The big news in swimming this week was sparked by the dwindling numbers of professional swimming coaches. On the back of a string of high profile retirements, the number of elite coaches in Brisbane has dropped from 13 to nine. Scott Volkers, the coach responsible for the swimming legends like Susie O’Neill and current head coach at the Queensland Academy of sport believes it all boils down to the leasing of public pools to large leisure companies. The poor funding and lack of resources available to coaches is resulting in fewer new faces emerging and aging coaches are either retiring or being snapped up by international programs. Previously, councils would lease pools to coaches who would earn revenue from swimming lessons, gate takings and the kiosk while devoting large amounts of time to the less-profitable art of coaching. Now companies like leisure operator Belgravia, which runs 11 aquatic centres in Queensland’s south east, are taking up the rights to pools. Volkers says high-performance coaching, which reaps rewards on an international scale but does little for the bottom line of pool operators, is often the first activity tobe pared back. As a result, professional swimming could become a sport of yester year, because without the high quality coaches, there will be no swimmers.

Actor Steve McFadden has credited swimming as his secret weapon in his war against weight. Steve, 50, will don a wetsuit to take part in the British Gas Great North Swim on Sunday, September 13. The challenge will see him making waves in Lake Windermere, Britain’s largest natural lake, with depths of up to 220ft. He is doing all this to raise money charity.

Erin McNaught takes the catwalk during the Miss Universe 2006 Preliminary Competition in Los Angeles

On a more social note, Erin McNaught isn’t letting her recent break-up with Braith Anasta cramp her style. Last weekend she was spotted with yet another sportsman – Eamon Sullivan. Confidential spies said the good looking pair were dominating the dance floor at Kings Cross nightclub Kit and Kaboodle on Friday night.

BLK1 Article: ALEX SHLEIBS Photographer HECTOR MATA

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The pavilion at Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival was standing room only. The crowd had been kept waiting a little under half an hour, and were welcomed by a cheeky television personality grabbing voice pops from the designers seated in the front row. Usually when the lights go out at a catwalk show, the tone in the room is very serious. This was not the case at the Summer Holiday session. Jokes about mankinis and male-kaftans were made and the crowd that had been kept waiting in the claustrophobic pavilion had been brought back down to earth.

Jets By Jessika Allen was the debut parade for the Summer holiday series. It was a surprise to see a shift away from the usual strong cuts and nautical looks of this swimwear label. Usually, Jets By Jessika Allen is famous for the classic nostalgia it brings back to swimwear- but this time on the catwalk, the Modern Muse Collection all but did away with this tradition. The cuts were a lot softer this season, many of the costumes featured frills and (very puzzlingly) some of the models were seen to carry clutches that were traditional to evening wear. After a few minutes of seeing what could be purchased at David Jones the room slid into silent darkness. Clever light-sound technology stimulated the feeling of a aeroplane landing just outside the hangar. This signalled the new arrival of the Jets Menswear collection, which had never been seen on runways before. The Jets Menswear collection was a bipolar opposite to Borat’s Mankini. The Jets Menswear is a collective of boy leg trunks and patterns which complimented this seasons women’s wear. In the end, the Jets range was all about the women. The clutches suddenly made sense when the kaftans were unveiled. The Kaftans of Jets by Jessika Allen could be easily mistaken as glamorous cocktail-wear, reminding the audience that while the label has grown to take monopoly of the hi-fashion swimwear market in Australia it is still focussed on feminine summertime splendour.

Flamingo Sands followed Jets. While Jets can be worn by all ages, Flamingo Sands is definitely a young label because of it’s bright and busy prints. The thin string bikini’s brought about memories of hot, humid days spent on the beach in Surfer’s Paradise.

As always, Camilla was the Kaftan Queen. Models were marched down the catwalk in flowing fabrics, posing just at the end in a flutter of colourful fabric, the likes of which drew a direct parallel to a butterfly. Prints on the fabrics were blended between palm leaves, tropical flowers and animal prints- with every kaftan showing a mixture of all these Summer conventions.

