Lace Print Plunge Suit

I don’t know about you, but now it’s summer I’m starting to get the annual pre-bikini anxiety that always leaves me fretting, frantically doing sit-ups and smothering myself in Fake Bake the night before I go on holiday. Ever since I was old enough to wear one, bikinis have caused me absolutely nothing but stress and woe. Sometimes I wish they had never been invented. So I’m deciding to stick two middle fingers up to two-piece peer-pressure this summer for something I can feel a little bit more comfortable in. Today at Shiny we’re going to be looking at one-pieces, which apparently are sexy again – THANK GOD.

I love the high street’s new flux of swimsuits available because they are so much more forgiving than two-pieces – except now they’re sexy as well as functional. The first swimsuit I laid my eyes on in my search for flattering swimwear just happened to be a gorgeous yellow lace-effect costume from Asos.com which reminded me of Christopher Kane’s neon lace dresses and skirt suits – so on trend this summer, and kind to curvy and skinny girls alike. The result is a modern, contemporary design that has just the right of sexiness for me.

Another favourite from my search was a gingham strapless costume from Frost French that reminded me of old photographs of Marilyn Monroe on the beach. It’s a very vintage-feel design that will hide any stray tummy wobbles, but emphasise your hips and waist so that you can cut  a bombshell figure on the beach. I have to say that I love fifties-inspired swimwear but I don’t like time-warp head-to-toe dressing – keep your beach look modern with some contemporary sunglasses and leather sandals

What do you think about the comeback of the one-piece? Do you think it’s fantastic that they’re back in vogue or do you think they should stay a thing of the eighties? Check out the gallery above and let us know.

Pink bikini and patterned sarong

With a predicted heat wave due to hit this weekend and the holiday season approaching why not celebrate in swimwear style with Matalan’s summer beachwear collection.

This season the store has gone all out offering pretty pastels, and ditsy floral prints adorning vintage inspired bandeau bikinis, as well as lace trims, which add a feminine touch to simple triangle styles complimented by a palette of sweet shades of blues and pinks.

Then there’s the long line floaty maxi skirts, a must have straw trilby with floral corsage and chain weave sandals to complete the perfect beach outfit.

Zingy neon brights in sporty styles add a playful spirit to the collection with zip detailing and ruffles on hot pink, electric blue and lime green bikinis and suits. The stand out style of the summer mixes all these hot colours in a vibrant print for an exceptional cut asymmetric style swimsuit and two piece. Accessorise effortlessly with slouchy beach bags, multi beaded bracelets and simple flip flops.

Admiral stripe bikini

With a heat wave predicted over the bank holiday weekend, many of us will want to make the most of the sun, either by sunbathing in our gardens, in the park, or braving the UK beaches.
Others may be lucky enough to be going away for a long weekend Easter break.
Wherever you’ll be doing that sunbathing one thing is for sure, you’ll need an on-trend bikini to do it. This year, stripes, tribal prints and bright colours are all in when it comes to swimwear. Team up bikinis with a sarong or boho style tunic to get that ultimate beach babe look.

Cupped Bandeau Spot Bikini

As we continue to gratefully bask in this amazing Spanish weather that’s sweeping over Britain, ShinyStyle’s thoughts have turned to swimwear. Something so simple, but so easy to get wrong; as I type I have about ten different bikinis lying forlornly unworn in my knicker drawer, that have been bought on the internet on a whim and then never worn.

But this spring, all the trends are working in swimwear’s favour – florals, fruit and bold digital prints are the things to be seen wearing, and we have high hopes for swimwear on the high street this year. Will 2011 be the year that Britain (especially me) finally gets it right?

Our mantra for this summer, we’ve decided, is going to be “flirtation and glamour”. With designers referencing the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Diana Dors and Jane Fonda at the moment in their collections, now is the time to discover your inner sex kitten. Our favourite place for beach-siren swimwear is Urban Outfitters – they have a gorgeous selection of Marilyn Monroe-esque bikinis and one pieces, which we guarantee will make heads turn.

