IN next year's beach season, women can be comfortable, feel glamorous and look trend-right in pants as beach cover-ups.

Bold-colored and printed pantsuits were among the popular styles on the runway during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2012, which ended in the United States last Monday. Slouchy pants in bright pink and black, and even a Spandex, bohemian-print legging, also might be coming soon to a beach near you.

Playful prints and vibrant hues - hot pink, acid green, cobalt blue - had their places on the catwalks in Miami Beach, Florida, as well as geometric shapes and animal-inspired prints, colors and stripes.

Some designers showed high-waisted bikini bottoms, while others included multi side-string swimwear, allowing for some skin to peek through.

Close to two dozen designers previewed looks for stylists, editors and retailers. They saw collections inspired by the Amazon, Egypt and Pop Art, among other themes.

WHITE SANDS AUSTRALIA

Two contrasting styles were on the runway at White Sands Australia: sweet floral vs. sexy zebra. Designer Leah Madden tried to pick between the two to show a cohesive collection, but ended up showing both.

"I realized that as women, we always have those two sides. Sometimes we're sweet. Sometimes we're not. And I loved it," Madden said. "And I thought, you know what, I'm going to do the collection revolving around that. One day you're sweet and pretty, very feminine. And then at other times we can be a little nasty, a little bit strong."

The collection began with its darker side in a black and white zebra print bikini followed by a soft white, almost lingerie-style one-piece with ruching detail along the top and waist.

Madden showed a broad mix of swimsuit styles as well as cover-ups, including a long floral dress followed by a zebra-print short dress. She continued her contrasts of zebra and floral in separate pantsuit designs.

"I'm a big resort girl," she said. And although the collection showed more bikinis, she loves a one-piece. "It's fashion. I think it's special."

POKO PANO

Brazilian designer Paola Robba incorporated her country's traditional colors, symbols, plant and wildlife into a 40-piece collection which included bikinis, kaftans, mini dresses, shirts, skirts and pantaloon pants in a multitude of colors: yellow, brown, red, green, turquoise, black and white.

The fun collection showed exotic prints reminiscent of the Amazon, beginning the show with a white bikini top in a large coconut print paired with a long, flowing skirt in a matching print.

Robba used leaves in place of polka dots in one bikini. Resembling Miami's palm tree, the guarana, as the plant is known in Portuguese, took over a white bikini top and slouchy pants. The same print also was seen on a monokini and shirt cover-up.

"I like fun things. I think a bikini can be fun," Robba said.

Robba also paid homage to Amazon wildlife, incorporating into the collection multicolored feathers inspired by a type of macaw and velvety coats patterned like jaguar. Using a macrame texture, Robba also mimicked the scales of fish on some leather pieces, including a pink corset-style tankini.

"They're very popular, this kind of fish in the Amazon. And I love the texture," Robba said of the fish-skin leather.

DOLORES CORTES

Spanish designer Dolores Font Cortes' collection was inspired by dreams of a remote, idyllic island.

"You are on a deserted island, because you want to be, and you want to be beautiful and glamorous with what you have around you," the designer said.

Colors ranged from strawberry pink to the green tint from the bottom of the sea, and orange shades with tones mixed with black. Animal prints were reinvented in fluorescent shades and geometric shapes. Metal hardware was included in some swimsuits, including an orange monokini, essentially a one-piece with exaggerated cutouts in the middle. A blue bikini top dazzled with jewels.

"A part of the collection reminds you of what you could do by hand," Cortes said, referring to some of the crochet pieces as well as bikini bottoms and one-pieces with multiple strings along the sides to show a sliver of skin.

The designer also paired a hot-pink pant with a multicolored bikini top, followed by a pantsuit in the same vibrant color pattern.

Some models carried small coconut purses down the runway.

MARA HOFFMAN

A generous mix of Egyptian and South American tribal influences were seen at the Mara Hoffman show in a range of vibrant colors.

"I love her really bright prints," designer and reality television star Whitney Port said. Although she is "more of a jean shorts kind of girl," Port said she was looking forward to seeing Hoffman's unique pieces.