Kooey is a very Australian name for a swimwear label and the didgeridoo instrumental that started the display made it clear that they are damn proud of it. The Australian pride was carried strongly in the colours of the one-piece costumes which reflected the desert climate. A closer look on their website showed that they also stock the all-aussie rashie and female boardies. However, what was seen tonight on the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival was definitely glamorous and with the frills and hugging cuts, showed an influence taken from the Jets design.

For all of the five minutes White Sands were on the catwalk, the label showed that they were
able to re-invent themselves and the typical expectancies of swimwear to create a delightful collection for Summer 2009. The highlight of the White Sands show was the Southern Summer bikini print which displayed an embossed palm leaf against a solid-cut bikini and one-piece design. When palm leafs are thought of in the world of swimwear, they resemble a tacky plastic image that people try to look away from. White Sands managed to recreate this symbol to be something of intrigue and style.

Lenny was the last swimwear designer to showcase their wears on the Summer Holiday runway. It could be said that they were the most original. Instead of drawing inspiration from Goddess-like forms and divine Summer settings, the Lenny designers decided to focus on the Serpent and the colours of the earth and the water. Soft browns and cool blues showed the meeting of the water and the earth, while the scattered scales of the prints kept the serpent motif slithering strongly.

The Summer Holiday Display finished in a confusing manner. Models plodded to the end of the catwalk, to brief applause and then a Rosemount advertisement began to flood the aural atmosphere- but it was cut- the houselights then turned on and the crowed tent was left unsure whether to stand and leave the pavilion or whether each designer would send models out to gain a round of applause. Perhaps there was some kind of technical difficulty with the audio-visual order of things or perhaps the one-time showcases of each designer was all that was needed to leave the spectators in awe.

BLK1 Article: ELLEN CROSLEY BLK1 Photographer: www.petersollner.com

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The beautiful weather outside the large marquee set a perfect scene for Seafolly to parade the catwalks at Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival.
Being only the second show, the seats and the aisles around the catwalk were crammed with spectators keen to see the new trends in Summer swimwear.

Seafolly has always been a brand that is immensely popular with consumers and famed for it’s simple cuts and straight colours. It was no surprise to see that the very first foot to step on to the catwalk was Elyse Taylor, wearing a white bikini. Crisp, white swimwear of this type is a classic look which has come to be owned by the Seafolly label.

Autumn and Winter saw everything from boots to bags adorned with fringing, this was also attached to this season’s Seafolly look.

After beginning with the classics, Seafolly marched all the cliques down the catwalk: floral prints, polka-dots, palm leaves and fluorescent frills. While these looks had all be seen before in one form or another, a jolt of excitement raged when a vintage-inspired boy-leg one-piece was seen.

Until this point, it seemed like Seafolly was staying true to swimwear conventions and catering to the wants of shopping-centre consumers.

Now that all the expected designs and same Summer patterns had been shown, the Seafolly collection let loose with its prints: tessellated fluoro pinks and oranges were splashed across the catwalk. This exciting use of colour was labelled in the look-book as “Cyber”. The appropriateness of this name was observed when the mono-kini took the stage, the way the fabric was spread over the model with the pattern flowing down the body made this design look like something from the future.

While the Cyber series was a new direction for the typically white styled Seafolly to take, it held tight to the Seafolly rule that swimwear should be made to flatter the figure.

This rule was also seen in the introduction of swim-skirts to this year’s collection. The adorable ruffles circulating boyleg shorts brought back a high level of modesty to the bikini.

Resort-wear also featured in the Seafolly collection and continued to bring a sense of modesty to swimwear with a black maxi-dress and several light-weight kaftan designs.

As the models made their way along the catwalk to an applauding crowd it was obvious that Seafolly had set a high standard of swimwear at Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival. The Seafolly designers managed to showcase new ideas in swimwear and all the while stay close to the label’s tradition of inspiring confident and classy swimsuit wearers.

