With spring / summer burgeoning for many a fashioniser, we’re all eager to hit the beach. But whether you’re soaking up the sun in Majorca or on the Venice Lido, the most important decision won’t be the SPF of your sun tan lotion, but which swimwear pieces you’ll be wearing.
This year Fashionising.com is taking a look at the ‘in’ styles and the ‘out’ styles of swimwear, helping you choose the piece of swimwear that is perfectly inline with 2011′s and 2012′s fashion trends. Read on to find out what cuts and styles are in fashion this year, and don’t forget: if you’d like to keep up to date with all the latest fashion trends and how to style then, then subscribe to Fashionising.com’s newsletter or RSS feed.
- Vintage-inspired swimwear
- Ruffled bikinis
- Crochet bikinis
- One-shoulder bikinis and monokinis
- Swimwear with statement strapping
- Digital print swimwear
- Cut-away bikinis
- Swimwear to flatter your figure
Swimwear trends don’t move in quite the same cycles as other fashion trends. That’s because it’s hard to reinvent the bikini or the monokini: in the need to balance functionality and sex appeal, designers are limited to what they can actually do. Despite this, one piece and bikini trends are certainly still influenced by other fashion trends. For example, bikinis in 2009 and 2010 were heavily inspired by some of the key fashion trends for those years: cutaway clothing, one-shouldered pieces, fetish fashion, high-end sportswear and rock-chic garments. These are largely styles of the past, however.
So what swimsuit trends can we expect for 2011 and into 2012? You’d be right if you guessed swimsuit styles influenced by other key fashion trends for the year. So when it comes to choosing a bikini for 2011 and 2012, these are the styles should you be looking out for.
Vintage-inspired swimwear
There’s a scene in 1956′s High Society where Grace Kelly kneels poolside and pushes a model boat, the True Love, across the still water. She’s wearing a white halterneck swimsuit that ends in a small, ruffled skirt; her chin-length hair is neatly curled, her feet are bare. Never has a swimsuit looked so elegant.
Of course it’s the bombshells, the pin-ups, of the same era we’re more inclined to think of when it comes to 1950s swimsuits in particular – the Marilyn Monroes and the Jayne Mansfields. They’re playful, curvaceous, steeped in sex appeal. And so the reason we refer to the former is to balance out the latter: vintage-style swimwear has a huge place in 2011 and onwards, but it doesn’t have to be all strawberry cheesecake cliches. And the right piece can be whatever you want it to be, as bombshell as Monroe or as sophisticated as Kelly.
Nor does a vintage bikini or swimsuit have to be like a pin-up girl costume. In 2011 many designers are infusing vintage-inspired details into modern pieces – a high-waist here, a vintage print there – and the results can be perfect for the zeitgeist.
Pin Stripe Boy Leg Swimsuit
Padded Plunge Bikini with Floral Print
Boyleg Swimsuit with White Contrast Trim
High Waist Crochet Patterned Bikini
Pin Stripe Boy Leg Swimsuit
Seafolly
Padded Plunge Bikini with Floral Print
Ted Baker
Boyleg Swimsuit with White Contrast Trim
Baku
High Waist Crochet Patterned Bikini
Nookie Beach
Some features to look out for:
- one-pieces with cinched-in waists, sweetheart necklines and halters
- high-waist bottoms
- playful prints – gingham checks, hawaiian prints, nautical themes
- shirred sides that accentuate the waist and hips
- fuller-cupped tops
- boy-legged bottoms
A modern style in a vintage cut, with a waist height of just below the navel.
High waisted bottoms in a vintage-inspired colour palette.
A strapless bikini top can be perfectly classic when structured and shaped with a vintage feel.
The vintage high waist gets a very modern make-over in digital prints.
Pin up pretty (5 May 2012)
Crashing waves and barefoot days
Prada's Marilyn moments: runway video
Spoilt for choice: Zimmermann swimwear
Short but sweet: practical pin-up
Classic glamour in Elle Mexico
Ruffled bikini / ruffled swimsuit
Perhaps it’s the inspiration of vintage swimwear on 2011 and 2012, or it’s just the need for women to find a distinct, feminine way for their swimsuits standout by the pool and at the beach, either way: ruffled bikinis and ruffled swimsuits are one of the swimwear trends for the coming season.
