I grew up with the Gottex brand of swimwear. My late Mum wore the Israeli brand almost exclusively from the 70’s onwards. She swore that they made the best swimwear on earth! I followed in my Mums footsteps, staying loyal to the brand for nostalgic reasons more than anything else.

I have a vivid memory of shopping with my Mum for Gottex swimwear when I was a child in the 70’s. We were in a Hong Kong department store and I was getting very impatient with my Mum’s cozzie shopping. She promised that I could have a chocolate sundae if I held out a little longer. Apparently I was so well behaved that day that I got my sundae and I came home with a cuddly toy. That’s a great Gottex swimwear memory

We were thrilled to have fab seats for the show and I enjoyed every minute it. The designer showed both very over the top pieces and perfectly wearable items. It might not be obvious from the photos here, seeing as so much of it looks like stuff you’d never wear at the pool or beach. You’ll just have to trust me that there were plenty of classic and timeless suits mixed into the collection as well.

The collection showed a range of colours, from neutrals and pastels right through to metallics and brights. The swimwear and their cover ups were very tonal. I really liked that and it made me think back to my own Gottex bathing costume and wrap which is tonal too. A tonal swimwear ensemble is flattering to my eye.

There was a subtle 70’s influence throughout the collection, like the frontal crisscross necktie detailing and tie dyed chiffons. But there was also an extremely modern techno mood. Amidst the delicate and matte Lycras and chiffons sparkled the most glittery of sequins and shiny lamé. Some of the beadwork was so shiny that it looked like little lights were flickering on the runway. Spectacular!

My favorite suit of the collection was the strapless white belted number with the little wings on the the leg openings (above middle). Not that I would ever wear anything quite so dramatic, but I really appreciate it’s strong and crisp design.

I enjoyed the Bridget Bardot hairstyles and the transparent peak caps. Somehow this gave a retro flavor to the collection, which contrasted well with the some of the space age fabrications.

All in all Gottex was a very fun show to watch and I’ll be looking out for the practical styles in stores next year. As the last show on our schedule, it was a fabulous show stopper to fashion week at YLF.