BLK1 Article: ELLEN CROSLEY BLK1 Photographer: PETER SOLLNER

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In a full length Jason Brunsdon dress composed of salmon pink, Stephanie Rice- Australian swimming legend- took a seat today in the front row of the opening event at Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival. Brunsdon was not only the designer who adorned Rice’s athletic bodice; he is also the first designer on show at Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival. The presence of Stephanie Rice at this event proved that Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival, although more accessible to the public, is the premium place to observe the new season trends in swimwear. Alongside Jason Brunsdon, all the other designers who were on parade at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week will once again show off their collections. More excitingly, Seafolly, White Sands, Flamingo Sands, Jets by Jessika Allen and Lenny will be displaying their newest swimwear creations.

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There was plenty of drama in the world of swimming this week, resulting in a number of bans being imposed on various people and swim wear. First and foremost, Canadian swimming coach Cecil Russell has had his application for reinstatement rejected for a second time. Russell received a life time ban in 1997 for a doping infraction and initially was accepted. However under closer scrutiny by the CCES, it was found that Russell was convicted of conspiracy to possess ecstasy with intent to distribute and was sentenced to 4 years in prison in Arizona in March 2004, and as a result had the decision overturned. To the shock of many in the swimming world, some parents are still allowing Russell to coach their children.

The debate surrounding the new high tech performance enhancing swimsuits has finally been settled, well at the high school level anyway. The National Federation of State High Schools Association has officially banned the use of these super suits, effective immediately. They have also imposed tough restrictions on what swimmers can wear during competitions. Swimmers are now limited to one suit which must be permeable to both air and water and may not contain any zips or fasteners. For the boys they must not go above the waist or below the knee and for the girls it cannot go beyond the shoulders or below the knees, necks must remain bare. “The committee knew that in order to preserve the integrity, tradition and heritage of the sport, as well as protect and enhance the interscholastic swimming program, these new requirements were necessary to promote fair play and the educational values of high school and could not wait another year,” Becky Oakes, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the swimming and Diving rules committee, said in a statement.

On a far more personal note, Speedos or the beloved ‘budgie smugglers’, an Australian icon since their introduction in 1914, has recently been banned at popular European water park Alton Towers. In a statement from management, the reason behind this ban was to help avoid embarrassment among patrons and to promote a more family friendly environment with more aesthetically pleasing and less revealing swim wear on display.

On the topic of teensy weensy swim wear, ex bay watch star Pam Anderson will be in New Zealand strutting her stuff on the catwalk to promote her new line of enviro / animal friendly swimwear during New Zealand fashion week. But the question on everyone’s lips (including her publicist) is…. will the suits be too skimpy for the casually renowned kiwis?

But it’s not all bad news this week, at the Hobart veterans swim titles some fantastic and nail biting new commonwealth records were set. New South Welshman Adam Pine carried his good form into the final of the 100m butterfly, producing a powerful finish to win in a new Commonwealth record time of 49.71 seconds and taking nearly half a second
off his own record set last year. Earlier, 30-year-old Ashley Callus set an Australian record to finish the fastest qualifier in the 50m freestyle semis, clocking in at 21.06 seconds. Queenslander Emily Seebohm won the 100m backstroke with a time of 57.47 seconds, setting a new commonwealth record, and then moments later went on to set the fastest personal time in the 100m medley and was the only swimmer to break the minute mark. Victorian Sarah Katsoulis set a new commonwealth record of 29.61 seconds in the 50m breast stroke, beating club mate Leisel Jones. Thomas Fraser-Holmes put in a mammoth effort in the 400m individual medley, prevailing over fellow competitor Leith Brodie by 3 seconds. And finally Libbie Trickett qualified fastest for the final of the 100m freestyle.

BLK1 Article: ALEX SHLEIBS

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The Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas

Taking place on the shores of Nassau, the Bahamas on a little island so-fittingly called ‘Paradise,’ the prestigious pageants’ 58th year looks as though it will live up to its reputation as the most popular pageant in the world.

