One Thing Done Well: Vilebrequin
Our series of brands doing one item especially well continues this month with Vilebrequin designer swimwear
For all of our good intentions, we Brits often let ourselves down when it comes to proper beach etiquette. It’s not our fault, we just get less practice than our more sun-kissed, beach-blessed European neighbours.
As a result, our swimwear often gets overlooked, bought at the last minute with no thought to fit, style and construction. The results are uniformly disastrous: an exercise in ill-fitting, fish-out-of-water, Brit-abroad clumsiness that does you less favours than socks under sandals and an over-enthusiastic, lobster red tan. Bottom line? It’s easy to forget that your swimwear is as much of an investment as your suit.
Enter Vilebrequin luxury designer swimwear. Founded in 1971 in St.Tropez by lovestruck motor-racing journalist Fred Prysquel, Vilebrequin carries all the free-spirited elegance and flamboyant charm of 1970’s Côte d’Azur on its perfectly-
fitting, quick-drying and intricately embroidered shorts. For over 40 years, the brand has mastered the art of making swimwear that is more than just identifiable, it’s iconic. Combining the Californian surfer style with bold Tropézien elegance, Vilebrequin prove that the French are experts in keeping things sleek when the sun’s overhead and the sand’s underfoot.
Each and every pair of shorts undergoes 32 scrupulous manufacturing steps to ensure uncompromising quality. The results border on the sartorial. Exclusive cotton polyamide not only provides a luxuriously soft hand feel, but also makes for a quick drying pair of board shorts that won’t lose their vibrancy in the sun. Seamless inner linings – cut from 100% cotton – offer second-skin levels of comfort and can be replaced in store should the need arise over the years to come. Back pockets are even hand-placed to ensure the print of the fabric is always perfectly aligned.
But the best part of Vilebrequin’s construction? The two metal eyelets at the rear of the shorts that allow air to escape as you enter the water, meaning you won’t look like you have hit the pool under emergency parachute procedures. Add this to the fact that the shorts are designed to rest naturally, without sticking to your legs or riding up your thighs, and you’re looking at a solid example of French craftsmanship.
Vilebrequin’s CEO and lead designer, the St. Barthes-based Roland Herlory, cut his teeth on the likes of Dior and Hermès before choosing to honour Fred Prysquel’s legacy of finely-tailored swimwear and bold, statement prints. It’s an enviable position to be in: The Vilebrequin studio not only have the sun-kissed class and mediterranean majesty of the French Riviera as a constant source of inspiration, they have over 4 decades of finely-tuned construction know-how to bring that inspiration to life.
In short, Vilebrequin not only offers a masterclass in careful construction and timeless style, they offer a serious upper hand in beach-ready style and ease. If you worked out all winter, a pair of Vilebrequin’s will frame those gains nicely. And even if you didn’t, it can’t hurt to have a peacocking, cotton polyamide little trick up your sleeve when the shirt comes off. Just don’t pair them with socks and sandals and you’ll get on just fine. EJ
Words by Will Halbert
Image Credits by Vilebrequin
