In Brasil, the ushering in of the New Year or Ano Novo is a major holiday and widely celebrated event. Winter in the United States is high summer in Brasil and the New Year celebration officially marks the start of summertime revelries.

In a reflection of culture and tradition, Brasilians typically dress in all white to encourage prosperity and good fortune. Floating flowers and candles are offerings made to the Afro-Brasilian deity, Iemanja or Yemanja, Goddess of the Sea. Traditional fare such as lentils, grapes, rice, chicken, farofa (spiced tapioca grains) and marajuca (fruit) mousse are part of New Year ...

Our final installment for the ViX Swimwear Giving Inspiration campaign features Brasilian beauty Gisele Bündchen. A super model with a super sense of social responsibility, Gisele has garnered as much success with her charitable endeavors as she has with her incredible career.

In fact, using her celebrity status is one way Gisele brings awareness to projects that are close to her heart. On her 2009 appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Gisele tells us in her blog that she is “glad to be able to help the United Nations,” and that she will “use ...

Imagine spending the holidays some place faraway and warm, in a tropical oasis or coastal enclave, complete with all your loved ones in one place, enjoying family time and soaking in the tranquility of the moment.

Intimacy and lasting memories are truly what the holidays are about. This season, enjoy the destination vacation and luxuriate in time well spent. To help you worry about one less thing, we put together two resort looks in classic black and white—perfect for playing holiday hostess and ready for casual entertaining with a touch of ViX Swimwear signature style!

Resort Hostess Look 1 ...

Inspiration can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places. A survivor of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, supermodel Petra Nemcova witnessed first hand the devastation natural disasters can bring. Upon her recovery, she founded the Happy Hearts Fund (HHF) to aid the children in Thailand affected by the tsunami.

Recognizing the gap between first response measures and the installment of government infrastructure, the Happy Hearts Fund (HHF) focuses on the building of self-sustaining schools, a key factor in helping children rebuild their lives. The organization works with the surrounding communities and local businesses to implement long-term sustainability initiatives ...

Blending in with the natural landscape, Amangiri, “peaceful mountain” is one of the two US locations offered by the illustrious Amanresort experience. Amangiri is a hidden oasis; built to compliment its desert surroundings but modernly equipped to astound guests with upscale and intimate resort living. ViX Swimwear designer Paula Hermanny was stunned by the combination of rustic beauty and sleek aesthetics, “This is Grand Canyon luxury…it is a place full of natural harmony,” she tells us.

Located in Canyon Point, Southern Utah and boasting views of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, the resort is a landmark of the ...

It is a month into the ViX Swimwear Giving Inspiration campaign and we continue in our efforts to give back during this season of giving and encourage others to do so, as well. Last week, we featured the accomplishments of Rachel Zoe and today we choose Tory Burch and the Tory Burch Foundation to highlight.

An entrepreneur and working mother, Tory Burch is no stranger to overcoming a challenge, having risen through the fashion industry with considerable speed in just seven years. With the rapid influx of success, Tory states in her blog that her greatest challenge is “balancing work ...

The ViX Swimwear Giving Inspiration campaign is now in its third week of highlighting notable women and their philanthropic efforts in hopes of inspiring others to give back during the holiday season. Likewise, designer Paula Hermanny continues to work with her charity of choice, World Vision, as she has a special love for children around the globe. In keeping with the spirit of giving, we encourage you to share your charitable efforts and deeds of goodwill on the ViX Swimwear Giving Inspiration Facebook discussion post; we’ll be donating $100.00 for every comment received to further our support for ...

ViX loves the holidays – the jolly décor, bejeweled evergreens, sparkling lights and festive merrymaking! With all the holiday parties to attend and host or hostess gifts to give, one sure way to make an impression is using the power of presentation. Stand apart from the revelers and show your party hostess true appreciation with an unexpected detail: Furoshiki gift wrapping. An artful method of gift presentation from Japan, Furoshiki incorporates beautiful textiles as wrapping. This green alternative to paper wrapping is eco-friendly and can even double as a scarf!

The ViX team loved this idea and took it one step ...

Designer Paula Hermanny and the ViX Brasil team recently wrapped up a photo shoot for the ViX Swimwear Summer 2012 Collection. As one Paula’s favorite beaches in all of Brasil, Buzios provided the perfect setting with its white sand, lush foliage and shimmering ocean. Guisela Rhein was our beautiful and alluring swimsuit model traversing Buzios beach in the latest ViX designs. Highly inventive, next season’s upcoming collection will include fresh patterns and plays on silhouettes, more resort wear, and new tassel details that are sure to please the ViX devotee.

Timeless in ViX resort wear:

Guisela was effortless ...

It’s our second week into the ViX Swimwear Giving Inspiration 2011 campaign and we’re committed to the season of giving by partnering with designer Paula Hermanny’s charity of choice, World Vision. We also want to share stories of notable women and their charitable causes, hoping it encourages others to give back.

Last week we highlighted the efforts of Diane von Furstenberg, and to continue the Giving Inspiration series, another fashion magnate comes to mind: Donna Karan. In Santa Barbara last month, the Dream Foundation honored Donna for her work through Urban Zen Integrative Therapy (UZIT). UZIT is ...

A classic leopard animal print bikini with an unexpected blue-green backdrop, the Jangala evokes images of an island jungle shimmering from the Indian Ocean.

It was in Bali that designer Paula Hermanny found the source of her inspiration for the Cruise 2012 Collection. The colorful Indonesian culture and proximity to nature provided the constant energy and stimulation imbued in this season’s collection. Likewise, the Jangala bikini is sure to astound, with its marine shading and trails of gold rings bound by black leather. Raw and edgy, the Jangala swimsuit gives the ViX woman the distinction she deserves.

This holiday ...