Finding the Perfect Bikini with Agustina, owner of Nina Swimwear

Agustina Palacio: Owner/Designer Nina Swimwear

I am a self-proclaimed bikini-aholic. I have more swimsuits than I know what to do with, just ask my husband. And honestly, it’s never enough. I’m constantly searching the globe for new styles, colors and designs. I love mixing and matching my colors and styles. Yet, it was not until I began visiting South America that I realized that if there was such a place as “Bikini Heaven”, this would be it! The beaches of Punta del Este and Rio de Janeiro were filled with the best bikinis (and bodies) that I had EVER seen. I thought that obviously it was the body that made the bikini look great. And that may be true, but as I spent more time on these beaches, I began to realize that these bikinis looked great on even non-perfect Brazilian and Argentine bodies. At that moment I did what any normal girl would do, I hunted down top South American bikini designers and soon they became my favorites! One of my absolute favorites for a sexy, high end, perfectly fitting, unbelievably well made bikini is Nina Swimwear.
The owner and lead designer Agustina Palacio is one of the hottest swimwear designers in the world. Woman everywhere covet her swimsuit designs year after year. And I was lucky enough to get her to answer all the questions that my jet set ladies have regarding choosing the perfect swimsuit.

How did you start designing swimwear?

I always loved swimsuits since I was very little. I used to take one piece of a bathing suit and put it to another. Also I used to wear a different top with a different bottom and I was only 7 years old!! By the age of nine I designed my first bikini and ask my mom to get someone who could sew it. But, I didn’t start designing till I moved to Miami when I was 20. I felt that there was nothing to buy. So it was there where I started up my business.

Nina Swimwear is always able to create and stay ahead of the current trends in swimwear. Where do you find your inspiration for designing new swimwear styles?

I find inspiration in everything specially living in NYC! Many times I dream of a bathing suit and when I wake up, I try to draw it. Our concept is doing bathing suits in a fashionable way, like clothing. So fashion magazines are a great source. When I see a dress or even a sweater or any piece that catches my eye, I try to see in what way I could do something similar in a bathing suit.

From exploring the beaches of South America I have found that a swimsuit is about more than being practical, it’s fashion. One thing that I noticed is that South Americans love to accessorize on the beach. What accessories would you suggest adding to your summer beach attire to enhance the overall outfit without overdoing it?

Yes, in some beaches of South America everything is about fashion and the swimsuit is the protagonist. I love when our clients can’t wait to show their new bikinis to friends or walk in the beach making people turn around to see them. Accessories are a must. I love wearing them when going to the beach. I suggest wearing a very light scarf or pareo that you can also wear it over the head or a cool hat. Wearing loose pieces, harem pants, tunics with belts. Always casual rather than fancy. However, my rule number one is that most of the pieces I wear don’t have to match the bikini. I hate when everything matches!

Many women don’t know which type of bikini would fit their body type. As the designer, I’d love to find out which body types would best fit in your suits.

It’s often hard for woman to find a swimsuit that they love in an actual store. It’s seems it would be impossible for a woman to find a suit online that they will and love and fit well. What tips can you give for women who want to purchase swimwear online?

Finding the right bathing suits is not an easy task. The big advantage of buying online is that you can try them in the comfort of your house and without the pressure of sales personnel and weird lighting in the fitting rooms! Nina makes very easy to return the suits if the client is not happy. To buy online the most important thing is to know your body and take your body measurement of the following: breast, back and hips. Once you know your measurements go to the reference table and choose your size. The most important thing when you are looking for the ideal bathing suit is to feel comfortable and feel sexy.

In the USA, women are shyer about wearing less coverage on the bottom. Explain how the right fit of the bottom (i.e. Brazilian, Argentine, American, full coverage etc..) can enhance or detract from a woman’s figure.

Most of American women are not comfortable with smaller bottom and they think that more fabric will be more flattering. And actually that might be the opposite. If you cover your whole behind, the butt will look bigger. For a lift and more flattering look the best is a “V” shape. One piece suit are very elegant and can be as sexy as a two piece, but if you have wide hips, then avoid low rise bottoms.

Do you have any tips on choosing colors that are more flattering for skin tones?

