How the other half swims: bikinis to bust the bank

Those thirsty for the super-rich lifestyle will need a fabulous cossie for an endless summer. Emma McCarthy finds a sea of bank-busting bikinis with price tags to make your eyes water
1. High-rise bikini briefs, £140, Eres (erespariscom)
Emma McCarthy14 July 2014

What's the tipping point between something that’s a tad pricey and something so expensive it requires retrieving your jaw from the floor? The answer to that question is a subject for your bank balance. One woman’s spare change, after all, is another’s remortgage. And while some baulk at the idea of paying £100 for a pair of jeans, there are others happy to spend a small fortune on four tiny scraps of Lycra.

But for the world’s super-rich, a super-lux, super-glamorous and super-expensive set of swimmers comes with the territory. And for good reason. After all, if you spent as much time holidaying as they do you’d invest in a good bikini too. Not that the super-rich are that concerned with cost-per-wear.

So what is it that a trillionairess desires from her bathers?

For some, it’s all in a label. The globe’s most exclusive luxury labels are au fait with dressing the best-travelled among us, so for those seeking quality swimmers it’s a natural option. Louis Vuitton, for example, has an extensive selection in its current high-summer collection. The latest offering of sorbet-hued cossies will set you back about £200 — and for an extra £300 you can get the matching towel (which fits in nicely with the monogrammed LV luggage). The Italians also do it justice — see Missoni, Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana — while German-born Tomas Maier, who has reigned over Italian fashion label Bottega Veneta for 13 years, has also put his name to an eponymous line with swimwear worthy of serving the Hamptons’ regulars at its core. With a similarly leisurely price point to boot.

Pricey swimwear - in pictures

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But then again, if anyone has their pick of the bunch it’s those with 10 times the disposable income of most annual salaries. In the same way some women will only go to MaxMara for their coats, Eric Bompard for their cashmere, Céline for their tailoring and Smythson for their notebooks, some women seek out certain brands because they are — in no uncertain terms — the best that money can buy.

Take Eres, for instance. The French label may be best known for its delectable undies but it in fact started life as a swimwear brand in 1968 when founder Irène Leroux endeavoured to take over her parents’ boutique and sell swimsuits all year round, not only during the summer months (as was the done thing at the time). This proves cat nip to the Parisian ladies of leisure in desperate need of a swimsuit in November. She was also the first to sell bikinis as separates, to appease her pickiest clientele. Now the label is part of the Chanel group, stocked worldwide and still proving cat nip to those with £400 to spend on an immaculately cut swimsuit like the one seen here, left, on the equally immaculate Lindsey Wixson. Norma Kamali — the woman behind Farrah Fawcett’s red bathing suit in the iconic 1976 Charlie’s Angels poster — and luxury Italian smalls brand La Perla are also go-to labels with a rich history of swimwear worth its salt.

But it isn’t just labels with years of experience behind them making a splash. New kid on the block Ephemera, created by ex-Zimmerman and Yves Saint Laurent designer Nicole Banning, has just launched its second collection, which fuses both the savoir-faire of the French swimwear industry with the technical prowess that defines the very best Australian brands. Thapelo Paris, stocked at matchesfashion.com, has also been producing second-skin-like swimwear in eco-sensitive fabrics since 2010, while five-year-old US label Lisa Marie Fernandez has quickly amassed a cult following with her innovative scuba-inspired fabrics and Bond girl glamour.

All you need now is the super-yacht.

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