Photo by George Martinez

Kate Upton (right) at Beach Bunny

​Annie Vazquez guest blogs on fashion for Cultist. Visit her blog at TheFashionPoet.com.

Swim Week 2012 came and went (thank God), because I'm swimsuited out. After attending the five-day fashion festival, I really don't want to see another flaca model in a bikini for awhile. However, I wouldn't mind seeing more of those muy caliente chicos with six packs that made up the small group of male models in the shows.

After all the fashion shows, swag bags, celebrities sightings, and parties I attended, here's a rundown of the Best of the Best of Swim Week 2012. More >>

Photos by George Martinez

Check out those tassels...

​Annie Vazquez guest blogs on fashion for Cultist. Visit her blog at TheFashionPoet.com.

Night three at Mercedes-Benz Swim Week had us really excited to scope out Mara Hoffman's collection. Yet, one step backstage and we felt like we were experiencing déjà vu.

There were the same tribal patterns, neon hues, and hell, even the warrior make-up and hair -- which was tied in fish tail braids. It was all too similar to her runway look from last year.

Ay, Marita, we know your 2011 collection was gorgeous, exotic, and really one of the best and we truly are fans, but seriously mujer, que paso? We don't have amnesia. More >>

Photo by Frazer Harrison Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz

Kate Upton

​Annie Vazquez guest blogs on fashion for Cultist. Visit her blog at TheFashionPoet.com.

Last night, we went to the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, night two at the Raleigh
Hotel. And sex, sex, and more sex is one way to sum up a Beach Bunny Swimwear show. If you've never been to one just imagine Playboy models jiggling their jugs and shaking their booties down the catwalk. Last year, the Kardashian trio collaborated with designer Angela Chittenden to bring out a line that was heavily channeling S&M garbs. The show was slammed with wishful star-fuckers all trying to get a glimpse of the sisters who sat front row next to a very prim and out-of-place Selena Gomez.

This year, however, only celebs like Cheetah Girls' Adrienne Bailon and John Legend's girlfriend Sports Illustrated model Christine Teigen (who is showcasing her diNeila Brazil swimwear capsule collection on Monday) showed up. The less star-studded affair caused plenty of nobodies who had standing room to steal a seat since fillers were needed. More >>

Lila Nikole Swimwear

​For many, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, AKA Swim Week, is just another week for the haves to enjoy, while the have-nots watch from the sidelines. That's somewhat true: the tents at the Raleigh only hosts VIPs and buyers (and the savvy scenester who managed to score a pass), while SwimShow, the trade show at the Miami Beach Convention Center, is meant for buyers and suppliers to meet and discuss business.

So what's the average bikini babe to do?

For you there is the Miami Swim Lounge at Coco De Ville. The pop-up shop, hosted by Scene PR Miami, is an oasis featuring swimwear, accessories, and shoes by local designers, including one of the Real Housewives of Miami.
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Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

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Nicolita, Cuban bathing beauty.

​It's the 1940s. You jump out of your Cadillac convertible to lay out on el Varadero, sip some mojitos, and get some sun. Nicole Di Rocco has made such time travel possible with her funky line of Cuba-inspired bikinis. It's not just the cuts that are Cuban retro - some of suits have prints of platanos, dominos, cigars, and even the mountain ranges of Cuba's Vinales Valley.

Di Rocco, a Cuban-American from California, created Nicolita Swimwear in 2003 to bring her parents' Cuban heritage to life. In 2009, a documentary was made when the designer traveled to Cuba for an on-location photo shoot and to reunite her parents with their homeland and family after 49 years.

She was in Miami on Monday for her runway show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim. New Times spoke to Di Rocco about what inspired the collection, her trip to Cuba, and the documentary she created to bring nostalgic Cubans back to their homeland.

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Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz

Beach Bunny Swimwear at the Raleigh.

​OK, folks. You can now breathe a sigh of relief -- or of sadness if you love seeing models and reality stars strutting their stuff on the streets of South Beach. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim is officially over.

The five-day runway marathon proved daunting for a lot of Miami newbies, as waiting in hour-long lines in 95+ degree heat isn't for the faint of heart. But hey, we're not complaining. Well, maybe just a little.

The shows were packed with celebrities and reality TV stars, and we've got your recap of the biggest MBFWS shows we saw -- with official video footage. So take in all the nudity in one big gulp.
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Courtesy of The Standard

Caught in the jungle without any swimwear.

​Have you ever been caught at a pool party or the beach without any swimwear? Skinny dipping not an option? The Standard Hotel has a solution for you, a swimwear vending machine stocked with limited edition Standard boardshorts by Quiksilver ($75), with designs inspired by the hotel's four locations: Miami, New York, Hollywood, and downtown Los Angeles.

For the ladies, there is a reversible bikini ($88) that can be worn in three unique ways.
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via myspace

​There's nothing we probably love more than a celebrity caught misbehaving. And this week's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim shows are certain to draw a crowd of A- to D-list stars into town.

While most of us regular folk won't be able to get into Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim to see the celebrities up close, there's another option: the Gansevoort's Lifestyle Retreat Lounge.

It's opening today at 1 p.m., and though we're not sure if the Kardashians, the Jersey Shore kids, or Rev. Run's daughter Angela Simmons will pop in, there's one celebrity reality star we can guarantee will be there: Kendra Wilkinson.

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Makeup that will make sure you're also looking at their eyes.

​Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim isn't just about hot bodies in teeny tiny swimwear. Okay, maybe it is. But these models have faces, people! And if you look up long enough, what you see may surprise you.

Caking on the makeup probably isn't the most realistic plan when trolling on South Beach's sand. But neither is wearing stilettos with bikinis, and we'll see plenty of that over the next four days.

MBFWS sponsor Make Up For Ever, spotted on beach-bound beauties like Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and the Kardashians, designed the makeup looks for six runway collections this year. We've featured four of the looks below. Make Up For Ever Alliance's James Vincent, who's the lead makeup artist for MBFWS, spoke to the New Times about painting models' faces and how to look runway ready when hitting the beach.
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