Art & Fashion
Paula Davis
Photography by VIPImageStudios
Hair by TINA MARIE
Makeup by GIANNI

After a summer of bikini shows and beachwear hype, we settle in to identify the substance of an industry made popular by Louis Reard, a Frenchman,  who created the first bikini in 1945.

        Today there are an abundance of styles and brands of swimwear to choose from. Finding the right swimwear for the occasion can be quite a daunting task. Hallmark brands include swimwear designs by La Blanca, Ann Klein and Anne Cole, Baja Blue, Club Del Sol, Vix, Rygy and Christina. The right designer swimwear can empower a woman with style, grace and the sense of glamour that compliments her lifestyle and most importantly her figure.

 Craig Blazejewski is the Advertising and Marketing Coordinator for Everything But Water, a national specialty boutique chain based out of Orlando Florida. 

"Everything But Water offers more than sixty international and domestic vendors. Luli Fama is a trendy new line that we are currently showcasing. Becca, La Blanca, Swim Systems and Ann Klein are always favorites with our clients." 

"Swimwear is fashion," he said. "We view it as one in the same."

Referred to as "E", Everything But Water has stores in upscale mall in major cities throughout the country.

"Personalized attention to detail and excellent customer service is what sets us apart."

We wanted to see first hand, the store, the selections, the styles and most importantly the customer service of this specialty swimwear boutique.

We followed Heather to one of the Everything But Water Boutique Stores in Florida. There we met Molly, the store manager who greeted us as we entered while tending to another customer. 

The store was well lit and well organized. Heather began thumbing through several pieces of swimwear when Molly approached her to see if she could help. Many women find it difficult to find a bikini style that fits their particular body style. Sometimes swimsuit will fit well on top but the bottoms don't fit well or vice-a-versa. One of the challenges of fitting Heather is that she is tall -5'10". Another challenge is that she is buxom. Heather finds it hard to buy swimwear because of her figure.

We watched from the sidelines as Molly helped Heather. One thing we noticed, Molly welcomed people as they entered the store even though she was with someone else. With Molly's help, heather was given several pieces to try on.

Molly steered Heather to a choice of colors that included several warm autumn colors and some with animal prints.

Were these the right colors for our model, Heather? 

According to our color specialist, Tina Marie from The Red Door Salon and Spa, Molly's selection of colors is complimentary to Heathers skin tone and animal prints are quite trendy at the moment. 

We followed our model to the dressing rooms and found a fitting area that was spacious and quite comfortable. After trying on the selected outfits, three of five selections fit well. The other two didn't quite cover Heathers top well enough. This needed a quick trip to the racks nearby and they too were now fitting well.

We thought Molly did a wonderful job in making the customer feel comfortable and welcome and in helping identify the swimwear that would compliment our model in both color and style.

We returned the next week ready to learn more about Everything but Water and the selections Molly chose for our model.

Craig answered some of our questions. 

Which styles (and in which fabrications and embellishments) are doing particularly well at your stores? 

"Cheekie bottoms are huge right now, as are halters, tankinis, hipsters and 1 piece halters. Belted pants, embellishments such as crystals, stones and jewels are in high demand."

"Crochet is also important. Cover-ups in many styles from peasant tops, a wide variety of pants, pareos, shorts, jackets, dresses to skirts and sarongs remain an essential element to complete every woman's swimwear ensemble."

Is contemporary swimwear doing well at your stores? Can you give us an indication of how well it is?

"Yes, our contemporary client is finding everything she needs. Classic contemporary lines by La Blanca, Ann Klein and Anne Cole continue to perform well. Baja Blue, Club Del Sol, Vix, Rygy and Christina are also strong performers at E."

"The contemporary military-belted hipster/halter look that Halle Berry perfected is STILL in demand. The contemporary category is doing exceptionally well, due in part to new merchandise arrivals between May and July. With the new merchandise hitting the stores around peak holiday (i.e. Memorial Day and July 4th), sell throughs have been quite high. We've set many increased selling records this year in all categories across the board, contemporary to junior separates."

Stacey Siegel is the Owner and President of Everything but Water. She owned a boutique in the Orlando area when she noticed that swimwear collections sold better than many of the other items and collections in her merchandise mix. In 1984, Stacey decided to launch the first ever swimwear specialty boutique to cater to every swimwear need of the modern, fashion conscious woman.

Everything but Water is now considered the largest Specialty Swimwear Boutique chain in the country with 37 stores and several more stores being planned for opening before the end of 2003.

Client demand, a visually appealing store design and colorized Merchandising is what helps make Everything But Water a premier swimwear destination. They work closely with vendors and swimwear manufacturers to identify and help drive swimwear trends. 

Much of the company's success stems from its approach and strategically positioning itself in the nations premier real estate. Their corporate philosophy is to provide each client with the ultimate swimwear shopping experience through outstanding service, a visually stimulating store design and an exceptional merchandise mix, with a selection of designer labels and trendy specialty lines.

Everything But Water has On-line Shopping, accepts Special Orders and has Trained and Certified Fit Specialists and Personalized Swimwear Fit Consultations.

They hold Fit Parties that target their primary customer - Affluent, fashion forward women twenty-five to forty-five.

Everything But Water earned our high marks as a specialty swimwear boutique chain that not only delivers fashion forward swimwear designs to it's clients but that also plays a roll in driving swimwear trends with service, selection and one of the best shopping experiences we have had the pleasure to encounter. 

The Glamour of Fashion at Everything But Water

You can learn more about Everything But Water by going to their website at http://www.everythingbutwater.com

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