# Vilebrequin Swim Trunks



## rgrossicone (Jan 27, 2008)

Anyone have a pair? Why are they so pricey? ($200+ retail...) If I can find a pair at close to $100, is it worth it or are you just paying for the name?


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## Leon (Apr 16, 2005)

Was annoyed to find this summer that I had lost the little plastic wallet that comes with the trunks 

leon


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## Simon Myerson (Nov 8, 2007)

I tried on a pair this summer. The fabric was nice, but I thought the prints were uninspiring. The price seemed very related to the name and the clientele, in the sense that although all the details were obviously top quality, I couldn't see how the trunks could be sold at less than 200% mark up.

Ultimately, the deciding factor for me was that my wife and girls said that they looked naff when they were on. I reckoned 5 pairs was a more than reasonable try out so I abandoned the shop without regret.


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## gopherblue (May 18, 2009)

Overpriced. And when worn at the appropriate venue (on the beach or poolside), no one would ever know, except overly brand-conscious types.


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## rgrossicone (Jan 27, 2008)

They have them at Century 21 for just over $100...right next to suits that look exactly the same for half to a third of the price. They did have one really cool one that may have tempted me, but not in my size.


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## Lagavulin16 (Nov 9, 2008)

I have worn them for years and love them. I currently have 5 of them and leave a couple in my overnight bag and garment bag just in case I come in contact with water. The material is great, dries quick and looks great paired with a linen shirt. Some of the patterns are atrocious, but overall I always seem to find something I like.


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## nicksull (Sep 1, 2005)

I think they are an institution in the Med but have become almost chavvy because so recognizable to the upwardly mobile. That said very well made and if you pick the right print youre laughing. I like the father and son print idea if only i could afford two pairs...


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## deanayer (Mar 30, 2008)

They are simply overpriced for what you get. There claim to fame in the design department is the fact that there are a couple of little vent holes in the back (centerless metal grommets) that let air out of the suit so it doesn't puff up. Thats not all that miraculous a feature and probably adds 25 cents to the cost of the suit. The material and the lining are generic, the prints and colors are nice but hardly unbeatable. 

Maybe the reason they sell at a premium is that so many other makers bang out ultra-cheap suits with the expectation that you will only use them for a year or that they are guaranteed to fade in chlorinated water and sun light. I dont really know of a bathing suit brand where the maker asserts that the product will have a long useable life. 

I have a suit from Nautica that is probably the best bathing suit I have ever owned. I dont know what kind of treatment was used on the fabric but it is heavier than normal bathing suit material and it wicks away water and dries amazingly fast. It also hasn't faded in three years of use. It didn't cost as much as a Vilebrequin (no where near) and I would recommend Nautica's bathing suits over anyone. You do have to go to a nautica store however and look at what they have so you can find the kind I am talking about, the material is a very thick cotton that seems to repel water, its only used in their higher end suits.


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## Leon (Apr 16, 2005)

nicksull said:


> . I like the father and son print idea if only i could afford two pairs...


Yeah, cool. If only i had a son!

Leon


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## rgrossicone (Jan 27, 2008)

Leon said:


> Yeah, cool. If only i had a son!
> 
> Leon


I'm having one in Sept!


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## udeshi (Sep 29, 2005)

I did an informal survey amongst my clients, and all seemed to favour the prints (sorry Leon, didn't know you wore them). I asked what about the plains that they also do, and they all said, I have to wear plains to work, I want something different and fun.

Do you share that sentiment? I tend to wear shirts in non office stripes when I am on a beach holiday (square tailed, side vented, short sleeve, bespoke shirts in 170/2 cotton & linen - good excuse to use up the sampling fabric), so I have, let us say interesting shirts, so I tend to favour plain coloured trunks. The prints would just clash too much with my tops.

Also, if one is on a weeks vacation, do you want to be known as the man who wears the trunks with the pink turtles on them for the whole week?

Your thoughts gentlemen? And no, tight speedos are not appropriate unless you are a distance swimmer and actually swimming.


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## Leon (Apr 16, 2005)

rgrossicone said:


> I'm having one in Sept!


Congratulations!

In fact mine have white turtles on pink.

