BIKINI STYLES : Tankini

BIKINI STYLES : Tankini
(Continue)

The tankini has only recently entered the swimsuit fashion scene. It was designed to combine the modest coverage of a one-piece swimsuit with the convenience of a bikini (a woman need only remove the bottoms to use the bathroom). A tankini swimsuit generally consists of a tank-style, tight-fitting top that ends anywhere from just below the waist to the top of the hips. This top is paired with traditional bikini bottoms.

The tankini is still quite young and has not yet developed a compelling history. The tankini can, however, already claim a few renovations on its traditional style, including the ruched tankini and the camikini. A ruched tankini contains elastic sewn into the sides of the tankini top that allows for adjustable top length and greater waist definition. This particular innovation is a great boon for women with long torsos. The camikini is quite similar to the tankini in its design. However, the camikini generally pairs a more structured, camisole-type top with bikini bottoms to provide more support for women with large breasts.

While the tankini offered great hope to women at its birth into the fashion world--due to its additional concealing coverage--it is not the magic swimsuit bullet it was at first perceived to be. If worn in the wrong manner, the tankini can accentuate undesirable characteristics, just as any other swimsuit. The tankini works best for slim women with long torsos, as the tankini top can break up the torso and lend it a shorter appearance. The tankini can also be flattering on women with fuller figures. For these women, however, it is important to ensure that the bikini top and bottoms meet. A tankini top that is too tight or ends too high on the body can result in unattractive belly bulges. To find an attractive tankini fit that will flatter your body, try pairing a light-colored, ruched tankini top with darker bikini bottoms.

BIKINI STYLES : Bandini


The bandini is a style of bikini that pairs a bandeau-style top with traditional bikini bottoms. A bandeau top is generally a strapless, tube-type top that remains in place with the aid of a high percentage of spandex in the fabric. The bandini is somewhat common in swimwear fashion, although other styles of bikinis, like the string bikini and halter bikini, are far more popular. There are also several one-piece swimsuits that come with bandeau-style tops.

The history of the bandini is closely linked to the history of the bikini, itself. While the bikini was marketed in the United States as early as 1947, it would not become greatly popular until the mid-1950s. Even then, the bikini would not become widely socially and morally acceptable until the turbulent decade of the 1960s. The bandini, interestingly enough, was one of the first bikini styles to be generally accepted in the 1950s. Strapless, bandeau-style tops had emerged on one-piece swimsuits just five years before, but the shocking and exciting nature of the bandeau top accompanied the very first popular bikini styles in the 1950s. The somewhat questionable breast support of the bandini, relying only upon the tightness and stretch of the fabric, greatly enhanced the overall allure of the swimsuit. Since the beginning of bikini popularity in the United States, the bandini has maintained a strong foothold in the bikini market.

The bandini has an overall minimizing effect on the breasts that makes it wonderfully supportive and flattering on some women and quite unflattering on other women. The bandini is best for women with large breasts, of course, as it can provide valuable, minimizing coverage. However, women with small breasts should not wear bandinis, as the bandeau top will serve only to flatten the appearance of the breasts to a greater degree. Whenever wearing a bandini, be aware that the strapless nature of the swimsuit can result in a rather unfortunate loss of coverage. Needless to say, the bandini may not be the best swimsuit choice for beach sports or serious swimming.

BIKINI STYLES : Monokini

The monokini is one of the most shocking and scandalous swimsuits to have entered the swimsuit market. While the monokini has a very specific historical definition, the term is now used to indicate any topless swimsuit. When fashion designer Rudi Gernreich first introduced the monokini in 1964, the swimsuit consisted of bikini style bottoms with thin straps over the shoulders to hold the swimsuit in place. The swimsuit provided no additional coverage and left the breasts entirely bare. Today, fashion designers continue to vary on the style of the original monokini, producing topless swimsuits for more adventurous women to wear in private swimming pools or topless bathing venues.

The monokini has a rather interesting history. It emerged in an era of American history when the country was on the turning point between the placid, conservative 1950s and the turbulent, explosive 1960s. Into this climate, European designer Gernreich presented his new swimsuit design in June of 1964 to mixed review from fashion critics, government officials, and church dignitaries. Gernreich’s monokini consisted of a black knit suit that extended from the midriff to the upper thigh, employing two thin black straps to hold it in place over the shoulders.

