The new summer swimwear season is shaping up to be an exciting and vibrant one, with just enough quirks and offbeat designs to satisfy those who are looking to make a bold statement on the beach.
Women
Broadly, we can see that there are six upcoming swimwear trends for Summer 2013, along with a few nuances that will be detailed later in this piece.
Colourful
The standout style looks to be one that is based on vibrant tropical colours (with lots of orange-, yellow- and coral-based patterns) with eye-catching prints to add texture and stylistic flair.
Wild Touch
For the inner tiger inside you, we’re already seeing a trend for 2013’s hot and sexy leopard prints, with a mixture of styles: leopard patterns on a one-piece (Nicolita), a textured bikini (Cia Maritima), or a bikini-style one-piece that looks like a scruffy, stylish monokini (Aguaclara).
Bandeau Bikinis
Strapless bandeau bikinis are looking to make another appearance on the summer swimwear circuit, following their successful run last year. These designs are especially well-fitted to those with smaller bust sizes, and offer an array of slim, simple designs with stylish colourings.
High-waisted Bikinis
Ideal for those ladies with sexy curves, these high-waisted designs will highlight curvy shapes, drawing subtle attention to wider hips and waistlines, while covering the wobblier, more worrisome areas for those with body confidence issues (in particular the Gottex and Wildfox Swim designs).
Criss-Cross and Ruffles
Criss-cross straps and ruffled texture can add a sense of fun and excitement to your summer swimwear collection. You can find some very interesting bikini designs for the new season, blending tropical, almost Amazonian stylings with more pragmatic fasteners and fitting.
General trends
The classic string bikini style is very much alive and well, although we are seeing an insurgence of new one-piece designs, with asymmetric neck lines and geometric cut-outs on the bodice. We are seeing more that swimsuits are decorated with jewellery – accessorised with ornamentation for aesthetic pleasure, while also complementing the fit and cut of the swimsuit in question.
Spotlight: Melissa Odabash
Obadash’s designs are inspired by Italian fashion – ‘for styles that are about simplicity and high quality fabrics with a timeless elegance’. Her 2013 collection comprises swimsuits, bikinis, beachwear, kaftans and eveningwear, which early reviewers have praised for its maintenance of Obadash elegance and simplicity.
As with the trends discussed above, animal and ethnic prints dominate, while embellishments and detailing bring a sense of beauty to the swimwear. Separately, there are also beautifuly-cut simple two-pieces to choose from, in many different colours, while her one-pieces feature aforementioned cut-out designs, with classic plunging and bandeu necklines.
Men
Men’s swimwear trends seems to be taking on a stylistic redesigning for the new summer collection. Gone are the longer trunks that we used to see, in purely masculine colours (blue, red, black) – instead we’re seeing shorter, more fitted trunks that don’t go beyond the mid-thigh. Colours and patterns, too, are becoming more flamboyant, complementing the overarching trend in the women’s 2013 fashion collections.
This article waqs brought to you by Beach Cafe – one of the UK’s leading swimwear boutiques
Feature image: Victoria’s Secret
