Rochas Swimwear 2013 collection

The worldwide preview of the first Rochas beachwear collection is going to be held in Paris on the occasion of Mode City (July 7-9) and later at Mare D’Amare in Florence.

The collection has been produced and will be distributed by Tex Zeta Spa, an Italian reference company for corsetry and beachwear, dealing with Ritratti, Imec, Swan Original, Franca Von Wunster, Peach Tree e Jaloe brands.

It is about a high-flying and ambitious project that has been conceived for the purpose of strengthening and expanding the fashion supply of a brand which, in 2003, did finally gain new vigour and force after stopping for more than fifty years. Historical recurrences seem to never fail and today they are bringing to surface a cult object, the bathing suit, which has enthralled both the imagination and the creativity of Monsieurs Rochas. “We are facing a new generation – he stated – that wants to be stylish while being at the seaside too” and therefore, in 1948, he created the tight-fitting bathing suit, “La Bourrasque”, a cutting-edge bathing style by then, made in a quite special fabric of a Lastex blend that made it look like cellophane: UV-ray resistant and seawater-proof. This bringing back to the fore the vision of one of the most important designers in the history of time and its occurring even in the beachwear universe, means to pay an awe-inspiring tribute to the relationship of Monsieur Rochas with the woman, whose most intimate and authentic traits he has been able to distil and draw out. We are talking about pure femininity teamed with the concept of “the Eternal Feminine”, the woman’s urge to know and explore, her harmonious celebration of shapes, her bravery and determination in the daily life and finally, that peculiar Parisian mood that not many had tried to catch but could not reach it successfully.

The woman by Rochas bears and shows the traits of the most sophisticated Paris: that easy way to be always impeccable and unique. Marcel Rochas has always honoured his motto: elegance, simplicity and youthfulness. The body was to get rid of over-ornaments and exude freedom. He made skirts longer and softer and designed pockets for them; trousers were promoted to “official garment”: they were no longer considered a casual garment, but rather a casual way of being stylish in the daily life too. He emphasized the corset and the padded shoulders, still a symbol of femininity. That was the Europe of Joyce, Max Jacob, Picasso and Stravinskij; it was the time when people danced Charleston, the Dolly Sisters sang and Mistinguette performed. All of them were queuing up for Rochas: Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard, Katharine Hepburn, Gloria Swanson e Mae West. It was her who gave him the idea of the black lace “bustier” based on her idea that “between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before”. She also quoted “You need to breathe a woman, before watching her”. She knew that “expectation” is full of desire and surprise. A woman walking by was to convey sensuality and mystery together with a touch of sophistication.

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