Bikini Trend - Spring 2012 Trends

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. 

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. 

 Bikini Trend: Spring 2012 Trends