The color of your skin is very important, if you are fair skin go for stronger colors. If you are thinking of tanning then any print with white background will look very flattering.

What suit styles, colors etc… should I be packing for my 2009 summer vacation?

You should be packing some pieces with tribal prints and earth colors (browns, green, orange, etc). Also strong colors (yellow, green, silver). Maybe a cutout bikini or a one piece and all the rest should be two pieces.

What are the most common mistakes that women make when purchasing a swimsuit/bikini?

Women think that if the bathing suit is bigger and has more fabric then they will look smaller and usually is the opposite you just need to have the right fabric and cover the right place.

Where can my readers find your swimwear?

They can shop our line at http://ninaswim.com/

Maybe Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, but Rolf Potts Did

As a self-proclaimed jet-setter, you may be asking why I would want to interview Rolf Potts, since he is a vagabonder.  The answer is simple.  He is an extraordinary travel writer, accomplished author and yet he is just a simple guy that has a bona fide passion for travel.  And if there is one thing that I am passionate about, it’s having a passion for travel.  I love that Rolf doesn’t define himself by his luggage.  Whether someone carries a backpack or the newest Louis Vuitton, personally, I don’t care.  For me, jet setting isn’t about throwing money around so you can sit next to P. Diddy.  It’s about experiencing the world with both eyes open.  Rolf and I definitely travel differently.  Yet, we are on the same earth, under the same stars and staring out at the same oceans.  Maybe the thread count is different or the service is better, but at the end of the trip I would assume that we will both remember the same glowing sunsets, the cultures that we’ve experienced and the many locals that we’ve met.

Rolf travels the world and truly engages himself; he’s not just a bystander.  His new book, Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, is a collection of stories from his journeys over the last ten-years.  His writing style is inspiring.  I guess that’s why he’s graced the page of Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine, just to name a few.  You will find yourself completely absorbed into his stories, almost as if you are traveling right along next to him.  His brilliance and passion comes through in every word. It’s definitely a MUST read for ALL travelers.

So without further ado. My interview with Rolf Potts.

Rolf’s self-portrait while traveling the Tigris River Valley, Syria.

1. People often envy my choice to travel often, as opposed to living the
normal 9-5 work week with one-week vacation per year. For me, it was just
a decision that I made to live my life on my own terms. You obviously made
a similar decision. How did travel writing begin for you and how did you
escape societies notions of what you *should* be doing with your life?

In some ways I stumbled into it.  Back when I was in my late teens/early
twenties I really felt like I had to travel when I was young, because I
felt like it would never happen if I waited until I got older.  This
eventually led to my first vagabonding experience — 8 months around North
America not long after I finished college.  It was during that trip that I
discovered how easy and enjoyable and inexpensive long-term travel could
be.  I was hooked.  Instead of getting travel “out of my system,” as I
thought I might do, I made it a part of my life.  In some ways I’m still
on that original journey — and writing is something that came along the
way over the years, though a process and trial-and-failure, until it
became something I could do as a living.

I love going back to Paris and New York.  And I love road-tripping the
American West.   India and the Middle East are great, too.  And Korea and
Thailand can, at times, feel like home.  But I also seek out new places too,
so I don’t regularly go back to some of those places.

I don’t know if there’s a place I would never go back to, at least in
principle.  Even lousy places, places where I had bad experiences, might
reveal something new if I go back.

Probably the Kumbh Mela in India in 2001.  Something like 70 million
people visited the Ganges near the city of Allahabad over the course of
six weeks — the largest gathering of humans in the history of the planet.
It was amazing to be a part of it, and unlike anything I’ve ever
experienced.

I don’t really experience Stateside culture shock anymore — I’ve been
coming and going from the US so much in the past 12 years that I’ve kind
of gotten used to the transition.

I had almost total creative control over Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, so
there was very little thematic wrangling or unkind edits.  In fact my
publishers specifically requested I add “Death of an Adventure Traveler,”
which I hadn’t originally planned on including — and I’m glad I did,
since that story and its themes are kind of at the heart of the book.  So
mostly what got left out are some old stories of mine that I liked, but
either felt redundant or out of place in this book.  And perhaps some of
them I can come back to in a future collection of travel stories.

