Pali Swim’s Retro-Inspired Summer Collection

This is one serious blast from the past.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF PALI SWIM

Dorothy got it right when she said there’s no place like home—especially if you, ahem, happen to be from paradise (holla!). But while D could click her glitzy red heels together and be back in Kansas, snagging a plane ticket Islandside after you’ve made the move to the Mainland ain’t so easy. So, how do you feel the tropical love when you’re stuck on the continent? You get creative.

That’s exactly what Martha Duerr did when she co-founded her new line, Pali Swim, which combines the active, water-sport lifestyle of her hometown on the Big Island with a high-fashion know-how developed from years in the industry. Duerr and fellow former Levi’s team member Naomi Gassel put their surf-loving, chic-seeking heads together to create a totally new, cute-meets-useful brand designed to go from barrel to boardwalk. Together, the two quit their corporate gigs in 2015, traveled the world for inspiration, and soft launched last summer to get a vibe for demand. This year they got serious, with a lookbook shoot and plans for a full collection (debuting this week).

And what a collection. The ethereal lookbook is a retro dream, with whimsical, washed tones and a nostalgic filter that perfectly complements Duerr and Gassel’s sweet, vintage aesthetic. Details including an origami fold and low-cut back add charm to the throwback silhouettes. We’re loving the demure, sporty boatneck one-piece, with a conservative, boyshort bottom that looks like something a mid-century bathing beauty would don for her day at the beach. The ladies stuck with soft, muted colors and sturdy, stay-in-place construction true to their own athletic tendencies, which means no nip-slips or bottoms-up to worry about.

Home, sweet home, indeed.