A few weeks ago I woke up to a rainy Lake Geneva. Amazing experience to have the opportunity to observe a United Nations International Telecommunications Union meeting on one of my favourite topics space.
As well as designing swimwear and lingerie have commenced a PhD and designing a new out of this world project combining fashion & technology that is a little secret squirrel more soon.
Travelling from a university in London to a university in Manchester at the other side of the country and back to London all in the same day was an awfully big adventure.
You can see the seven cities in seven days photo’s on Harlette Swimwear new flickr site https://flic.kr/ps/3gtEvu and you will also spot beaches in Australia like Shelly Beach, a personal favourite and the spectacular Surfers Paradise with the symphony of high rises.
Where, when I touched down in LAX, discovered I left my voice on a virgin train. Sunrise in London Hyde Park with swans & squirrels to finish the day watching the sunset over Santa Monica beach before meeting with the director of my 4K TV project IT Girl Lingerie to discuss the project, story and new things in Geneva & UK.
Executive Producers that are interested in assisting this project are most welcome to reach out.
Final touch down in Sydney to start new swimwear collection and this new one is going to be really fun to frolic in and on. Of course what a shock was Leonard Cohen, I heard his new song Leaving the Table as I was in a good old trusted black cab outside Buckingham Palace on the way to the university. With the benefit of hindsight its a little prophetic this song.
I was listening to his new album You Want it Darker the whole week, while glued to Bloomberg for US Election updates & the markets reaction and then suddenly the news that he passed away, on remembrance day at 82 after he saw the new President elect Donald Trump come to power. The night before I saw the Opera House covered in poppies and the video is available at Harlette Swimwear new flickr site https://flic.kr/ps/3gtEvu.
Donald Trump no doubt he is 100% #teambikini & excited that Red is the colour of 2017. Having worked with Miss Universes in our shoots & catwalks Harlette Swimwear are excited at seeing Donald work to make America great again.
Exciting times ahead for the whole world and infinitely more exciting with a bikini or two.
In 1907, at the height of her popularity, Australian Annette Kellerman was arrested on Revere Beach, Massachusetts, for indecency – she was wearing one of her fitted one-piece costumes
I have been hesitant to write on this subject of the French beach Burkini ban when I have personally visited Saudi Arabia as part of the KSA Lingerie Campaign. I have worn and been photographed wearing a hijab and its for this reason I thought it would be sensible to remain neutral. I don’t vote in France and when I visit France I wear a bikini or one piece.
I have decided to comment, as on Thursday outside the French Embassy in London a protest was conducted by women wearing Burkini’s. The tradition and culture of France is being challenged coerced and condemned on the streets of London and in beloved Britain.
As someone that has had a bikini 100% made in France and launched my very first Bikini range in Paris, France in 2013, I have to stand up for #teambikini.
Tradition, Culture are being bounced about, like the wobbly bits bursting from the bikini bottom and tiny triangle tops and all the while the traditions of relaxing on the beach in peace, worshipping the sun, reading a good book, taking a dip in the ocean are being over taken by statement swimsuits on the beach.
But its not the first time someone has been arrested on a beach in a swimsuit and I doubt it will be the last. Annette Kellerman was arrested on Revere Beach, Massachusetts, for indecency when she wore one of her fitted one piece costumes in 1907.
Ironically Annette Kellerman born and bred in Sydney Australia, ended her days on the Gold Coast. I was born in Sydney moved to the Gold Coast and my family live there today.
Papers are claiming that the creator of the Burkini is Australian but Ms Zanetti was born in Lebanon and immigrated.
Following the 2005 riots, Cronulla council invited Muslim women to become lifesavers in an effort to make the beach more inclusive.
Ms Zanetti was commissioned to design a modest version of the iconic red and yellow swimsuit for the new volunteers to wear.
Elastic Heart
The world is wondering What exactly is the power of 25cm of Lycra material & 2 meters of elastic.
France is at the forefront of the “Butt Four”(but for) the Bikini test. Making a monumental case for less is indeed more.