First founded in 1952 by Californian clothing company, Pacific Mills, the Miss Universe pageant went on to later become one of Donald Trump’s many acquisitions in 1996, and has since developed into a worldwide phenomenon.

It is this phenomenon which Mr Trump and his organisers remain steadfast in promoting as ‘not just a beauty contest,’ but a culture-rich event which strives to include intelligent, well-mannered and confident women from all across the globe.

Each of these women vying for the coveted title will be judged in three categories: swimwear, evening gown and a one-on-one interview with the judges. If successful, the winner will find themselves catapulted into a life devoted to overseas charity campaigns, intent on creating public awareness regarding the control and prevention of specific diseases, in particular, AIDS, and seeking to improve the lives of others through the promotion and general well-being of others.

Of course, the winner also gets to call the Trump Tower, New York, home, during her year-long reign and is exposed to a world filled with countless opportunities and career prospects.

Since touching down on the Caribbean nation’s picturesque shores of Paradise Island, each of the 84 contestants will spend their time leading up to the final date, visiting the island’s abundance of beautiful locations, and making various glamorous appearances before the first official round of judging commences on August 16th, in which 15 finalists will be selected for the lavish August 23 event.

With Venezuela, the United States and Puerto Rico possessing the highest number of wins in the pageants history, it will be expected that Stefanania Fernandes (Venezuela), Kristen Dalton (USA) and Mayra Matos (Puerto Rico), will all reach the finals and be strong contenders for the coveted Diamond Nexus Labs Crown.

Local Townsville beauty, Rachael Finch, who recently came close to being devoured by a five metre crocodile, whilst doing promotion work at Crocodylus Park in Darwin late last month, is also a pageant favourite for following in the footsteps of 2004 Aussie winner, Jennifer Hawkins.

Sadly, there are a handful of past participating countries, which will not be competing this year, including Antigua and Barbuda, Chile, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Northern Marianas and Trinidad and Tobago, due to various issues such as lack of funding, sponsorship and general lack of national interest.

As is true of every beauty pageant, further fuelling the budding excitement and anticipation in the lead up to the event, a string of controversial events, which have sparked considerable media attention, have occurred. Apart from Japanese entrant, Emiri Miyasaka being opening criticised for her daringly revealing leather-clad national costume, in which her hot pink underwear was clearly visible, insulting many people from her home country, a row has also broken out between Bolivia and Peru regarding the name of Miss Peru’s national costume, “la Diablada,” which the Bolivians are claiming is a stolen manifestation of folklore which belongs to them.

Alas, all publicity is good publicity, and as the beautiful Paradise Island finds itself inhabited by another 84 rare beauties, the hype continues to mount as to who will take over the reign of Venezuelan winner, Dayana Mendoza and who, with flowers in hand, and diamond tiara on head, will find her world inextricably filled with bright, new possibilities and the lasting memory of a night she will never forget.

BLK1 IS EXCITED TO BRING YOU FULL COVERAGE OF THE 2009 MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT

BLK1 Article: JESSICA LENI

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Juliette has a Gun is a perfume which dwells on the modern woman at the crossfire of romance, strength of character and quest of freedom.

The brand distinguishes itself from the conventional discourse of the perfume world suggesting a new, dynamic and audacious tone while remaining poetic. A brand free of consumer tests and group strategies.

Juliette Has A Gun is a brand of perfume that creates fragrances of exception with the soul purpose of creating colliding drops of femininity. Juliette Has A Gun is a new perfume which can be described as “luxury, in its spicy and singular version.”

Young creator with a prestigious name, Romano Ricci has had the chance to be initiated from the early
age to the secrets of perfumery by his grandfather, Robert Ricci: “He had a tremendous respect for tradition
and a vision of womanhood which still impresses me today. He has passed on to me the fundamentals of the perfumery, but also how to transgress them”. 60 years later, Romano is the one in charge.
The idea which influenced the Juliette Has A Gun Label more than anything else is that whether fragile, intransigent, romantic or lucid,
women pursue, today more than ever, an intense desire
of independence.

