L*Space Swimwear is available in the Swimwear Downtown Portland Boutique and the NE Portland Swimsuit Boutique.  In fact between our two stores Popina has the largest selection of L*Space Swimwear in Oregon.

Creative director and lead designer of L*Space, Monica Wise finds her inspiration both along the Southern California coast and every faraway beach paradise she visits. Monica also finds inspiration from the decades of designers before her, who paved the way in women’s swimwear ­– especially those in the 1960’s, who produced mod, trendsetting, timeless fashions.

Described as sophisticated beach chic, glam surfer girl, and most definitely fashion-forward swimwear, L*Space is an award-winning brand, having been recognized as SIMA’s (Surfwear Industry Manufacturer’s Association) swimwear brand of the year, as well as Monica herself being recognized as the 2010 Mercedes Benz designer of the year.

From her Corona del Mar beach bungalow, Monica continues to be inspired, continues to enjoy her beach lifestyle, and continues to create.

Here are a few looks from the 2011 collection:

Portland Swimwear Boutique Popina now has Jantzen!  Once upon a time Swimsuits Portland Oregon went hand in hand with Jantzen the great innovator of women’s swimsuits and the original Portland Swimsuit source.  A few years ago Perry Ellis bought Jantzen and moved a majority of Jantzen’s bathing suit operations to Miami, Florida.  So we are thrilled to reintroduce this important swim suit brand back to Portland as it has such a rich history in the northwest.

Jantzen created the now “retro” style, at the time it was just the fashionable thing to wear.  Going back to its roots, Jantzen has re-introduced retro swimwear styles and prints and we can not wait to roll it back out in Portland.  For our first batch of bathing suit styles we purchased a number of one piece with great vintage swimwear styling.

Tommy Bahama Swimwear is sold in the Popina Portland Swimsuit Shop.  Tommy Bahama made the mark to make it into our Portland swim wear shop and is a favorite among women as it does all the things we look for in a swimsuit, great flattering fits, construction and design.  Tommy Bahama does a great job of designing classic looking tropical prints, and the women who design Tommy Bahama suits do a great job with their construction, particularly with their underwire tops.

Below are a few pix from a South Florida fashion show held last month.