ART TO WEAR: Wearing the Australian landscape in one-off handmade bikini designs.
When we think of a work of art, we usually associate it with something to hang on the wall or stand in the foyer, but Australian artist/designer creates her pieces to wear on the beach. Syrene Bikinis are unique hand crafted crochet swimwear made in Queensland, Australia where you will find the most beautiful beaches in the world. Tracy Wootton, designer of Syrene bikinis, has lived in Queensland all her life and gains the inspiration for her fabulous designs from the beaches and landscape. She says, 'The colours I see at the beach are just breathtaking. If I can capture that, and express the brilliance in my garments, I am sharing my experience with this part of the world with others'. She lives 30 minutes from the Sunshine Coast and a few hours from the Great Barrier Reef which she visits often. "The colours in the water differ from place to place and according to the time of day. For instance, Whitehaven Beach at dawn is the one of the most exhilarating sights I have ever seen. I try to capture those moments in a bikini".
It isn't just the beach that inspires Tracy in her bikini designs. "My inspiraton comes from current trends in fashion as well as my own ideas about colour and shape. I am currently having a love affair with the 'flapper' styles of the roaring 20's with all the beads and movement". Beading and metallic colours are a common thread in the Syrene designs. Combine this with a Brazilian style bikini, intricate hand made design and brilliant colours and you have a stunning head turner at the beach or poolside. Tracy also rejects the popular notion that you have to be skinny to look good in a Brazilian bikini, "Let's face it, most of us are larger than a size 10. Why should we wear a one piece and wrap ourselves in a towel? Be proud of who you are and wear something beautiful! In the words of my hero British style guru, Gok Wan, 'the Brazilian bikini works beautifully on big butts as they're smaller cut across the back it reduces the size of your bum.' (http://www.lifestylechannel.com.au).
Each bikini can take up to 4 days to create. Using fine gauge viscose, Tracy makes each bikini herself, then dyes, lines and embellishes it in a variety of ways. Embellishment involves sterling or 999 silver motifs, beading, embroidery or shells collected from Queensland beaches.
Syrene Bikinis are in a class of their own. They cannot be mass produced. Each bikini is painstakingly hand crafted in fine quality threads and dyed by hand in colours that express the stunning colours of the environment. From the cool brilliant turquoise aqua hues of the coastline to the deep earthy colours of the arid inland landscape, they are a beautiful thing to behold. Each bikini is unique. "While I like to make the garments according to the tastes and preferences of the wearer, I really enjoy being left to my own devices in creating a truly eye catching piece'.
