The London Lounge

Does anyone know of any alternatives to these bathing suits and shorts? I inspected them during my trip to NYC and they are perfect, but outrageously overpriced.

Not if you wish to appear "en vogue", especially in St Tropez.

Some of Villebrequin's colour choices are very avant garde, though.

Actually my intentions are much more plebian. No St Tropez for me! The shorts are the right length, they are made of comfortable (and quiet) material, and they have a draw string waist. Believe it or not, I have not seen anything like them. We are talking about something for slumming with boat shoes and a polo shirt.

I am curious. What are the prices?

I have seen their free-standing stores next to Peter Elliot on Madison Ave. and on Rodeo Drive. I never walked-in.

BTW, Elliot Rabin (Mr. Peter Elliot) passed on renting the Villebrequin space (which is next to his mens' store) because the asking rent was too high. Instead, he opened two store, the womens and childrens, across the street.

165 for shorts, which for slave labor construction is just too much.

brescd01 wrote:. . . slave labor construction . . . .

Are they really made in China?

I don't know, but if they aren't, they should be!

Even Ralph Lauren, which is usually quite reliable to produce some decent items in areas that are fraught with disaster (have you ever tried to buy a skiing outfit that did not make you cringe?) has been noted to offer some rather unsatisfying bathing shorts.

I think one should honour somebody's successful initiative in producing a different, unique and good product by accepting some mark-up. I have frequently found that attempts to save on it turned out to be time-consuming, more expensive in the end, and obtained an inferior result. In addition, when I bought my last pair in the shop somewhere off av de Montaigne the shop assistant was very sweet. Makes all the difference when parting with large amounts.

And the spectre of a pink turtle print bathing shorts wearing member of the London Lounge puts a smile on my face. Or are the orange shrimps on pale green base the favourite?

In 1 month when I have been disappointed, wasted countless man-hours in my typical obsessive-compulsive fashion, and spent at least as much on cheap imitations, I know I will come to the same conclusion. But I am not there yet....

When Peter Elliot was closing down the children's shop, in the odds and ends were matching mens and boys swimtrucks, rather Villebrequin like with the aforementioned drawstring and interesting design: $10 each, one for my son, one for me. We wore them in Capri andI have to say, the rope drawstring is quite nice on them. They were also made in France. The cloths have an interesting texture.

Ben Silver sells Villebrequin. They're better when not used in the water, as they don't dry especially quickly. Also, if you're tempted, get one size larger than your normal.

Glad to have a pair, may bite on another. But for real knocking around in hot weather near water, I have some nylon shorts that are more functional.

I can't find it on the Ben Silver wed site, can you help?

How does one pattern match orange shrimps?