For episode eight of season fourteen, the designers were asked to design lingerie for Heidi Klum's intimate line. I wasn't about to make lingerie for my five year old. Instead I made a swimsuit. I took photos of her in it and she was so adorable. But, she isn't a baby anymore and she is very pretty. It just wasn't right to post those photos on the internet.
You probably don't know this, but I love vintage swimsuits. I have a thing for swimsuits in general actually, being a swimmer and all. But I am not talking about the one's that you can buy at Target, or any other clothing type chain. I love functional swimsuits that fit so that you can move freely in the water without worrying that you might fall out in places. In general, people don't like wearing swimsuits in public. But if you get a good one, you feel totally comfortable and free. Vintage swimsuits were good because they covered up all the problem areas, but still made people feel and look beautiful. The materials were not technologically up to scratch at the time, but the style was pretty great.
I must also say that Esther Williams is a hero of mine. I am not into the modern day synchronized swimming with the fast head tilts and legs flying stuff. Its just ridiculous actually. Don't get me wrong, they are amazing athletes. Its just that it doesn't have soul. But Esther Williams, the mother of mermaidum, had serious soul. Despite all of her scripted smiles and silly expressions, I can look past it all and think, wow she was an amazing swimmer. I also really admire and relate to her grace because I am a very awkward and clumsy person on land. But in water, I feel totally natural and beautiful.
So I based my designs on these two loves. The bottoms are what is known as a modesty skirt, which I think someone should bring back because they are awesome. Often, women get boyleg swimsuits because they feel their figure isn't right to wear anything more revealing. But the problem is: "hungry crotch." If you have normal legs and your thighs touch, you are going to have to be pulling those boyleg bottoms down all the time, which make you feel uncomfortable and self conscience. The modesty skirt totally resolves this problem. Any figure can wear it and it will look good. Then, I did kind of a crop top type thing for the top because, as I said before, I am a swimmer. Things that cover you up but expose the good parts, like the upper part of the stomach, and your shoulders are good. It is sporty, like me. The super feminine bottoms with a kind of tom boy top are a good balance.
The sloth print is from a t-shirt that I ordered from Threadless.com. The fabric was polyester, which felt disgusting as a t-shirt. I held onto it for a couple of years thinking one day that it would make a great swimsuit, because Polyester withstand chlorine really well. I also had that heart fabric stashed away for the day that I would try my hand at making a swimsuit.
So there you have it. I know a lot about swimsuits and have very particular tastes when it comes to them. I guess you could call me a connoisseur, as I always have at least five stashed away in my top drawer.
I thought maybe this project would inspire me to make swimsuits to sell. But I actually found this challenge very difficult. The order of operations when constructing swimsuits is so important. And the fabric was a real pain to cut, stretch and sew. It turned out to be a pretty frustrating experience.
Overall I think the judges would have liked the swimsuit. But upon a closer look, they would have seen where my sewing skills and experience had failed me. I think if there is vision, the judges usually over look that. I remember Heidi once saying, "this is a design competition, not a sewing competition. " Anyway, I am kind of a dork. Hee hee!