Our other favourite shop for pin-up swimwear is the excellent What Katie Did, who have an expertise in tailoring their bikinis and underwear to create the illusion of a perfect film-star hourglass silhouette. So even if you don’t think you’ve got it, you can flaunt it. Be prepared to pay a little more for their designs, but you’ll get beautiful contour tailoring for your money and a well-made piece that will last forever.

Our number one pick? The cool plaid bikini from Urban Outfitters – we think the grungy tartan print gives an otherwise retro style a cool and modern edge. Check it out along with our other star buys in the gallery above.

But instead of The One, we get an endless parade of The Wrongs. It seems fair to reason that the less fabric there is in a garment, the more things can potentially be dreadful about it. Nun’s habits are a much of a muchness; they always do their job very well. Bikinis, meanwhile, and underwear, cocktail dresses, hats – all the tiny things in our wardrobes – are fraught with potential faux-pas.

It’s also baffling that after everything scientists have achieved in the last hundred years, the field of swimwear hasn’t developed much beyond a stretchy hanky tied over our rude bits, and a million wafty ways of covering up the whole disaster. There are kaftans, sarongs, towelling playsuits galore, but nobody has stopped to say ‘hmm, why not just make what’s underneath it a tad more flattering instead?’ It still surprises me that they haven’t yet tried to make a swimsuit out of boned corseting. Or given one sleeves. I don’t let my upper arms out under normal circumstances, why should it suddenly be different because I’m immersed in water with half my hair stuck to my face?

As someone who hasn’t worn a bikini since John Major was in Downing Street, I can only appreciate them as an observer. And my main observation is this: triangle bikinis scare me, because I am convinced that they will slip off the wearer at any moment. Sturdier, underwired bikinis are better, but bring with them all the same difficulties as an actual bra in the pinching, squeezing, bulging and bagging arena.

Of course there are also tankinis, the eternal saviour of every body-conscious woman. In theory they’re the perfect solution – they offer the coverage of a swimming costume, but are far easier to go to the loo in and can be rolled up for tanning opportunities. In practise, however, a good tankini is hard to come by. With far fewer prints and shapes to choose from, more often than not they just scream, “I’m wearing this to cover my paella belly!” while the bikinis slink on by.

Then we have the one-piece. so enigmatic a garment that it pretty much warrants its own thesis. For the past few years it has been rapidly shrinking, a new piece of fabric cut away every season until we have been left with something a cyclist might wear to stop people hitting them. Much as I’m in favour of lycra-based experimentation, designers need to learn: we are not stupid. Putting a tiny strip of fabric down the middle of a bikini does not make us believe it is a proper swimsuit.

But enough of the ranting; now onto the good news. There’s a new wave of swimwear arriving this season, with more emphasis on shape and less on skin. We’re completely in love with Red or Dead’s new line Rescue Me!, which is full of beautifully cut one-pieces and demure, well-structured bikinis in the brand’s trademark fun prints. With their adorable, British seaside vibe, these are cossies that hark back to a time before gold lamé and hipbones took over everything. Particular stars are the low-legged Vintage one-piece with sweet nautical buttons, £62, and this Flora number with attached skirt (right), £67 – perfect for balancing chunky thighs or just a spot of poolside twirling.

FrostFrench has also hit the mark with its Floozie range at Debenhams. Despite a disconcerting volume of strapless bikini tops (welcome to sag city), they’ve also done a pleasingly retro swimsuit with chevron panels, and this gorgeous halterneck bikini (left), which can be paired with tie-side briefs or boy-cut shorts.

For reference points, look beyond the Lowes, Lottes and Geldofs of this world and focus on some true swimwear icons. Esther Williams in Ziegfeld Follies. Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot. Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder in the belted white bikini. Bo Derek, running along that beach (braids optional). Think swimwear that hugs your figure, not hangs off it. Swimwear that makes you feel powerful, not vulnerable. Swimwear so good that you consider wearing it with a skirt and heels to the pub. If you find all of that, girls, you may have found The One.

If not – hey, there’s always next year.

First on our list are Tankinis. This style of swimwear made a huge entrance a few years ago and has been sported by many a celeb including Cheryl Cole and WAG Carly Zucker.

However they are also a favourite with girls who are slightly unhappy with their tums and feel awkward wearing a bikini but don’t want the restriction of a swimming costume.

