A retro revival, a craving for vintage or just great style sense, whatever the reason there is no doubt the Swimdress is well and truly back!
The swimdress conjures images of Hollywood beauties Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, all with legs 'up to here' and immaculately pedicured feet. But as they say, everything old is new again, and the swimdress is an absolute delight in terms of cut, style and its cleverness in covering bits and pieces we're not so sure about any more. It's a great place to start if you haven't worn a cossie in years and for restoring beach confidence.
There are different cuts for a range of body shapes. You can also select from varied necklines, backlines, strap styles and swim skirt lengths, underwires, up to a G cup; whatever you feel looks best on your shape and whatever level of modesty makes you feel comfortable.
As one piece swimwear goes, the swimdress takes swimsuits to a new level. For the most part it looks like a regular one piece but its most endearing feature is its skirt which can be flouncy and flirty, bell-shaped, ruffled or slightly plainer. The skirt can be longer or shorter and some designers offer the one swimdress style with a choice of variations.
Women love the fact that the swimdress comes in larger sizes too. For some, it helps to hide their least favourite features and highlight what they love. A ruffle-detailed neckline accentuates a beautiful bustline whilst the skirt can help to hide a flabby bottom. The longer line of the swimdress helps to add length to the torso and gorgeous patterned fabrics divert attention away from the silhouette of a not-so-hourglass figure and toward the prettier features.
Contrary to popular opinion, the swimdress's emphasis is not entirely on hiding flaws, but on accentuating the parts you'd like to flaunt. And to be frank, the swimdress is finding favour not just with curvaceous women who look for plus size swimwear. It's fast becoming popular in the smaller sizes too; perhaps they're used to wearing bikini swimwear, but sometimes feel the need for a bit more coverage. Don't we all have days when we feel like we'd like to cover up our tummy?
The fact is, the swimdress is a charmer. Women of all sizes, body shapes, ages and vintages love it and we're particularly glad it's making a return visit. You can still have your regular one piece or your skimpy bikini swimwear, but most women will have a day at the beach or poolside when they'll be thrilled that they bought a swimdress.
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Written By: Anita McLachlan, founder of Sequins and Sand. Connect with Sequins and Sand on Google+.
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