Romano Ricci describes the new perfume brand as “the interpretation of
Shakespeare’s heroine transposed in the 21st century. [one that should be worn by] feminine, yet assured woman, who’re armed to live their wildest desires.”

The Juliette Has A Gun will be sold in Australian luxury retailers from Spring 2009.

Hot wheels and hot designs were on display as the annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2010 took centre stage in Miami. More than 12 thousand people attended the five day extravaganza as scantily clad models strutted down the catwalk showcasing the hottest looks and trends for summer.

Local designer Red Carter delighted the audience with his space-age glamour that included multi-coloured bikinis with gold hardware and structured cuts with mesmerising prints.

The season’s ‘Mercedes-Benz Presents’ designer L*Space by Monica Wise featured tasty bikinis in stunning fabrics with a gorgeous mix of African-inspired prints.
The unique colour of olive green and grey was seen repetitively in the swimwear range which generates a blend of chic modernity into the ageless art-deco environment. This olivine grey was also displayed as one of the colours on the new E-Class Mercedes-Benz coupe at the show.

“Fashion designers share a common thread with automotive designers and that realization comes to life at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Both the vehicles and the garments consistently reflect fashion trends, movements and craftsmanship”, said Senior Vice President of IMG Fashion, Fern Mallis.

Bohéme Boutiques commenced their poolside show with bohemian-inspired garments such as bikinis, beach cover-ups, one-piece swimsuits and scarves in bright colours and prints. With all the essentials covered that would make anyone look stunning at the beach, the collection integrated belted buckle detailing and energetic colours on one-piece swimwear, scarves and bikinis with a touch of embroidery.

Caffe Swimwear took a spin to the bohemian look and launched its first “Making A Change” ensembles with creative elements. Channelling its laid back comfort style in a more humanistic approach, designer Paula Saavedra produced high fashion resort collections that are super chic and sexy with an exotic touch.

Clever cuts and form-fitting bikinis were introduced by Tori Praver Swimwear. The fabulous line includes maillots and cover-ups with a hint of romantic pastels of white and cream pieces. Influenced by her travels, Praver’s swimwear designs are sure to make a big splash this summer.

Meanwhile, Cali-inspired brand Ed Hardy Swimwear took a fashion forward approach to its collection with diverse mix of styles, designs, colours and fabrics. The lifestyle focused brand offered a whole range of mix and match separates and unique embellishments encouraged by the sandy beaches and hot weather of the upcoming season.

Taking a more spiritual approach to her designs, Mara Hoffman translated a variety of unique silhouettes and intense prints from bright and bold to femininely softer hues. The swimwear range demonstrated different styles that will help flatter any body shape. This included playful bikinis and super sexy one-pieces accentuated with colour palettes from red, yellow, black, lavender and blue.

Resort collections with an eye for fashion, White Sands Australia featured 80s-inspired glamour with an edgy twist. Cute frilly bandeau bikinis, Brazilian-inspired bottoms, skilfully shaped maillots in rich gelato colours were presented for ready-to-wear beach wear.

White Sands Australia designer Leah Madden offered flawlessly structured shapes and deep plunging neck lines as well as fun and playful swimsuits, t-shirt dress with shimmering sequins and alluring maxi frocks.

Consumers and the media saw other design collections from Marysia Swim, Crystal Jin Eley, Aqua Di Lara and many more. At Poko Pano’s summer 2010 compilation provided colourful polka dots and stripes of tropical colours incorporated with black, white and beige.

The season’s hottest colours comprised of ocean blue, purple and pink as seen at Marysia Swim, Luli Fama, Cia.Maritima and ANK by Mirla Sabino Swimwear shows.

The everlasting colour of black used innovatively with clever styling details were strongly presented at Vitamin A and V Del Sol runway shows consecutively.

Cutesy-classic with the occasional outrageous twist has appeared to be the design motif used by designers when putting together catwalk shows both this year and in years that have passed. This year will prove once again that this keeping more designs steered towards consumer than couture is a fail-proof method to both sell swimwear and impress the crowds at fashion week.

