L'ART DE VIVRE: The Full Scoop on Belle de Mar + New Pics!

Fact: Holidays make me lazy and bring out the procrastinator in me. I'm trying to catch up with my writing and realized I owed you this post. So here it is: the full scoop on Belle de Mar.

Before the Holidays I offered a sneak peek into Belle de Mar. I don't know where you might be reading this post, but in my latitude of the world, it is officially summer, so this post comes just in time to hit the beach in style. I myself will be hitting the beach regularly and I'm on the constant lookout for cute finds both for my beach spot and my not so tanned self. A while back I discovered and fell in love with cotton towels. They are so chic, look ever so gorgeous against a tanned skin, on the sand or as a throw on a sofa indoors or an all-white bed.

Just when I thought I'd managed to get a grip on my summer accessories obsession first sparked by OfiBella's featured designers such as Tiffany Chou, Frasier Sterling and Hula Hoops Maui. Sofía, one of OfiBella's creator once again manages to spark yet a new obsession: Belle de Mar.

By now you probably know Sofía as well as I do, her passions, her family, her hobbies and her love for nature and the ocean. She is a surfer's wife and has for years shopped pieces, designers and brands usually owned and designed by other surfer wives. She leads an active life both in the city and at the beach. She needed something that would work with her as she is surfing with her kids, exploring natural caves, or running her businesses (that's right...plural!) in the city. She can pull off better than anyone I know a pair of silk pants in the city and equally rock them the next day on the sand. This store just goes with her, with her lifestyle. Her family's passion for the ocean is after all, not a mere trend, but a lifestyle. Her husband used to tease her about how if only she could actually start her own business out of her obsession with finding the perfect bikini (which has been a new year's resolution for her! You gotta love this girl!) Well, guess what? She finally did, and got a store out of it! Five months ago she began working on her new baby, and now shares Belle de Mar with us mortals.

When you first walk into Belle de Mar, you walk into an oasis of tranqulity. The soothing colors and textures are a feast to all your senses. She wanted the store itself to reflect the vibe of the pieces. From the moment you set foot on the store you are transported to a world of beachy textures, sights, colors and smells.

Being the daughter of a talented sculptress and artist, she dragged the beautiful logs scattered around the store right out from the ocean and worked on even the tiniest decor detail herself, including the gorgeous fitting room doors which once belonged to a convent and were rescued from her mother's workshop, and which she sanded, treated and varnished herself.

In her store, she wishes to catch the eye of sophisticated but laid back women, who can master the art of dressing any piece up or down when at the beach or in the city, who manage to give away that elegant and chic yet relaxed vibe and are on the constant search, much like herself, of comfortable and versatile pieces.

She speaks passionately of the fit, textures, and prints of the pieces. She understands about the importance of the cut, fabrics, and the right amount of strategic stretch. Always detail oriented, you can tell the amount of love, attention and time that has gone into picking every single designer and piece when she speaks of buttery fabrics and emphasizes the importance of a piece flowing as you move, the feel of it against your skin...

Sofía wants to introduce smaller and cheekier bottoms, understanding a universal truth, take note ladies: the smaller the suit's bottom, the smaller your bottom will actually look. At Belle de Mar you'll find two or three sizes per style max. Tops and bottoms are sold separately and can be mixed and matched. The idea is to find the perfect bikini and the best fit for you.

Most of the designers she carries are hawaiian, and most of the pieces are produced in Bali, in beautiful soft fabrics such as the finest silks. As I write, the store carries five different designers, and will soon expand to ten brands, with other additions throughout the new year.

At Belle de Mar you'll currently find cover ups, silk pants, dresses, tees, bikinis, pouches and cotton towels.