From retro to raunchy, one-pieces are flying off the shelves in high-street stores, with their sexy cuts and elegant styling to suit all shapes.
This year, the one-piece is back in vogue in a big way. The emphasis is one cuts with sex appeal, whether it is the figure bearing low plunges or the more demure and elegant Grecian swimsuits and ‘50s retro styles, today’s swimwear designers producing heart-stopping swimsuits which offer both coverage and sex appeal.
Says Australian swimwear manufacturer, Seafolly, “One pieces have made a resurgence on the fashion front in the last couple of years as they emphasize the silhouette and add an air of elegance to swimwear.”
This is good news for the more generously proportioned 30 to 50-somethings who want to look fashionable as well as comfortable on the beach. Whilst one-piece swimsuits are certainly more modest than a bikini, that doesn’t mean that they have to be boring. This year the trend is for feminine and elegant cuts with a touch of sex appeal.
Retro 40s and 50s-Style Swimwear
Think Audrey – and Katherine – Hepburn, or Marilyn Monroe. Retro femme-fatale swimsuits are making a comeback this year. Offering more coverage, due to their low-leg cuts and old-school full-style briefs, this cut is ideal for anyone who wants to look chic and stylish without showing off too much flesh. The paneling detail on many of the ‘50s-styles are ideal for pear-shaped women as they have a slimming effect
Cut-Out Swimsuits or Monokinis
Whether you consider a monokini as a one-piece or a new breed on its own, these cut-out swimsuits are hitting it big in stores this year. Morphed from a standard swimsuit and a bikini, these swimsuits are hot, hot, hot.
Grecian-style Swimsuits
In keeping with the goddess gowns, toga dresses and gladiators, it is no surprise than the Greco-Roman look has infiltrated the swimwear market. Most women’s swimwear designers have gone for asymmetrical toga look, with Iceberg, Hermès, Jantzen and Carmen Marc Valvo Aphrodite styles feature in the June 2008 USA edition of Elle magazine.
This year’s one shoulder and asymmetrical styles can work for you or against you. One-shouldered suits may have the effect of accentuating the bust whilst vertical asymmetric lines can minimize it, along with reducing a large tummy.
On the subject of going Greek, Figleaves.com has a sexy but sophisticated low-plunge Going Greek swimsuit in black, white or red, by La Blanca, but this elegant swimsuit is selling out fast.
By: Gill Hart / Suite101.com