BLK1 Article: THANH LOAN NGUYEN Images: IMG

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Nicholas Caine

While most 16 year olds are at home enjoying the advancements of the technological age, Atherton teen Nicholas Caine is spending up to six hours a day training in open waters and pools to build the stamina and techniques he will need for later this year when he attempts to swim the English channel. He will swim from Dover in England to the shores of Calais in France, which is approx 20 nautical miles in waters that are a chilly 60 degrees, which the ambitious teen hopes to do in around 9 hours.    “If for some reason, I get bad weather or bad currents, then I’ll have a lot
longer swim than I planned on. If it ends up being 14 or 15 hours, hypothermia
would be a big problem to worry about.” Caine was reported in saying earlier this week. In accordance to the requirements for swimming the English Channel, Caine will embark on this swim without a wet suit. But hypothermia will not be his only opposition, with the possibility of jelly fish, huge swells and gale force winds all a real possibility. However Nicholas is not deterred, and is instead excited about the adventure.  “He just has this passion for open-water swimming,” said his mom, who plans to be on a support boat accompanying Nicholas across the Strait of Dover
sometime between July 28 and Aug. 6.

In other big news this week, the official uniform for the Australian diving team was revealed in Sydney last week. The design process began late last year when David McCabe, owner of swimwear label Ying Fa Australia, approached 17 year old Brooke Fensom to come up with a design for the team, and by all accounts the results did not disappoint. “I just sat down and put down whatever came into my head… but I knew I wanted to make it subtle and at the same time stand out,” Ms Fensom said, who has no formal training in design. The outfits include swim suits, polo shirts, track suits, shorts and singlets.

Elsewhere in the world at the Canadian swimming world championship trials, Anna may Pierse smashed her record of 2:23:77, set at the Beijing Olympics for the 200 metre breaststroke with a time of 2:20:71, the third fastest recorded in history, and just 0.49 seconds off the first.

BLK1 Article: ALEX SCHLEIBS

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Swimco Swimwear: spot the before and after

A recent study of over 200 women aged between 15 and 70 by swimsuit designer/manufacturers Swimco revealed what we all already knew, but just couldn’t quite put our fingers; the secret to looking great in a bathing suit isn’t a perfectly toned body that is cut like a diamond, it is much simpler and far more easily attainable, it is: confidence. And the easiest way to feel comfortable is to shop for your figure until you find something that complements your best physical asset while still giving problem areas attention. “It is definitely possible to find a swimsuit that is flattering, no matter what your shape or size,” states Lori Bacon, President of Swimco.” “Be prepared to take a little time, however, to get it right.” Not surprisingly the surveyed revealed that around a third of women would like to see swimsuits that help control and hide tummies which was closely followed by women seeking more bust support, bust enhancement and hip minimization whilst still allowing for that defining hour glass shape. As a response to the problem areas highlighted in this survey, Swimco have released a fashionable and exciting range to help combat swimsuit troubles. The Hip Helper which features brightly coloured eye drawing tankini’s with a feminine skirted bottom, the Tummy Toner with built in tummy panels, the Waist shaper in both high waisted and bikini cut bottoms for added torso length, the Bust Booster, an “up a cup” one piece with a supportive underband, and the C Cup and up which boasts built in moulded cups and flexible underwire to help give that much needed extra support.

The idea of being comfortable in your swimmers has carried over into the professional

world of swimming. In a controversial and somewhat rash decision, FINA is allowing swimsuits that obviously aid a swimmers performance to be worn in all races until the end of this year, when it will then change this rule and begin enforcing stricter guidelines. This has left many swimmers without swim suit manufacturer alliances in a less than ideal position. Unfortunately Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice is in one of these positions having recently being dropped from her Speedo contract. Ironically this has worked to Rice’s advantage, with no sponsorship commitments she has been free to trial different makers of speed suits including Jaked, Arena and the Adidas hydrofoil. Rice is however tipped to stay loyal to the LZR (Speedo), with her coach Michael Bohl claiming that comfort would win over minimal improvements in times.

