What makes swimwear from Melissa Odabash so special is that she is a former catwalk and swimwear model. So... she knows what makes a woman look (and feel) great. We love her for her sophisticated design sense and the way she can make an itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikini look so chic.

The list of celeb beauties who swear by Odabash bikinis (after all, they never know when a photo op will come their way) includes Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, Elle Macpherson, Victoria Beckham, Catherine Zeta Jones, Teri Hatcher, Beyonce, Uma Thurman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Heidi Klum, Halle Berry and Cindy Crawford. Enough said.

Melissa’a new 2008 collection was inspired by a recent trip to Africa. You will find (and can look forward to) a combination of earth tones, metallics and animal prints mixed in with her signature tortoise, gold and silver accessory touches.

Here we have Rita, one of the first bikinis we've purchased for resort, which is a great example of Melissa's work. We love the zebra pattern, and we love even more that it's colored in an unexpected combination of taupe and orange. Check it out here.