We bring you our top 5.

And with the spring/summer season fashion in full flow there’s a huge amount of swimwear out there to suit all kind of shapes.

Many stores such as Miss Selfridge and Oasis also offer separates for ladies with smaller or bigger upper halves and Ultimo is also a great place for those out there that have been blessed with bigger busts. On the other end of the spectrum some highstreet stores also cater for sporty type figures offering padded cups and different tops to really enhance what we’ve been blessed with.

And there’s also great alternatives for those who don’t feel comfortable in flashing their tum or who aren’t too keen on wearing briefs.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you different ranges for different figures and tastes but to kick start the swimwear style we’ve put together a gallery of on-trend bikinis so you can really make an entrance to the pool or the beach.

The swimwear manufacturer claims the measurements many manufacturers use as the basis of women’s sizes are completely inaccurate. Since the 1950s when the measurements were first taken, women have become taller, larger round the waist, and have bigger hips and busts. Is it any wonder then that most of us can’t find a swimsuit to fit?

The swimwear manufacturer claims its new Shapeline suits are as close to a made to measure swimsuit as you can get. But does Speedo’s Shapeline live up to the hype?Shiny Style went along to Speedo’s London Covent Garden Store to find out.

The first difference with the Speedo Shapeline suit is you need to be professionally measured for your suit. Waist, hip, bust and body length measurements are essential to getting the right fit. The suit comes in sizes 10 to 20 and cup sizes 30B to 34G and the theory is once your individual measurements are taken into account you should get a costume which fits so well that it looks as though it has been made just for you.

Speedo’s research reveals that women’s bodyshapes fall into three distinct categories: Bottom Hourglass, women who have bottoms and hips that are bigger than their chests; Hourglass, women who have equally wide hips and chests; and Top Hourglass, women who have chests and shoulders bigger than their bottom and hips.

Speedo has developed three styles of swimsuits to enhance each of these body shapes: The Bustshaper, the Waistshaper and the Tummy and Hip Sculptor. I came out as a top hourglass with a long body so the Bustshaper was the suit for me.

Trying it on for the first time was an experience in itself. For a start it is not easy to get into. The Bustshaper has an integral bra inside which needs to be folded down at the front while you pull on the lower half of the suit. The costume itself feels a little bit like a corset and it is also quite difficult to fasten the bra up at the back. But it is worth persevering. Once the suit is on it looks fantastic.

Used to seeing my reflection in a swimsuit which cuts into my shoulders and squashes my bust into a mis-shapen doughnut just above my bulgy midriff, I was not prepared for what I saw. My bust was defined and up where it should be, my waist and tummy looked neater and flatter and the longer straps sat comfortably on my shoulders. No digging, no rubbing, no red marks. For once I didn’t feel depressed looking at myself in a swimsuit in the changing room mirror! I would be happy to stroll down the beach or lounge on the side of the pool in this suit all day.

Available from Speedo stores, Bravissimo, Fenwick and Rigby and Peller, The Shapeline is probably more for the recreational then the serious swimmer and at £100 it’s not cheap. But it does flatter your best bits, disguise the bits you don’t like and makes you feel amazingly confident . Surely that has to be worth splashing out on.

For more swimming-related stories visit Goggleblog.

By Wendy Knowles

Over the past few days we have seen Lindsay Lohan celebrating her 23rd birthday with pals at Wet Republic, MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas. The star has been getting about in a series of different swimsuits, much to the delight of camped out paparazzi. She was even rumoured to have pocketed $70,000 to swan about poolside and pose for photographers – it’s a hard life isn’t it? So what do we make of Lindsay’s red cutaway Herve Leger bikini, which she teamed with a pair of heavily fringed platforms? Is this look hot or not? Vote below.

[Source: Image]

While some celebrity lines are cracking under the economic strain, others including Jessica Simpson’s, appear to be flourishing. The singer/actress is expanding her popular fashion empire to include swimwear. She has signed a licensing agreement with Red Carter LLC to produce a full range of swimming attire including separates and cover-ups in a variety of bright colours, animal and floral prints. The range will wholesale from $15.50 up to $58, and is set to launch in December 2009.