And the fact that ruffled swimwear is an on-trend style at the moment is just about where the rules for the trend end. Unlike vintage swimwear or even one-shouldered bikinis, ruffled swimwear has no distinct style ‘rules’. Instead we’ve seen it styled and cut in a lot of different ways for spring / summer 2011 and 2012, often working alongside other one piece and bikini trends for the year.
Ruffles as a subtle accent to a print one-piece swimsuit or a bikini.
When ruffles and crochet come together, they shouldn’t compete for attention. Here the ruffles dominate over the crochet texture.
Ruffles as the secondary feature on a crochet monokini where the crochet dominates.
Ruffles as the dominant feature on an otherwise plain bikini or swimsuit.
You can click on each thumbnail above to see the full picture, or you can see more pictures of spring / summer 2011 / 2012 ruffled bikinis and swimsuits in the dedicated part of the styling gallery by following that link.
Crochet bikinis
Influenced both by the return of 1970s fashion and the crochet clothing trend as an independent spring / summer 2011 trend, crochet bikinis, crochet swimsuits and open weave pieces that have the same effect, are not just on-trend this season, they’re the must-have fashionable swimwear style.
And for good reason too: when worn right, crochet swimwear offers up that elusive cocktail of sex appeal and reality that every woman wants from her swimsuit. After all, the perfect crochet swimwear doesn’t just show off the body and allude to more of it, its intricate wide stitch catches the eye, drawing the viewer in while distracting them from any flaws, imagined or otherwise, that you might wish to not have noticed.
Crochet Ruffle Underwired Bikini
High Waist Crochet Patterned Bikini
High Waist Crochet Patterned Bikini in Black
Crochet Frill Bikini with Contrast Trim
Crochet Ruffle Underwired Bikini
ASOS
High Waist Crochet Patterned Bikini
Nookie Beach
High Waist Crochet Patterned Bikini in Black
Nookie Beach
Crochet Frill Bikini with Contrast Trim
Lisa Maree
The other benefit to a crochet swimwear piece is that it borders neatly on daywear. Pair a crochet monokini with denim cut-offs for a look that ticks all the festival fashion boxes; or with some crisp wide-leg pants or a midi-skirt for those resort afternoons.
A full crochet swimsuit with cutaway detailing.
A full, white crochet monokini in a sporty halter neck.
Statement straps and strings are a sub bikini trend for 2011/2012. They’re a natural partner of a crochet (or lace) bikini.
Crochet swimwear is at its most popular in 2011 / 2012 in white, but look to other colours if you really want to set yourself apart and make a statement this summer.
You can click on each thumbnail above to see the full picture, or you can see more pictures of spring / summer 2011 / 2012 crochet swimsuits in the styling gallery by following that link. You can also see other articles about the crochet swimwear trend by clicking on the links below.
Swim takes to the street (22 Dec 2011)
Top 5 crochet swimsuits & where to buy them
One-shoulder bikinis / swimsuits
One-shoulder bikinis and swimsuits were all the rage back in 2009, but as 2010 progressed they, like the trend that inspired them, slowly lost popularity. And to be completely fair, that is a fact that hasn’t really change for 2011 and 2012. The one shoulder bikini is not the swimwear trend, but it’s still a great look, still a great point of differentiation, and there is still a particular way to wear it in 2011 / 2012.
For the next two years the one shoulder bikini is all about the ‘statement shoulder’. Back in 2009 this style of bikini had two key features:
- a thin, single shouldered strap
- the colour of the strap was the same as the bikini / swimwear
In 2011 / 2012 the opposite is now true for on-trend, one shouldered swimwear. For the next two years the fashionable one shouldered bikinis and one shouldered one pieces have:
- a thick, single shouldered strap
- a colour contrast between the strap and the rest of the bikini
You can click on each thumbnail above to see the full example picture of the one-shouldered bikini and swimwear styles in fashion for spring / summer 2011 / 2012.