Hoffman is known for her Bohemian style. Her collection touched on Egyptian inspiration such as the sarcophagus and King Tut. The face of King Tut was put on an oversized beach bag, a maillot, a high-waisted bikini and maxi dress.

The 39-piece collection was the biggest showing for Hoffman yet. It included a cheetah-print jumpsuit, Tiki modal (fiber) slouch pants, and a neon coral silk chiffon romper paired with bikini tops in tribal or animal prints. One of the long, flowing dresses was detailed with beads on the back of the neck.

So who is the Mara Hoffman woman?

"She's a journey person at heart even if she doesn't necessarily have the means to do so. She's inspired by other cultures," Hoffman said.

NORMA KAMALI

A presentation of Norma Kamali's swimwear collection included a lace mesh combo on dresses and pants that are washable and wearable. A gown (originally designed for Jennifer Lopez) had sparkling rhinestones. A nude fishtail pant creates a slimming effect.

For a sexy but feminine look, Kamali fans can mix and match bikini pieces with lingerie touches, including ruffles, in a palette of champagne, black, steel gray and sable.

The wrap and tie collection was inspired by Kamali's classic swimsuit silhouette from the 1970s. The swimsuit was reintroduced into the collection using a soft material in cobalt blue, black and white stripes and an acid green one-piece.

Chiffon was used for a gypsy dress, breezy tops and skirts with a Kamali original print in black and white called the milk-panic pattern that resembles the letter C or a distorted leopard print. A unique plaid pattern also was seen on some of the cover-ups.

"I have a really broad customer range. The collection addresses the different age groups and different lifestyles," Kamali said. "The interesting thing with swimwear is styles last, and prints never go out of style."

LISA BLUE

Space-age pieces, as well as Aboriginal and whale designs, fueled Lisa Blue's first solo fashion show in the United States.

The collection was quite different this year for Australian designer Lisa Burke, who described the story of her inspiration as being edgy but glamorous and with a galactic feel.

For the first look, the model removed a velvety black cloak over a black one-piece with gold metallic panels on the sides. Burke said it was her favorite piece, which also took a lot of time to create.

Otherwise, though, whales dominated here, and her show was titled "Call of the Whale." (Twenty-five percent of the net profit for Lisa Blue is donated to causes related to protecting whales and dolphins.)

A large prominent whale tail was outlined on a black one-piece. Whale tails were incorporated as charms on other designs.

The collection transitioned to Aboriginal influences, with a mix of blues, turquoise and indigo pink for a celestial feel. A tribal print with gold foil highlighted the color of chocolate mixed with red, orange and yellow shells in some monokinis.

RED CARTER

Lucite capes in bright jewel tones showed the adventurous side of Miami Beach-based designer Red Carter, who wanted "to make people feel we are moving forward with fashion these days."

His collection focused on two trends: One was African inspired with hand crochet and animal prints in neutral tones such as mocha; the other paid homage to Pop Art with color-blocking and eye-popping colors.

A snake-print one-piece opened the show. Gold embellishments decorated a cheetah-print two-piece with pearl detailing and a black halter bikini with gold studs.

Ruffles were seen on many suits, including a cream and black two-piece with animal print and a black and white one-piece with a zigzag print.

Cutouts and creative knots added interesting detail to others, and a feather-print one-piece peeked through a purple bolero-style cover-up.

CIA.MARITIMA

Fringe and gold embellished swimsuits with a butterfly print were seen at Cia.Maritima.

"The butterfly print is going to be one of the main prints in the collection," designer Patrizia Simonelli said.

The collection represents an effortless, boho-chic look reminiscent of the 1960s and the French Riviera. Animal print continued as a staple of the label: A blue leopard string bikini with pink trim was paired with a cropped T-shirt. A one-shoulder monokini was in a snake print, while a bandeau was worn with a pinup ruched animal-print bottom. The animal print also was seen mixed with floral in a long-sleeve chiffon tunic over a blue string bottom and pink triangle top.

"Animal print is the DNA of our brand. We always have it," Simonelli said.