While your good old Speedos are perfect for doing laps, they probably won't pass muster on the beaches of St Tropez this summer. Fortunately, there's plenty that's trendy and flattering on the racks this season.
If 2008 was all about the bikini, this year is all about the one-piece.
'The one-piece has made a huge comeback and not in sexy styles from the years past, but in retro 1960s conservative styles with more conservative necklines and leg lines,' says Sabina Wong Sutch, swimwear designer and owner of local boutique Sabina Swims. 'It seems more is less this year, and skimpy, tiny pieces aren't that popular.'
Designers have echoed that sentiment on the catwalk - at Celine, Chanel and Louis Vuitton swimsuits were cut low across the thighs, and came in solid colours such as black and white. Other retro-inspired details included ruffles, which appeared on the front of strapless styles, or gathered fronts, as seen at Alexander Wang.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the monokini, which is becoming popular in Europe with fashionistas who are looking for something sexy and revealing.
'In European countries, the word monokini almost always refers to a standard bikini bottom worn topless, but now they are cut-away suits with lots of skin exposed,' says image consultant Shireena Shroff, founder of Sheens Image Consulting.
