Sneaky Summer

It appears that, while beguiled with business travel and long hours in the office, a lifestyle that impedes my loyalty to an appropriate and effective work-out schedule, summer has snuck up on me. In other words, I am not looking forward to attempting to shimmy and shake into my black bikini anytime soon; I am dreading it. Yesterday, seeking some solace after a stressful day in the various haphazard departments of my local Century 21 store, I spied this sleek, ruched black one-piece suit, featuring a half-moon pearl medallion embellishment. It simultaneously reminds me of something a geriatric would sport, basking in the oven sun in the Floridian terrain of retirement and arthritis, and of a sexy, sophisticated number from an early, purportedly more modest era. I love it.

With the increasing obsession over retro-inspired designs, one-piece bathing suits have resurged with vehemence, gracing catalogues and editorials. While this is exciting for ladies curvacious and slender alike, for ladies who find the one-piece to be versatile and alluring and a bit more metaphorically substantive than the bikini, or the dreaded tankini, unfortunately, for those of us with a bodacious bosom, many of the offerings lack the full support necessary. So, the more youthful cuts and fabrics of suits are frequently not viable options for me. This is a bit of a generalization, as some brands, obviously, are of more quality than others, but, for the sake of avoiding a scientific treatise on the subject, broad statements I make. Result: scouring the, to be politically polite, more mature wares, attempting to glean from them a suit that is sultry, age appropriate, comfortable to wear, and, importantly, comfortable to be seen out and about in. Generally, for the rules of the search, anything with a floral pattern and anything with any type of flaccid, dangling fabric feigning to be a skirt are immediately discarded. Depending on the store, and the time of year, this then leaves few choices. Solid black or deep chocolate brown are usually present. With this suit, a Gottex design, the slight hint of gold and pearl in the hip flair give sufficient intrigue to distinguish the piece from the myriad of ruched, black suits. 

Due to aforementioned business travel, which will continue into the warmer summer months, as well as the long days, I am not sure adding another bathing suit to my repertoire is quite necessary. After all, attempting to squeeze into my bikini may just provide the motivation that I need, and I do own two lovely and quite typical deep chocolate brown numbers. As my mother repeatedly says, I will keep my eyes peeled, see if anything else strikes my fancy, and perhaps some lavish and relaxing beach excursion will arise and prompt purpose for such a purchase.

(image taken from Bare Necessities)