I get irritated by competition among travelers — who’s traveled the
longest, who’s traveled to the most countries, who’s traveled for the
least amount of money, which nationalities are better than others.  Every
hostel lounge in the world seems to have these kinds of social “pissing
contests.”  It seems like such a waste of energy, such a misappropriation
of travel time.  Better to just quietly make your own travels better than
to constantly compare them to other people’s travels.

As for globalization, I’m all for local industry and local color — but
I’m also of the opinion that Italians should be able to drink coffee
wherever they want, even if it’s a Starbucks.

I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of television, but it was never
really a part of my master plan.  Writing is my passion, and it’s what I’m
best at, I think.  But in early 2007 the Travel Channel began actively
looking for “qualified insiders” — people with active travel expertise,
not just “actors” — to host their shows.  I think 12-15 different
production companies approached me that year, wanting me to send them
clips or make an audition tape.  Because I wasn’t really pursuing
television work, I didn’t have many clips to send.  But one company,
Pioneer Productions, flew me to Los Angeles to make an audition reel.  I
wasn’t cast for the show they had in mind in 2007, but a year later they
cast me for “American Pilgrim,” which debuted last November and was my
first TV hosting gig.

Here’s a little excerpt from Rolf’s travel show debut:

Though my show appeared on the Travel Channel, I didn’t work directly with
them; all the hands-on work was carried out by the production company.
And it was a great debut hosting experience — the people I worked with
were very supportive and encouraging.  I don’t have any specific TV
projects lined up for the near future, though I do have a TV agent now
that helps me with that kind of thing.  I’m just going to continue to
concentrate on my travels and my writing, and if the right TV show comes
along I’ll do it.

New Zealand comes to mind.  Though I’d love to hit Madagascar.  And South
Africa.  Most of sub-Saharan Africa, really.  I’m under-traveled in that
part of the world, and I’d love to just get out to Africa and wander.

Where are you in this exact moment: Rural Saline County, Kansas, where I
live and write in a little farmhouse when I’m not traveling.

What is your favorite lip balm: Blistex — though I use other kinds from
time to time.  My lips chap easily, so I’m constantly using lip balm.

What is the most luxurious item you travel with: I probably my laptop,
though I don’t always take it with me.  I don’t really do luxury; I tend
to be all practicality when I’m on the road.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading most: Non-fiction.  I can’t get
much more specific than that.  Travel, yes, but also history and science
and sociology and memoirs and essays and all sorts of topics.

What is your favorite beach for relaxing: I’m not much of a beach person.
If you pressed me I might say one of the wilderness beaches on the
Olympic Peninsula in Washington.  But I haven’t been up to that part of
the country in a long time.

Which do you think is the friendliest city: There are a lot of friendly
places in the world.  New Orleans comes to mind.  Havana.  Beirut.
Damascus.  Bangkok, even.

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve done: Many things might qualify
in this category.  Probably taking a little fishing boat 900 miles down
the Laotian Mekong in 1999.

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We’re Getting Beyond the Velvet Ropes of Vegas, Baby!

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Explain the services offered by AngeLiKa?

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Does AngeLiKa offer their services to groups and individuals?

Yes, we cater to individuals visiting Las Vegas for leisure or business as well as convention and trade-show groups as large as over 1,000+. We also get a lot of bachelor and bachelorette party package requests that ranges from group size of 5 to 30+.

We all know that “What happens in Vegas, what stays in Vegas?” (Without naming names) what are some of the more unique or even risque requests that you have filled for clients?

The most risque request we’ve gotten is to organize a topless poker tournament for a bachelor party in their suite where the dealers and cocktail waitresses were topless.

Describe the “full” AngeLiKa experience from the moment the client steps off the plane to the moment they arrive back for their return trip home.

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Are there anymore celeb clients that can be added to your list (other than what’s on your website)?

NFL New York Jets player Ty Law is our newest celebrity client.

What sets AngeLiKa apart from the other Las Vegas concierge services?

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So there it is! If you’re going to Vegas, do yourself a favor and contact AngeLiKa for your next Jet Set Vegas experience!