In other swimming news, 8 time Olympic medal winner Michael Phelps has not let his high profile go to his head.”It doesn’t matter to me if I’m the favourite or I’m not, I have to make the team before I decide anything. Bob (coach Bob Bowman) and I just wanted to get here and see where we stand,” Phelps told reporters on Monday. The team he is hoping to make is the U.S championship team, which will compete in the world championships on the 26th of July in Rome. Phelps will compete in the 100 and 200 meters freestyle and 100 and 200m
butterfly.

BLK1 Article: ALEX SCHLEIBS

 Article: © BLK1 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Many professional swimmers are turning to the practice of tapering, a reduction in training done in the days leading up to competition, hoping it will provide a competitive edge.

Put simply, tapering in swimming consists of a reduction in the amount of training a swimmer will undergo and is done in the weeks preceding competition.

Swimmers are tapering their training regiment because it is believed that tapering can provide them with increased power.

The notion of reducing one’s training in the hopes that it will improve an athlete’s performance may seem nonsensical at first, but advocates of the practice of tapering point out that intensive training can be risky for athletes, placing great strain on their muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Tapering one’s training regiment allows the mechanics of the body time to recover and it also provides the swimmer with time to recover their mental strength and focus on upcoming competition.On average, swimmers that have successfully implemented a tapered training regiment have reported a three per cent improvement in their performance.

However, the practice of tapering has attracted some controversy.

Swimmers have raised question about whether tapering a training regiment could actually lead to a loss of fitness.

However, scientific studies on tapering have revealed that a reduction of both the frequency and volume of training will not result in a loss of fitness.

It is important to note that these same studies have indicated that a reduction in the intensity of a training regiment can lead to diminished performance.

And while many in the world of swimming agree that a gradual reduction in training before competition is a good idea, because no two swimmers are exactly alike, there has been considerable confusion and debate the exact percentage training should be reduced by.

Advocates of tapering suggest that the best way to counter this is for there to be strong communication between a swimmer and their coach throughout the tapering period.

BLK1 Article: JUSTIN MACDONALD

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Elements from the outskirts of Africa and Brazilian beaches were the key inspiration for the Italian designers at the Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2010 show.

Big designer names such as Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Gucci and Giorgio Armani showcased their creative craftsmanship that presented ideas about the meaning of freedom, beauty and luxury casuals.

Dolce and Gabbana opened their show flamboyantly with rich sequined pieces and distressed jeans with a heavy focus on embroidery.

The famous designer duo accessorized the look with square-shaped bags and sunglasses to further highlight the “extreme beauty” of the collection.

“Everything is about beauty and elegance” said Stefano Gabbana.

Gucci’s designer Frida Giannini’s collection took up manly pursuits which features featherweight leather jackets, printed shirts, hooded anoraks and glossy suits.

Inspired by Brazilian beaches, Giannini said the collection signified “a desire of escapism, of lightness and freedom with the sporty and super chic attitude of someone who can take long holidays on the Brazilian beaches.”

Donatella Versace offered unbuttoned tunics in neutral hues, leather sandals, light trousers, work bags, silver and leather plaited jewellery. The designer also used prints with neutral palettes such as sand, khaki and white to emphasize her outback desert look with flashes of violet, orange and green for a romantic touch.

Cold weather and rainy days wasn’t forgotten with big parkas in bold colours of yellow, blue and red and finely quilted coats can be seen at Burberry Prorsums’ rainwear collection. Chelsea boots and sweaters with cross straps accentuated the cool factor and ready-to-wear in the dampened times.

Other trends include printed patterns from graphic checks and stripes, reptilian- like leather bags and shoes, silky shirts and knitted patchworks with colours of green, blue, red, orange, earthy tones and purple are sure to be a hit for the spring and summer season.

BLK1 Article: THANH LOAN NGUYEN

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