Most of the beaches where bans have been imposed are on the Riviera in south-east France.
However, few are thought to have issued fines other than the authorities at Cannes and Nice, where more than 20 fines have been handed out
Barbara Streisand in the sixties sang a song titled when in Rome do as the Romans do?
So what do the Romans do in France they wear bikini’s they even go topless.
What do the Romans do in Britain, they wear Bikinis 👙 which is 100% more modest than the Freikörperkulturst ‘nudist’ camps in Germany or the fondness for nude sauna’s and birch beating branches practices in Scandinavia.
What do the Romans do Down Under on Bondi Beach ? They wear Bikinis 👙 well every one except Nigella!
What do the romans do in USA well the beach boys sang it so successfully
The West coast has the sunshine
And the girls all get so tanned
I dig a French bikini on Hawaii island
Dolls by a palm tree in the sand
I wish they could be California girls.
There is a beach volleyball game of ideas being served up. I’m standing firmly in the quick sand on the side of “team bikini” I stand ready to serve a volley to win game set & match on the shoulder of giants. Icons of the perfect 10, Bo Derek in a bikini 👙 ?
The journey of a bikini 👙 is a fascinating and alluring and down right glamorous in moments. Starting in France its designed, colour pallets set by trend agents and presented to professionals at the trade shows in Paris & Lyon.
A year later your buying a bikini 👙 for your summer 🎆 holiday. Something that everyone has experienced by birth right is the right to wear a bikini 👙 at the beach.
Well that was what I thought until June 2009, I was looking at the sea & a beach off the shore of Jeddah. Not a bikini in sight, well in Jeddah, the romans don’t do bikinis 👙 The rule of law is enforced by the religious police.
The Islamic religious police (Arabic: مطوع muṭawwiʿ, plural مطوعونmuṭawwiʿūn – derived from Arabic: mutaṭawwiʿa/muṭṭawwiʿa) is the official vice squad of some Islamic states, who on behalf of the state, enforces Sharia law in respect to religious behavior (morality), or the precepts of Wahhabism.
Anything that breaks the laws of morality are brought to the attention of the mutaween and was the very reason I was standing in Saudi Arabia in the first place. Images of women in lingerie were blacked out 100%, men were only allowed to sell lingerie products and the woman that invited me into Saudi had been stopped by the religious police for trying to remove the label to view what the lingerie product looked like.
In 2016, with people protesting, outside the French embassy in London wearing a Burkini. How many of the British women have been to middle east countries with dress restrictions against the right to wear a bikini?
What point are they making?
I was unable to wear my normal clothes, I had to wear an abaya and hijab, I was respectively adhering to law staying in my hotel room not being in public alone. Definitely not defiantly wearing a bikini on Jeddah seafront. When in Rome, I did as the Romans did! I covered up, I changed, I respected the customs the law and the local dress style.
I ask the simple question why is the western legal system being challenged by those that are not OK to follow when in Rome do as the Romans do! You cant have the rule of law, all times, all countries, otherwise we then have a single government, a single rule, that supersedes all countries.
Can there be grounds for “Bikini Exit”? Was Brexit a partial response to EU law superseding British law. Other wise what is the point of a constitution, royal families, privy councils and individual nations government.
Could the Bikini actually be the symbol of The right to vote in your country, your local government and your local council. How and why does the “burkini” symbolise human rights in 21st century?
What do nuns do when they visit the beach?
Why have we not seen a claim of a habit to be worn on a beach as human rights?
I might make light, to make a point of this? I might jest about a “Butt Four” test. But would any one come and save me, defend me, and claim my human rights if I made a decision to wear a bikini 👙 on a Saudi beach?
Of course being a rational, and law abiding visitor to another nation. Its not an action I would take. Only for the sake of debate do I illustrate the two sides of the Lycra liability.
Big words like human rights are being attached to 1 meter of Lycra with a zipper versus 25 cm of Lycra with 2 meters of Elastic.
Who where and when will my human right to wear a bikini on Jeddah beach be defended. The answer is never, so why are these big two words, being associated with what is happening on the Riviera.
