Today’s review features the Musterbrand x Star Wars Space bikini. Ever since Black Milk Clothing wrapped up their Star Wars license in early 2015, there has been a huge gap in the market for women’s Star Wars swimwear – so I’m so excited to see Musterbrand is coming through for us fan girls who love to swim! Musterbrand have also just released concepts for four new women’s Star Wars one piece swimsuits coming later this year – check them out here!
The dashy Star Wars artwork showing a space-combat scene in front of the Death Star will most certainly turn some heads on the beach or pool. This Bikini comes with detachable pads and is completely lined for more comfort. Also, the soft neckholder strings and adjustable pants add to the convenience.
The Star Wars bikini is available in sizes XS to XL, and is priced at €49.00 each direct from Musterbrand, or US$49.99 from Musterbrand US on Amazon. Musterbrand is based in Germany but they can ship internationally, which is great!
Cup-Size:
- Sizes XS/S/M = A/B
- Sizes L/XL = B/C
- Women’s Star Wars Space bikini – €49.00 per set – sizes XS to XL (Musterbrand direct)
- Women’s Star Wars Space bikini – US$49.99 per set – sizes XS to XL (Musterbrand US on Amazon)
The swimwear came packaged inside a clear plastic bag, which features the Musterbrand logo. The Star Wars Space Battle bikini features a printed bikini top with adjustable ties at the neck and back, and a matching swim bottom with adjustable ties at each side.
The print is from the Death Star Battle artwork by John Berkey. I absolutely love his Star Wars artwork, and I have an instant need for any Star Wars fashion featuring this print. It translates so well onto printed fabrics, and can have quite a different feel depending on the scale at which it is printed.
For this bikini, the print is a little more ‘zoomed in’, so it has a slightly more abstract appearance. This approach works well for swimwear – it is a personal choice how much attention we want when showing skin, not all of us want people to be staring closely at the art details! This bikini has a great balance that works for everyone.
This version of the artwork has a softer grey tone compared to other printed apparel, like the bright blue tones of the We Love Fine jacket. This cooler tone is a gorgeous colour scheme for swimwear. The most recognisable elements of the artwork are the small X-Wing Fighters on the right side of the bikini top. With the scale of the print, they are recognisable to fans, without standing out too much.
The top left corner of the bikini features a black pendant, embossed with the Musterbrand logo. The pendant is quite small, so it does not detract from the design. Other Musterbrand x Star Wars apparel features the larger metal ‘stud’, which of course would be too large for this garment. It it nice to see that detail still replicated here, in an appropriate scale for swimwear.
The neck ties are sewn securely into the top seams of the top, and the top edges of each ‘triangle’ are top stitched in black thread.
The bikini top is fully lined with white fabric. There are actually two layers of lining fabric – one inner layer, plus a second layer that forms a pocket for the bra padding. The is a small gap in the corner lining seam of each cup, which allows you to remove the padded cups or add your own. This is especially useful if you swim at the beach, so you can more easily remove any sand caught inside in the lining.
The outer printed fabric is lovely and smooth, a good weight for swimwear. It is made from 85% polyester/15% elastane – both the outer printed fabric and white lining fabric have a good degree of stretch for a garment worn securely. The inner seams are all edged with black overlocking/serging, which helps keep the raw cut edges away from your skin while wearing.
The garment and store tags are attached to the bikini bottom. The black fabric garment tag is sewn into the inner back waistband seam, and features the Star Wars logo. The garment tag notes the size (S), country of manufacture (China), fabric composition (85% polyester/15% elastane), and garment care instructions (machine wash cold).
The black cardboard store tag is attached to the garment tag, and features the Star Wars and Musterbrand logos, along with the bar code. The bikini bottom also comes with a clear hygiene sticker inside, which notes ‘please remove only after purchase’.
The back of the bikini bottom features the most recognisable Star Wars element – the Rebel Alliance ‘starbird’ symbol, printed in black. This is nice touch to add a little more obvious Star Wars element to the design, but doesn’t overshadow the artwork print. The artwork on the back here captures some vibrant starfighter blasts against the grey and black of the Death Star surface.
The sides of the bikini bottom are entirely adjustable. The front and back sections of the bikini aren’t sewn together at the sides, but are held together with a black cord that is threaded through the side seam of each panel. This cord is stretchy, and ties in a knot or bow tightly. The ends are finished with a knot, as a nice finishing touch rather than just the raw cut end.
While fit of a tie bikini like this is somewhat adjustable, you want to feel secure in your swimsuit when swimming! Here are the approximate measurements of this size small bikini –
Bikini top –
- 19cm bottom hem length of each cup
- 17.5cm height of each cup (along center)
- 121cm length of chest cord (full length)
- 44cm length of neck cord (each side)
Bikini bottom –
- 25.5cm top edge length of front piece (from side gather to side gather)
- 35.5cm top edge length of back piece (from side gather to side gather)
- 47cm length from front top edge to bottom top edge (between the legs)
- 55cm length for each side tie (bikini bottom)
I am so excited to see a licensed Star Wars apparel company designing women’s swimwear. Here in New Zealand, we are surrounded by beaches, and just about everyone spends their summer at the beach and in the water. This fantastic bikini is sure to become a summer staple for many fan girls. Now I don’t need to leave my love of Star Wars fashion at home when I’m on vacation – I’m taking this stylish bikini with me!
Disclaimer: this item was supplied by Musterbrand for review purposes. The Kessel Runway stands by the position that this, and all of our reviews, are an honest analysis and opinion regardless of whether the merchandise was purchased or supplied by a manufacturer/retailer.
