a copy of  Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011 in advance of the first beach outing, and in some 20o pages, you can drool over the array of swimwear that is coming to a boutique near you soon. The 2011 collections of the world’s most coveted bikinis and suits are gorgeously photographed on what might be the most perfect 17 female forms on the planet.

Kikidoll has 4– count ‘em– 4 bikinis of her new 2011 collection in this SI Swim issue!

The mag and Kikidoll’s Aqua Coral String Bikini both helped to launch the rookie of the year, Kate Upton, with her abundantly ample charm, into the spotlight. Kate appears on the cover as ‘Kate the Great’ and none would disagree!

Five year veteran of SI Swim, Julie Henderson wore two of Kikidoll’s bikinis in the issue, both on location in Fiji. Julie said in her video interview that she liked shooting those scenes with the grass skirt the best of all her looks. Here she is in Kikidoll’s Hibiscus Kapa String Bikini–and grass skirt!

After all her twirling around and hula lessons, Julie looks more comtemplative at sunset stretching out her nearly 6 foot native Texan frame against a curvy palm in Kikidoll’s Coral and Tiki Halter Balconette Bikini.

And on Kikidoll’s home turf, SI Swim photographed its final location shoot in Hawaii nei.

They had intended to only film video there, but apparently with its neon theme, the paradisical setting, the uber-models themselves and the photographer, Bjorn Iooss, son of SI Swim vet Walter Iooss,  he fortuitously decided to take a few still snaps.  Good thing he did–one ended up on the cover with cat-eyed Irina Shayk!

And here is Alyssa Miller in Maui, another bombshell rookie with the looks of a 1940′s starlet, wearing Kikidoll’s Neon Shock Cutaway 1-piece.

Like the Geico ad, you’d have to had been living under a rock not to have seen, heard or known about the eponymous launch of  the much twitted and long-awaited mag, such was the clatter (er, twitter) on the boards, on the TV, on building-sized posters, subway ads, iPad and iPhone apps–well, there’s even a 3D Sony Playstation video. Of course! We are all living in the social network!

From one splendorous tropical beach to another–with sites such as Singapore, Fiji, Maui, Boracay and the British Virgin Islands–and themes of corals and oranges, seaglass blues and greens, Oriental koi pond gardens, earthy animal and botanical prints and acid candy colored neons, the fashion shorthand for beach attire for this coming season is: 1) tinier the better, 2) bold colors matter, 3) strings rule, and 4) embellishment is a must.  Oh, and tanned and toned–essential accoutrements.

And now, some 30 days away ( April 5)  from now, Surfing Magazine launches its laid-back, insoucciant version of the best swimwear available in its stand-alone Swim issue. More au naturel but nonetheless glamorous in its trademarked kicked-back way, Surfing took its beach beauties to the Dominican Republic for its shoot this year.  Channeling an Austin Powers palette of bold 60′s psychedelic prints in neons and pop art tones of oranges, yellow and tans, the mag never veers far away from its board-based roots, featuring real bikinis that real surfergirls can really surf in. Like, really!

With its edgy video teaser by Victor Pakpour and sneak peeks photos coupled with beachy crochet giveaways in the lead-up, Surfing is bringing up the rear–literally–from SI Swim‘s buzz on beach bikinis.

Word out is hitched up, ruched up and hiked up bikini bottoms are the be all, END all for this summer!

Really!

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• Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition: The Battle of the Bikini Brands (foxnews.com)
• Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: Meet New Swimsuit Model Kate Upton (bleacherreport.com)

Kikidoll Coral Tiki Halter

She’s such a bikini girl! And she says she likes her bikinis  ‘the tinier the better’

Right after Julie Henderson says the mantra of all beachgirls, she is photographed in Kikidoll’s Coral Tiki Halter Balconette bikini by a palm tree.

Hope this brightens your day– Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue for 2011 is launched the day after Valentines on 15th February, with pre-order available at Barnes & Noble.

Watch the Late Show with David Letterman the night before, Valentines night, after you smooch with your sweetheart over a romantic meal–10 of the 17 supermodels will be on air as they announce live the model who will grace the eponymous cover.

Julie likens herself to a sugar donut rolling around in the sand–sounds yummy, no?!

• Holy Hot Beach Bods! Behind the Scenes of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Shoot (eonline.com)

Here it is at long last. The winter drought is over. Say goodbye to snow plows, ice storms and wind chill factor higher than your SPF. Today marks the one week point until the new issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011 is in our sandy little hands. February 15 to be exact, with pre-order available over at B & N.

And those caring adorbs editors over at SI know that waiting is so very hard to do. So, they have packaged up 17 of the planet’s most perfect number 10 + women, put them in or out of the tastiest bikinis, and splashed their absofreaking gorgeousness all over paradisical locations such as Hawaii (of course!), Fiji, Singapore, Philippines and the British Virgin Islands.

Run this 34 second video a few times and you’ll have more confirmation that winter is truly over than that pesky Punxatawny Phil could ever provide as a predictor!

Sneak Peek SI Swimsuit 2011

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Jalee Fusilier, Miss Hawaii 2011, reigned over the other 52 contestants Saturday night and took the Best in Swimsuit category in the Miss America pageant.

Is it any wonder?  She is 1) from Hawaii, 2) gorgeous in a bikini, and 3) from Hawaii!

Co-Host Chris Harrison informs us that at the Miss America Pageant we celebrate “health, fitness, self confidence, and — can I just say it? — looking good in a really tiny swimsuit.”

Jalee did not disappoint.

For the 90th anniversary of the annual contest, she stood out head and shoulders in a smouldering black bikini by Swim n’ Sport and towering nude patent leather peep-toe heels.

For a wahine from Haleiwa it was as natural for Jalee to be seen strutting in a bikini as for the other girls to be wearing jeans.

Relaxed, toned and beaming her 1000 kilowatt smile, Jalee was the picture of natural beauty–a true island beachgirl!

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