No more Lycra in my butt... How about you?

I miss the beach. When I lived in Trinidad, I'd go to the beach whenever I had a chance - even though I'd mainly go for the Bake & Shark! Once I passed the Maracas lookout and caught that first glimpse of the rolling blue waves, my inner beach babe would emerge. Like all the other women on the beach, I would be sashaying across the sands trying to look like I'm not trying to be seductive. All the while, my cheap Lycra two piece is not cooperating... Its just giving me a one-cheek wedgie as I'd twist my ankles in my wegde heels slippers. Realizing that I was making a scene, I'd head straight to the water, supposedly safe from embarrassment. But the damn waves would topple me over and expose everything - especially my embarrassment! What's worse is the fact that the stupid bikini had done that to me before - in Tobago and Barbados! Damn that cheap Lycra bikini with the straps that would burst with a sneeze....

This is the plague of island beach babes across the region- cheap ass bathing suits and bikinis. You get hardly any coverage, but what you do get are bursting strings/straps, crazy patterns and a hefty price tag. You'd think that Caribbean boutique owners would select items that reflect where there business is located (On an Island!) and who their main clients are (Islanders and Tourists coming for the Island attractions, one of which is the beach!) Durable and stylish bikini's are just one of those things that are hard to find on the islands, believe it or not. Sometimes you may get lucky and come across some cute Roxy bikini's, otherwise, you're on a style hunt. You have to look reallly hard to get bathing suits & bikini's that offer both style and proper coverage, and there are a precious few companies that offer both; the ones pictured here are from the Mar Egeu 2008 swimwear collection available on www.brazilian-bikinis.net.

The fact is that we don't have the resources to complete continuous garment construction in the Caribbean on a grand scale. The other fact is that business men and potential investors don't seem to view this lack as something to take advantage of. We don't need more shopping outlets - the islands are only 'that' big, you know... We need Fashion business entities that sustain themselves. Take a page from the Missonis and Armanis and Pradas...all of these top tier labels outsource the production of some of their designs/accessories, but the majority of the notable ones keep their official design space & workshop in the country of their origin. Of course there will be exceptions to this rule, but Versace's head office is in Italy after all, not the USA...

Think about it...

LMN Harris