English Version | Salad Dressing

Some say that the names of the months written without the letter “r” represent the season for eating sardines in Portugal. For me, they are more the season for finding out if I am a pear or an apple, namely when it is time to choose a bikini. However, does it still make sense to think about a swimwear makeover as a food menu? 

Absolutely not, and it must be widely agreed how nonsense it is. I believe it is safe to say that, in 2021, viewing women as part of a fruit salad is so last season. And truthfully, much has already been written about how ridiculous it is to define women as reductive figures, whether they may be food or geometry related. This is mainly because, generally speaking, comparisons are used to point out certain characteristics that will most likely be viewed as “flaws” - an apple body shape is defined as such because the waist is slightly bigger, the pear shape suggests more noticeable hips while the banana one represents the absence of curves, and fruits have never hurt anyone to now suffer from such a cruel analogy. It is actually the opposite: any doctor will say to you that consuming fruit on a daily basis and in a balanced way is essential to maintain an healthy body and weight - which is also the ideal when preparing for summer. In a nutshell, it is your body we are talking about, no matter which shape you have. As for the rest, or, in other words, as for what concerns which type of swimwear fits you the best, that is a different story: here we actually can find the means for comparison in the kitchen, because when it is time to choose a swimsuit, just like fruit, it is all a matter of taste. Personally, I love watermelon and high waist bikinis; you, however, may prefer a tasty kiwi and a triangular bra shape. In the end, what matters is that there are different options to reflect different styles - and not to reflect a body shape that society views as standard - just like the style that better describes you.

There are also other things that we could make more sense of: replacing those garments that no longer fit our body or even serve us any purpose, and will serve the recycling bin a lot more, makes more sense when done consciously. The nonsense comes with not knowing today that there are options available in the market that not only help us consciously improve our wardrobe but also improve the environment. One of these options is given by Calzedonia: the Italian brand which has just released a sustainable collection that scores the right (eco)points. For the summer of 2021, the house will join the actress Jessica Athayde to present Indonésia, a collection created with a fabric made out of PET plastic from recycled water bottles. This eco-friendly material has even a softer touch when compared with regular swimwear. It also promises more comfort, better elasticity and quicker drying - which may seem nothing unless you are one of those people who just can’t stand leaving the beach wearing wet swimwear and ends ups taking a change of clothes to replace at the end of the day. However, if this is not the detail that attracts you the most, others will: it is worth understanding why it is not an absurd having in mind all of the rest, that is, why it makes (even) more sense paying attention to the entire process and not only the final design of the product (which we all know is also a deal breaker). In order to create a swimsuit for the eco collection seven plastic water bottles of half a litre are reused, whereas in a bikini the number goes down to five bottles - therefore, if you wear a bikini and, at the end of the day, you replace it for a swimsuit when leaving the beach, you have spared the ocean, the ground, or whatever, the entire Planet, the waste created by 12 plastic bottles. And this is just the beginning: Calzedonia has also replaced the plastic used on clothing tags, which are now embroidered with a thermo-perforated fabric that can be found in the back of each garment. And to guarantee transparency and information regarding this initiative, the recycled cardboard tag that goes along the swimwear has a QR Code that can tell you everything you want to know. 

This new collection from Calzedonia represents a step that is not only pretty but also strong for the brand, by participating in what is not just a passing trend but more a demand of modern times: “This is probably one of the campaigns that has more to do with me”, remarks Athayde on this new release, whose campaign was photographed at Reserva do Alecrim, in Portugal. “Combining beautiful bikinis and swimsuits and knowing they were made out of recycled materials means proving that, yes, we can find eco-friendly solutions that do not compromise the end result. Proof of that is this swimwear collection that comes in four beautiful colours!” These four presented by Indonésia Eco make the quartet that enables the parallelism with Jessica’s favourite island: the bright red for corals, the brown for volcanic mountains, the mint green for tropical forests and the blue for the idyllic waters of Bali. This chromatic choice is also just the tip of the iceberg in a 360º that creates the sense in a collection that should be bought not only for its sustainability, but also its design and shapes - and versatility, with so many different options to choose from: 13 tops and 14 different bottoms, all able to match between themselves, and which bring constant change to our wardrobe that also becomes sustainable by finding multiple uses for each bikini and swimsuit. A list of possibilities (between design and colours, you can have 182 different looks, fyi) which also brings some premieres with this collection Indonésia: for example, the Cinzia top (not padded nor wired) and the Theresa top (push-up with extended cups, slightly padded but removable) make their debut among the different types of tops available; and, to match, there are also news regarding the high-waisted brazilian slip (80s style) and a new bikini slip with a V cut on the waist. Do all of these diverse possibilities make a bigger mess than a fruit salad? Obviously not: it is possible to be sustainable without sacrificing style. And it is possible to choose garments that reflect our personality and do not include labels with nutritional information. If you have reached the end of this text feeling like you are not neither an apple nor a pear, or not even a banana, but just a female body - a body that is yours, a body that is bikini ready simply because it is there - then our talk was more than fruitful. With the best regards, a pear with ambitions that surpass the kitchen. 

Translated from the original article from Vogue Portugal's Nonsense Issue, published July 2020.Full credits and story on the print issue.