Everything But Water to live-stream some of Miami Swim Week

Miami Swim Week -- the Florida-based fashion trade show focused on swimwear -- is set to kick off Thursday evening, showing resort styles for 2014.

And for the first time, you can get a peek even if you’re nowhere near South Florida, thanks to retailer Everything But Water, which plans to live-stream four of the shows on its website this weekend.

If you see anything you like on the runway, you’ll have 48 hours to pre-order.

Why is this cool, you may ask? Normally, store buyers serve as editors, filling their shelves with a selection of looks they think customers will like. But Everything But Water, the nation’s largest swim and resort wear retailer, is giving customers the chance to make their own picks from a larger pool, providing “unparalleled access for their consumers,” a spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, Sheila Arnold, the company’s president and chief executive, summed it up this way in a news release: “This puts our customers in the front row of swim’s biggest fashion event.”

And what the customers pick will provide a clue to the store buyers about what’s most appealing as they select styles to stock for the season.

It sounds like a winning proposition for all involved.

The live-streams are scheduled as follows (and they’ll remain available on the website for up to 48 hours):

SATURDAY

8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT): Mara Hoffman Swim

9 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. PDT): Vix Swimwear

SUNDAY

6 p.m. EDT (3 p.m. PDT): L*Space by Monica Wise

8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT): Luli Fama

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