The mannequin is in a blue-and-white bandeau swimsuit with dainty fruit prints and matching cotton voile tunic. Style arbiter Ines Delgado-Prieto suggests accessorizing the ensemble with pearl earrings and crystal-embellished leather thong sandals. Then pile on leather bracelets as a masculine counterpoint to the ultra-feminine look.

While many stores offer the usual holiday formals, towering platforms and toned-down winter forecasts, Itsie-Bitsie Boutique upstages them with its coquettish bikinis, elegant maillots, embellished tunics, jersey lounge dresses and bejeweled flat sandals, styled in its trademark nonchalance.

The resort wear is the most-anticipated collection of the year in this Rockwell store that has developed a niche market through the years.

Prieto, Itsie-Bitsie’s managing director, knows her market that leads a rarified lifestyle all too well. At this time, her clients are escaping the holiday madness to hie off to their beach home, party in Boracay or bond with the family in another exotic island or coast.

Catering to her clients’ distinct lifestyle needs, she can offer the best picks from the world, putting her boutique on par with top international department stores. Prieto recalls that while she was in Miami, she had to go to several boutiques just to pull together a complete resort look.

One-stop shop

Itsie-Bitsie has been designed as a one-stop shop. The boutique even has affluent clients from HK and Singapore who fly to Manila just to get the best swimwear and beach accessories. It has gained a reputation for providing the ultimate resort looks.

“The key message is that I want a stellar lineup of brands so customers can create their knockout looks,” says Prieto. “This year’s resort collection is one of the most beautiful. They conjure images of luxe and glam yet they are very wearable. The prints are captivating; the apparel is romantic yet subtly sensual. The embellishments pop out, as with the bold designs on tunics and kaftans. You can have fun mixing and matching the pieces.”

There are the perennial favorites such as French fabric designer Manuel Canovas, famous for feminine garden and travel prints; Ondademar, the upscale swimwear brand from Columbia known for its Latin cut and the most-coveted Miracle Suit. It’s got a patented control fabric called Miratex, which sculpts 10 lb off the torso without constricting the body.

It’s not just for the plus-size figures, notes Prieto. Slender women with stubborn muffin top or back flabs look sleek and sylphlike in the Miracle Suit tankini or one-piece because it provides more support than other swimwear. Likewise, the calculated use of shirring and drapes draw the eye from problem areas.

Prieto adds, “I don’t pick swimsuits with deep plunges that won’t allow you to swim anymore. The choice considers comfort, fashion and function.” You won’t find a terrycloth cover-up in that store either.

Other picks

There are other picks: Liza + Tara Resortwear, by designers Liza Lamar and Tara Kunkel, offers bold jersey tops, pareos, lightweight clothes that make the skin breathe. The ensembles go with Ondademar sandals and espadrilles or Soleil sandals embellished with crystals for a dressier look.

Mar Y Sol bags, made of natural materials in Madagascar, are for the eco-chic set. The head can be protected with Hat Attack, famous for its casual luxe. The leather wrap bracelets by jewelry designer Chan Luu, who produces ethnic-inspired accessories, give a feminine attire an edgy look.

“You can even get them wet in the water,” says Prieto.

Even the most influential men in the country, young and mature, snap up the swim shorts. While Ondademar for men is fun and bold, Orlabar Brown is more tailored, and Onia is for those who are fussy about fitting.

Prieto explains that she flies to Paris, New York and Miami for styles that instinctively grab her attention. Thus, women don’t have to worry about bumping into another person in the same outfit. One style comes in three sizes. When shoppers visit Itsie-Bitsie, they’ll snap up three or four swimsuits and the accessories, creating their own looks.

Cruise collection

Itsie-Bitsie’s definitive cruise collection reflects the worldwide trend. As more resorts are being developed in the country, and the affluent market is increasing in this segment, the demand for year-round lightweight clothing and swimwear will also increase.

Although Itsie-Bitsie’s strength is the resort look, there are other new collections—from classic tees from Three Dots to knockout cocktail wear, easy-fitting office clothes and best-fitting jeans, among them J Brand, which gives the wearer a longer line.

“The look is feminine but not fussy,” says Prieto.

Sales have been increasing by nearly 20 percent every year not only because of the continuous refinement of the merchandise. Customers appreciate the free alteration and can even choose the pads of their bikini tops.

“The selection gets better each year,” she says. “When people come to the store, everything has already been tightly edited for them.”

Itsie-Bitsie Boutique is at Units RS 114-119 Joya Lofts and Towers, Joya Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati; tel. 8971821