Harlette Swim debuted their 2nd Swim collection, in the Caribbean on the island of Curacao as part of international Swim Fashion Week. Included a 100% made in France luxury bikini called Jet Set. The jet set bikini features iconic Paris, and 100% made in Britain Velvet which is 1st in the world design by Harlette.
The Harlette Swim collection was launched in the Caribbean on the island of Curacao, as part of International Swim Fashion Week Harlette were the only British Brand to be invited to showcase the collection. The Collection includes Bikinis, Plunge One Pieces Harlette’s Signature Design Bikini. Featuring exotic prints from Tahiti, to Atacama Desert to Arrive in Paris. This inspiration behind the collection is the journey of the Black Pearl and the trip it travelled from Tahiti to make the first show in Paris.
The British brand, rated by the Economic Times as the 5th most unique company to supply services globally and as seen on Billie Piper in the 4th and final series of Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Harlette have moved production back o UK, Harlette are the only company in the world to hold a patent for a diamond and platinum suspender clips and the first company in the world to make a luxury south sea pearl lingerie set. Harlette have a couture lingerie service in London 100% made in Britain.
The concierge on demand bespoke service is available for delivery globally. Appointments are made when you arrive in London. You make your selection & Design and Construction of your garment will then follow and can be shipped to your home or holiday destination if you leave London.
The media is awash with the news of offshore investments Panama Gate, resignations of Iceland’s Prime Minister, but something that caught my attention was an article in the guardian on sweat shops in Myanmar.
All this talk of Offshoring got me thinking about Onshoring. Since 2009 Harlette have been practitioners of Onshoring, beginning with designing & manufacturing in Australia.
This is an example of Australian Design and Manufacturing recently on Catwalk in Caribbean on the island of Curacao as part of International Swim Fashion Week.
Kia Archer, from Elite Miami models Riviera Rouge 100% Silk & French Lace
Harlette expanded the Onshoring activities for Luxury Lingerie Manufacturing to UK in 2015 this is 100% made in London with a collection of 8 to 12 styles available in 10 days.
Sharon Fonseca from Ford, model’s Harlette couture Cleopatra ShowPiece
Featuring 100% UK Linton Tweed made into luxury lingerie
Harlette in 2016 have expanded Onshoring Manufacturing to France last month. To produce this luxury bikini, first run 10 days from fabric selection manufacture to final finish.
Harlette approach to limited edition Luxury is unique in the world just as you are unique.
If your discovering Harlette for the first time, our consistent approach to sourcing luxury fabrics and French lace quality sees our collections selected by stylists, TV shows and magazines.
Harlette onshore all luxury design, manufacturing in three countries Australia, Britain & France globally. Including the only luxury company in world to have a patent for platinum & diamonds suspenders and worlds first south sea pearl luxury lingerie set.
The Economic Times listed Harlette company as the 5th most unique company to provide services globally
Harlette provides you with 100% certainty where your luxury garments are made and manufactured and Harlette delivers to you anywhere in the world.
Hannah Flattery models couture Baby Doll
100% made in London on ISFWCuracao Catwalk in Caribbean
Jetset Luxury Bikini by Harlette began life in France just a few days ago, it took just 5 day to make. The bikini left France Monday, arrived in London Tuesday, passed through Miami Friday, to arrive in the Caribbean Saturday to be the star in a sizzling hot beach shoot on the island of Curacao.
Along the 4K journey, the questions start, how will a 24K Gold fabric work and what camera will bring out the best in the 24K gold?
Harlette worked with Sony to test what a fabric with 24K Gold and Platinum would look like using a 4K top-end motion picture camera
The results were more than interesting and with the right lighting and movement.
“The fabric danced and the 24K Gold on 4K mesmerising!”
This is just one of the most surprising experiences, to see a fabric come to life, even before its made into a garment.
This is a behind the scenes view of a fabric test with 24K gold conducted at Pinewood Studios thanks to Sony. The camera used for the fabric test is the F65.
