“Forget the dress of the summer, these are the dresses of the decade” reads a 2020 British Vogue headline on a story about the wild success of Réalisation Par. Founded by Alexandra Spencer and Teale Talbot in 2015, the brand specialised in fuss-free summer dresses, from spaghetti strap minis to wrap midis realised in playful yet classic prints, such as ditsy florals, polka dots and animal prints. Given the Australian brand is so in tune with how women want to dress in hot weather, it was perhaps only a matter of time before they moved into swimwear.
Like Réalisation Par, Frankies Bikinis is a brand that has been endorsed by an army of It-girls, with the likes of Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid and Kylie Jenner all wearing its bikinis on the beach (and on Instagram). They share a playful-sun-drenched aesthetic and a deep understanding of how to generate hype, and so collaborating on bikinis felt like a natural partnership.
“We focused a lot on how our prints would translate to swimwear, as prints are such a big part of who we are,” explains Spencer, co-founder of Réalisation Par. “We stuck to our signature classics that always show up – animal print and polka dots.” The swimwear is designed to be worn seamlessly with their line of dresses, she explains. “There were little design tweaks like making the straps slightly thinner, so you could easily wear the bikini under a dress and have it feel more like lingerie or a part of your outfit. It was all about finding ways to make the swimwear seamlessly blend with any Réal piece.”
There is a cheekiness to the collection, consider the white boy shorts stamped with blue handprints across both cheeks, or the string bikinis adorned with cherries on the straps. The coverage is on the skimpy side, as founder Francesca Aiello believes that, for summer 2025, “less is more!” They took many of Frankie’s signature silhouettes, with Francesca and her mother Mimi leading on the fit and shapes, staying true to Aiello’s belief that when it comes to swimwear “the stringier and the tinier, the better”.
As for inspiration, Alexandra tells Vogue that it was a blend of “’90s Sports Illustrated meets ’70s Brazil”, explaining: “we loved the idea of thinner straps, front-tie triangles, and little crochet details. We just wanted the bikinis to feel hot and timeless and those references really captured that vibe for us.” The whole collection is designed to be mixed and matched, as well as worn with other Réalisation Par staples, giving it an effortless thrown-on look.
