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Lacamas Life Magazine
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A Perfect Fit Suits Everyone
With suits named after the popular names when grandma was a girl, like Shirley and Sadie, the time capsule styles are sure to make you smile. Not only are the designs a breath of fresh air compared to the teeny-weeny polka dot bikinis that crowd the racks at other stores, the sizing is original, too. In addition to the colorful suits ready for off-the-rack taking, owner and designer Pam Levenson will custom size and sew a suit just for you. She says, “Every woman deserves the ultimate flattery that only a custom tailored swimsuit can provide. For a very modest fee I will individually measure and cut a swimsuit to your own body specifications. Any of our styles can be custom sized, and you can choose from our variety of fabrics that are in stock, provide your own, and even select your own thread color. It is a fun process and you get a suit you love that fits perfectly! ”We put her to the test with picture perfect suits for our models to go boating on the Columbia River. We talked her into making a bright red suit for our professional exotic model for a red, white and blue pictorial and it looked great! I expected the suits to be flattering but was surprised that the shop itself was so adorable and full of island-hut charm. “We understand that a lot of women feel self-conscious trying on swimwear, so we made a special effort to make it fun and comfortable in here,” she tells me when I pay a visit. “It has been very gratifying to get feedback from customers saying that it is the most fun they have ever had trying on a swimsuit.” As sweet as she is qualified I ask about her background and it turns out she has been working in the garment industry for the last 20 years. Working for Guess? in Los Angeles and Paris and working for several of the larger clothing companies in Oregon, she began working with swimwear while in fashion school in Los Angeles when she worked as an intern at a prominent boutique bathing suit shop in Hermosa Beach, California. At the time she never dreamed the skills she acquired cutting, measuring and doing custom suit orders would come in handy in such a direct and fulfilling way. The Poppi Swim brand started three years ago with wholesale orders and the swimsuits are still available at such hot-spot areas as Alberta, Mississippi, Beaumont Wilshire, Downtown Portland and numerous resorts in the northwest including Bonneville Hot Springs. At the flagship store on NE 42nd, between Fremont and Alberta you will also find Kava bags and hats out of Seattle and Wallaroo hats out of Boulder, Colorado. The flip-flops are from Havaianas and come in several colors for men and women. They also have local jewelry and great sarongs that are very flattering and practical, especially when traveling or lounging poolside. In addition to the Poppi Swim label they may add another brand or two that compliments the line in the future. This great line of suits breaks the mold by remembering its fashionable roots. To see the suits and learn more about the inspiration behind them visit their website at www.poppiswim.com . Poppi Swim is located at 4831 Northeast 42nd Avenue Portland Oregon 97218 (503)282-5159.
Nicolle Camarata is a reporter from
Portland, Oregon.
She can be regularly seen on
KPTV’s MORE and
heard on 1190 KEX. |
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