The reaction to Gernreich’s bikini innovation was immediate. Fashion designers criticized the swimsuit, proclaiming that the sole use of bikini bottoms would foretell the eventual demise of the bikini style. Throughout the country, statesmen and church officials pronounced the swimsuit immoral and tasteless. Because the monokini was so obviously inappropriate for swimming or tanning, many people assumed it was meant to be more of a gag than a serious swimsuit design. However, despite the reaction of fashion critics and church officials, shoppers purchased the monokini in record numbers that summer. By the end of the season, Gernreich had sold 3000 swimsuits at $24 a pop (a tidy profit for such a miniscule amount of fabric). Still, despite the number of swimsuits purchased, very few monokinis were ever worn in public.

After the first summer season, Gernreich’s monokini fell quickly out of style in the United States. Still, his shocking experimentation with dermal exposure would herald a new era in swimsuit design. Designers would soon begin experimenting with strategic cutouts and mesh coverage to push the envelope farther on public exposure.

Because the monokini was designed as far more of a fashion statement than a flattering piece of swimwear, it is difficult to determine the most ideal body type for this type of swimsuit. While monokinis do still exist in the swimsuit market, they are not always easily accessible and most stores do not carry them.

The thong bikini is a swimsuit that consists of a typical bikini top (usually a string top) with thong bikini bottoms. The thong provides minimal coverage for the crotch but leaves the buttocks almost entirely bare, allowing only a thin strap of fabric between the butt cheeks. The thong bikini is currently a popular and extremely sexy style, and many women purchase a model of it each year.

The thong bikini began in the 1970s and was introduced to the American market by the maker of the monokini, Rudi Gernreich. The thong is supposed to have been inspired by the traditional garb of Amazonian tribes in Brazil. Like so many other swimsuit designs that have been inspired by the sexy style of Brazilian beaches, the thong quickly gained popularity after its introduction to the American market.

Having experienced only short-lived success with his topless monokini a decade earlier, Gernreich decided to experiment with a bottomless swimsuit style instead. Aptly recognizing the new American fascination with the upper thighs and buttocks, Gernreich sought to introduce a new swimsuit that would capitalize on this fascination. The original thong swimsuit was available in three models: a tank one-piece suit, a two-piece bikini, and a topless swimsuit with thong bottoms only. While the thong would prove to be popular at its introduction in the 1970s, its absolute minimalist style would actually result in a popular resurgence of the one-piece swimsuit throughout the 1980s.

The thong bikini is flattering and sexy on only a very small percentage of women. Because the bottoms offer very little fabric coverage, it is important to be toned in the butt and thighs before attempting to wear a thong bikini. While the thong bikini can be incredibly provocative and sexy on the right body, the majority of women will appear more attractive and toned in a swimsuit that offers a bit more coverage in the buttocks.

BIKINI STYLES : Halter Bikini

A halter bikini generally consists of any style of bikini bottoms (brief, string, boy shorts, etc.) paired with a halter-neck top. A halter neck implies a top that employs straps or strings that meet just at the nape of the neck (as opposed to straps that sit over the shoulder blades and join with the back support of a bikini top). The halter bikini is useful for a large number of swimsuit activities, as it provides a bit more coverage and is more likely to stay in place during extreme activity than other bikini styles. The halter bikini has been popular for several years among women of all ages. Still, it seems to have come into even greater popularity in the last couple of seasons.

The halter bikini became a fashionable bikini design just as the two-piece swimsuit was becoming a popular style of swimsuit in the United States. The halter neck had already been in style on one-piece swimsuits since the early 1940s; it was an easy transfer to popularity on the new bikini. However, the halter bikini was generally passed over for sexier, more revealing styles until volleyball star Gabrielle Reece showcased it in 1993. Due to Reece’s support of the style, the hugging, halter bikini became the latest rage in the sports bikini market. The halter bikini now comes in a wide variety of styles, including designs offering tie straps, extra breast coverage, minimal breast coverage, wide straps, and thin, string straps.

The halter bikini is a flattering style on a large number of women. The extra support it offers can be useful for both women with small breasts and women with large breasts. Such support also makes the halter bikini one of the best choices for beach sports. However, women with large breasts should note that the halter bikini will not have the same minimizing effect as the bandini.