BUNGALUX

May 15, 2012

Sand Chic

Beach Fashion

Vilebrequin

Prev Next

When I initially started Bungalux it was meant to be a site focused on real estate and the lifestyle items associated with owning or leasing a fantastic house.

Now that Bungalux has grown-up a bit and many of our visitors come to us to see great real estate and homes I’ve been writing less and less about lifestyle items. But I still want that write that occasional lifestyle piece, because even if you have a great house you need to live in it fabulously. (That’s the point, right?)

So, to go along with the to-die-for Malibu houses I plucked out a few of my beach fashion picks for 2012.

Beach fashion all starts with the swimsuit. Actually, let’s go back even further. It all starts with the body. And to get that body we can either fast – I’m originally from Milwaukee, where fasting is eating fish and chips Fridays during Lent so that’s not my alley – or we can take a burn-inches-fast class. In Los Angeles my favorite is Ex-Laker Girl Cindy Leos’ Cardio Dance Class. Shimmying to Pitbull and Rihanna wipes inches off and is good practice for, well, later.

Once later – or the morning after “later” – arrives, there are so many swimwear options. Boys, I like Vilebrequin of course, but I also like the casual British brand Orlebar Brown. Take a look at the adorable board shorts pictured above. Yes, we like boys with a sense of humor. Girls, Eres is always the expensive option for the teensy-string bikini, but I’m also hooked on the youthful, less pricey Pret-A-Surf which channels Kate Bosworth in Blue Crush. Surfing’s sexy. Girls should be able to do it too … in cute board shorts.

As great as the swimsuit, you need to have the skin to go with it. Last year I recommended dermatologist-to-the-stars Dr. Lancer’s products for beach skin and Alyria anti-aging sunblock. This year I’m adding the Fleming-Mayer sunscreen for the face. It’s not a lotion per se, in that it goes on more like a make-up. And it’s tinted, so you get a little bit of natural color. It’s one of my best finds all year, particularly for you golfers and tennis players who can’t have runny lotions interfering with sport.

Finally, for over and with your swimwear there are so many options.

I’m wearing Jennifer Stano’s Have Faith tunics – there’s nothing like them for pool parties – and Amber Sakai’s relaxed modern line. My favorite beach bag comes courtesy of The Webster’s line for Target.

And, of course, even though we all love the sun, you have to protect those million dollar faces. Eugenia Kim hats are the best – I dare you to find a better “beach fedora” than the one pictured above – and cover those baby-blues with Tom Ford sunglasses. You may not be able to afford anything else he creates, but the fashion and style genius’s sunglasses will only cost you a paycheck or two.

By the way, check out the Tom Ford photo above and that amazing tan line. I really wish those were good for you because they're so sexy. Hmmm. That begs the question: Do we always have to do what's good for us?

Other Bungalux Beach Articles ...

• The Hermes Beach Towel
• The Tervis Tumbler