Revival of the Retro Bikini

The bikini as we know it first appeared on the beaches of France in 1947. The word "bikini" creates a different image in everyone's mind, the majority probably being of 3 small triangles strung together to cover the essentials. Far from the visual of the beaches of France 65 years ago. The bikini was made popular in the 20th century by pin-up girls such as Esther Williams, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth and Lana Turner, carrying on through the 60's with Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot.

There are so many different styles of swimsuits, one piece, two piece, tankini, trikini, halternecks, bandeau, surf shorts... By the 2000's, bikinis had become a multi-million pound business annually. 2013 sees the return of the vintage bikini, they are featured on catwalks all over the world and iconic high-street fashion store Topshop have named the high-waisted bikini "this year's must-have item". Numerous celebrities including Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon and Kim Kardashian have also been seen rocking the vintage vibe.

The girls who originally wore this style of bikini were not a size 0, nor a size 6. That was, however, irrelevant because they were stylish, glamorous and their clothing flattered their figures. High-waisted bikinis look great on any body shape and are very feminine, suggesting anyone can be confident in a two-piece this summer. Team with a head scarf and a slick of black eyeliner (make sure it's waterproof ladies if you're actually going to go in the pool!) to emulate that classic Hollywood starlet look.

Advances in fabric technology means that we have so much more choice when it comes to bold colours and prints from the high-street to high-end fashion. This year Kelly Brook has done her second collection for New Look, predominantly featuring styling from the 50's. Every fashion retailer from River Island and Urban Outfitters to the designers such as Ted Baker and Alexander Wang seem to have at least one maxi-bottom in their summer collection. Old-style bathing suits still look fresh and modern and designers are consistently coming up with new creations.

Whatever you choose this summer, I'm sure most of us will have our own version of a retro bikini packed in our holiday suitcase. I've got more than one in my wardrobe already!

Published in Vista Magazine June/July 2013