Statement strapping
The term string bikini has particular connotations, connotations that carry with them a particular level of sexiness. And ‘sexy’ is an oft desired quality of any bikini. While string bikinis aren’t out of fashion in 2011 / 2012, neither are they on-trend. You can still borrow from them, however, should you wish to choose a bikini for the season that features the very on-trend ‘statement strap’.
We call this particular bikini trend strapping and not stringing because it’s been created in both string thin and wider cuts.
Wide statement strapping on vintage cut bikini briefs. This is the best interpretation of a block coloured vintage bikini we’ve seen for the season.
Embellished and as a shoulder detail on a one-colour swimsuit.
A black bikini with strapping on both its shoulders and its briefs. We personally wouldn’t style it this way and would stick to straps up top or down bottom: both feels like visual overkill and diminishes the impact.
Most string options that sit with this trend go some way to blurring the lines between bikinis and monokinis. As you can see though, their visual appeal isn’t as great.
Twist Back Halter Bikini
High Waisted Bikini with Statement Strapping
Scarf Print Bandeau Bikini
Twist Back Halter Bikini
Charlie By Matthew Zink
High Waisted Bikini with Statement Strapping
Mara Hoffman
Scarf Print Bandeau Bikini
Charlie By Matthew Zink
Minimale Animale: this year's swimwear choices are made (27 Apr 2012)
Digital print swimwear
Digital prints are everywhere in spring / summer 2011. Personally, I’m yet to decide how I feel about that fact: is it a natural progression of the technology fashion designers now have a their disposal, or are they just being lazy, relying on technology instead of age-old craft and techniques? Whichever it is (and it might be neither) swimwear that features a bold print is equally as popular in 2011 and 2012. And that should come as no surprise, printed swimsuits have always been popular. For this season, however, the style takes its cues from the sports-as-fashion street wear trend and sees the print applied to swimwear that is more functional then fashionable.
A print swimsuit styled after a wet suit, complete with front zipper.
Culturally inspired prints are the dominant style of the season, particularly in high contrast, modern colours.
Where it’s not ethnically inspired, that culture comes in the form of iconic prints, particularly art work such as that featured on this vintage-cut bikini.
The standard approach merges with the visual effect of the crochet swimsuit to give this one-piece lace paneling. A highly girly, less statement orientated option for those wanted to avoid the sportswear feel.
Graffinis: New York inspired swimwear (14 Nov 2011)
One for those dreaming of Spring
Cut-away swimwear
For a long time cutout swimwear, whether it was cutout detailing on bikinis or monokinis, was the style. That time has passed. Cutaway swimwear has instead become something of an ever-green, still fashionable something for the masses and a style definitely not on trend.
On-trend swimwear for your figure type
The reality is that when it comes to swimwear, not every cut is going to flatter every figure. But between all of the trending 2011/2012 styles there’s certainly something for everyone. It will certainly always come down to what you’re most comfortable with, but if you’re after a starting point here are some shape-based suggestions:
Fuller figure
Embrace the vintage trend and use it to accentuate rather than try and hide your curves. Try halternecks or cupped styles, and anything that brings in the waist to play to an hourglass shape.
Pear shape / small bust
Use ruffles to your advantage by adding volume at the top half. Ruffles around the bust can make it seem visually larger. You can also use vintage cupped styles with padding to create curves.
Top heavy
Use ruffles to your advantage by conversely adding them to the bottom to balance your hips with your bust. Avoid unstructured crochets or string bikinis if they don’t offer any support; instead stick to strucutred styles and halternecks.
Short legs
To lengthen the body pair a printed bikini top with a block-coloured bottom, drawing the attention upwards. Avoid boy-legs and go for high cut thighs instead so as to not shorten the legs further.
Athletic figures
If you’re not big on the curves make the most of styles like statement strapping, backless styles and crochet that instead show off a toned physique.
Click on the pictures below for more examples of 2011 / 2012 swimwear and bikini trends; and if you’d like to read more about other fashion trends follow that link.