I have just the one pair of Vilebrequins, but in a rotation of 3 swimming trunks to avoid just that situation. (The other 2 are from Boden - Cameron's choice, if not Blair's).

I tend to wear solid linen shirts or polo shirts, but i have a few checks. Clashing in the glare of the Mediterranean sun, is less a crime than under the grey skies of London.

Leon


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

I have two pairs - blue with jellyfish and red with cabanas - and I love them. The fit is great, they're very comfortable and they have a nice, wide elastic. They're also well-vented, so when I go into the pool, they don't have a huge air bubble in them. Since I got them, I never wear any of the other trunks I've collected over the years.

If you buy by mail, be careful about the size. A 34 waist is an XL - I think a medium must be about a 26.


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## gman-17 (Jan 29, 2009)

rgrossicone said:


> I'm having one in Sept!


RG you will find that sons consume much of the extra cash that once went for luxuries. Wait until you are spending as much on his football boots (soccer cleats) as you are on your shoes.


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## Mark from Plano (Jan 29, 2007)

I've thought about trying to pick up a pair on sale just to see what all the fuss was about. But I'm struggling because I don't particularly find the prints I've seen attractive and I am struggling with how much quality I'm willing to buy in a swimsuit.

It's like I want to try it out, but when the time comes I can't seem to pull the trigger.


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Better value


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## Lagavulin16 (Nov 9, 2008)

rgrossicone said:


> I'm having one in Sept!


Congratulations. My first son was born on July 14th and when he is age appropriate I will be getting him matching trunks. I have four nephews under the age of 9 and since they have learned to appreciate water I have bought them matching trunks. I enjoy seeing them in matching swim suits and being away from them for a majority of the year, I like to think that they are four bonded boys, with their me, their uncle. When my son is of age, I hope to get five matching pairs.


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## Carlton-Browne (Jun 4, 2007)

I have always told myself that if I wanted a pair of Vilebrequin shorts then I would get a similar pair from the Stade Francais online shop. For those of you who don't know this is the Parisian Rugby club who favour flowery shirts to annoy their compatriots from South West France. I have resisted temptation so far.


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## rgrossicone (Jan 27, 2008)

gman-17 said:


> RG you will find that sons consume much of the extra cash that once went for luxuries. Wait until you are spending as much on his football boots (soccer cleats) as you are on your shoes.


and we're also an ice-hockey family...ic12337:



Carlton-Browne said:


> I have always told myself that if I wanted a pair of Vilebrequin shorts then I would get a similar pair from the Stade Francais online shop. For those of you who don't know this is the Parisian Rugby club who favour flowery shirts to annoy their compatriots from South West France. I have resisted temptation so far.


Nice...they don't wear those on the pitch do they...almost like Hull City's 1990's experiment with tiger striped kits...ugh










Except I think that *wasn't* done to offend their rivals...



Lagavulin16 said:


> Congratulations. My first son was born on July 14th and when he is age appropriate I will be getting him matching trunks. I have four nephews under the age of 9 and since they have learned to appreciate water I have bought them matching trunks. I enjoy seeing them in matching swim suits and being away from them for a majority of the year, I like to think that they are four bonded boys, with their me, their uncle. When my son is of age, I hope to get five matching pairs.


Thats one thing I very much look fwd to doing when my son grows up...sharing a passion for nice clothing!



Leon said:


> Congratulations!
> 
> In fact mine have white turtles on pink.
> 
> ...


I have a couple of AuquaRossa suits that are similar to the Vilebrequin, but were $20 each. I like them a lot. I also have my Etro suit (see WAYWT post) that I got for $40. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I guess some things are just so pricey because the companies know that the clientel who buys them will pay extraordinarily for them. Kind of like that Bling H2O for $100 a bottle you see in LA.


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## VC2000 (Feb 10, 2006)

Has anybody been to the Vilebrequin outlet at Sawgrass? Trying to decide if it is worth a drive out? How much of a discount and selection do they have?

Thanks in advance.


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## Tomasso (Aug 17, 2005)

VC2000 said:


> Has anybody been to the Vilebrequin outlet at Sawgrass? Trying to decide if it is worth a drive out? How much of a discount and selection do they have


It's like half price for ugly patterns and odd sizes. You'd be better off going to the seasonal sales at their Bal Harbor store; same prices but much better selection.


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