Misstropolis

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Bikini Season

by Alisa Neely

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The itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini – it inspires panic in all of us. Thank goodness designers are finally realizing that not everyone who’d like to visit the beach is 16 years old. This year I’ve found more options for more body types than ever. Next sunny day you’ll be dying to pull your sarong off.

Whether you want to enhance the top, minimize the bottom or just cover up the whole mess while still looking cute and beachy, it’s all possible without drowning in tears in the dressing room. (Accessories are helpful too: cover-ups, hats and bags take some of the focus off the teeny weeny.)

Vix Swimwear lets you channel your inner goddess in the white Sandra suit (clearly a one piece for those comfortable in a bikini) or make like Sienna Miller in the superhot Torey Black

Melissa Odabash has been suiting Hollywood up for trips to the tropics for years. The British designer is world famous for her curve enhancing styles. Her bikinis make anyone look sexy - check out the “celebrity” slideshow on her site if you don’t believe me… And to top it off she even has bikinis for kids.

Who knew that Diane Von Furtsenberg made swimwear? Shopbop did! And they also have fab suits by Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors and Alice and Olivia. 

If you don’t like what you see already put together, the JCrew build your bikini system let’s you customize your ‘kini to meet your particular body image dilema. Enhance the top, minimize the bottom or vice versa, it’s all up to you.

You may be growing tired of the Bollywood look metastasizing poolside. For something practical and flattering, try a thin cardigan like this one.

For additional bikini rich sites try:
Kate (this sexy So De Mel is great)
Swimwear Boutique (endless options including plus and junior sizes)

I have an Italian friend who spends every summer in Sardinia where absolutely everyone wears a bikini. She says the philosophy on the island is “the bigger the bottom the smaller the suit,” so that no one notices how much fabric it would take if you did cover it all up. I don’t know how far I’d take that reasoning on the coast of Maine or at the beachclub of a family friend, but she does have a point. So, look for a happy medium.

The best kept secret is self confidence. If you believe that you have every right to be in that bikini and wear it proudly, then no one else will doubt it either. Strut your stuff and revel in all the options out there for days at the beach. Just remember your sunscreen, and a great book.