California Apparel News

Wildfox Couture, based in Los Angeles, first displayed its latest swimwear collection on the runways of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami last July.

Now the Cruise '15 collection of Wildfox Swim is in stores with a lot of looks coming from the late '80s and early '90s, from vintage Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues and vintage Barbie, that very California doll.

The collection is a collaboration between creative director Kimberly Gordon, one of the founding partners of Wildfox in 2007, and Wildfox swim and intimates designer Leilani Shimoda. Gordon and Shimoda went to high school together in the '90s and were inspired by that era for their latest collection.

They came up with a lot of vintage-inspired designs and daring Brazilian-influenced silhouettes. There are reversible classic string tops and bottoms made from shiny polyester/spandex blends that come in a number of prints and graphics with a contrasting pattern or solid when reversed.

The collection's colors take a cue from pastel, ombre and neon hues mixed with graphic prints, tongue-in-cheek Wildfox sayings and zipper details on high-leg, one-piece suits and neoprene-like sets.