V del Sol Swimwear

Véronique, a former Miss France, spent her early days growing up in the French Carribean on the island of Guadeloupe, and this tropical influence shines through in all of her designs.

If you're not yet familiar with V del Sol Swimwear, you soon will be. Although the line is just one year old, it's had a bang of a start, having been featured in the SI Swimsuit Edition 2007 as well as upcoming issues of Vogue and Elle. After garnering so much attention so quickly, you can only wonder what the future holds for Véronique and V del Sol.

Véronique, welcome to LoveToKnow Swimsuits. Please tell us a little about yourself and how you became involved in swimwear design.

As a girl coming from the beautiful French Island of Guadeloupe, I spent all my spare time beach side.

In Guadeloupe, going to the beach is a big part of our culture. As such, it also becomes a fashionable habit. You need to wear a beautiful bathing suit and you can't be seen wearing the same thing twice, so I spent a lot of my childhood saving money to buy swimsuits.

I used to mix and match them and exchange them with my cousin so it appeared as if we constantly had new pieces. I would always find I wanted to modify them to my taste.

As a mother of two children in a stunning country like Costa Rica where the flora and fauna are so dense, I felt inspired and decided, with the support of my husband, to get involved in designing and creating a swimsuit line.

It was not only the line that I wanted to come up with, but a more modern way to represent Costa Rica. I wanted to show the beauty of this country through the eyes of a fashionista. So I set out to create my own dazzling and original prints inspired by the rich natural settings of Costa Rica, using the same fabric printers as Louis Vuitton and Kenzo.

Who is the ideal "V del Sol Woman".

The V del Sol woman is you, the V del Sol woman is me. She's a woman who wants to be sexy and distinguished, yet modern with a touch of flare and a lot of style.

The original V del Sol Pure Life Collection is divided into six distinct lines. Please share a little about each with us.

We created six wonderful prints that reflect the backdrop of Costa Rica, and a separate line of solids to compliment them all:

• Blade: The inspiration is foliage-fresh, lush, and bursting with life. Colors range from moss green to lily. This print has a youthful spirit.
• Rose: The dramatic pattern is deep red. It's bold, passionate and very intense.
• Mushroom: Rich, elemental and sensuous, the layered frappé pattern is rendered in colors of clove, sand dollar, vanilla and melon.
• Ladybug: Bright and vibrant oranges and yellows, inspired by a ladybug's wings, create an unforgettable public impression. It's playful and stylish and reveals a fashion sense on the cutting edge.
• Snake: Mesmerizing and original, the bold colors and scale pattern command attention and awe. It's daring, sexy and adventurous.
• Ocean: An ethereal dreamscape done in moody and evocative shades of blue, including deep ultramarine, sky and violet.
• Solids: Full of timeless style and elegance, this selection of solid tops and bottoms complements the complete color palette of the other six lines.

Variety seems to be a hallmark of your line. Tell us more about those amazing mix and match patterns and reversible bottoms.

Mixing and matching is the philosophy of our line. I'm the type of woman that never likes to look the same, and loves to recycle an outfit by using, for example, a different color top or a different print and matching it with something unpredictable. Buying V del Sol swimwear is choosing to look fabulous without spending a lot of money because you are able to use the bottom in two ways.

Going to the beach or pool side is like going out to a party. You need to look and feel great in your suit, and in my case be able to run after my kids without loosing part of the bathing suit. That's why V del Sol is also all about the fit. I spend hours trying on the bathing suits, and even run through the atelier (studio) to ensure that the suit stays put and feels comfortable.

Having your swimsuits featured in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition is a big coup for a new designer. How did you make it into the big league so quickly?

We have an amazing in-house PR manager!

Also, the line is really different. We print our own fabric from France and the prints and fabrics are unique to V del Sol. Most of all, when you feel one of these swimsuits the fabric has such a soft and sensuous feel that you just have to put it on. I'm not kidding, and when you do put it on, it just makes you feel playful. I guess the models that tried on the suits had the same feeling. Click click!

What's next for V del Sol?

How about an outstanding collection with accessories from Milan, Italy? This will be a stylish, sophisticated and chic line. There's just one way to describe it: Out of this world!

Véronique, thank you for giving us a closer look at V del Sol Swimwear. Where can we find your swimsuits?

You can find V del Sol Swimwear at some wonderful and prestigious boutiques.

In the USA:

• The Beach House of Naples
• Sylene of Washington
• Girl Shop
• California Sunshine

In Canada:

• Sandpipers
• Sole
• Beachy Keen
• James & Brio

In the UK:

• Cassetto & Chameleon

• Barely String Bikini
• Bikini Models
• Tankini Swimsuits
• Brazilian Bikini
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