The Closet Thinker: bathing beauties

Thus it is with more than a little reluctance that I am venturing back into the swimwear marketplace; although there appears to have been a marked improvement, not least with the possibilities of internet shopping. Gone are the days of forced contemplation of one's drooping flesh and pallid skin reflected in unkind mirrors (mine always looked curiously jaundiced); bikinis definitely look better on the computer screen. I've been browsing through clickini.com - apparently the website of choice for Vogue staff - which features modish swimwear by Chloé, Norma Kamali, Jil Sander and Tomas Maier, among others. They're hellishly expensive, of course (£173 for an emerald-green and teal-blue bikini with a cleverly skirted bottom, by Bronzette, a French label admired by Sofia Coppola); but undeniably chic.
Rather more affordable pieces are available at Boden and Toast, both reliable online sources for swimwear that manages to combine demure modesty with just enough sex appeal. I particularly like the latter's polka-dot bathing suits inspired by the 1950s - halter-neck plus lowish-cut legs - and the former's bikini shorts that can be mixed or matched with stripy tankini tops.

One more suggestion, courtesy of a frontline Riviera dispatch from the editor of this magazine, who recommends the skirted bikini (otherwise known as a 'skort') from Chucs Dive & Mountain Shop: 'What is so brilliant about it is that if you have curves it flatters them and if you don't have curves it gives the illusion of you having them. Plus it's high-cut to just below the navel, which makes you feel as safe, tummy-wise, as a one-piece. Those 1930s film stars knew what they were doing in terms of poolside glamour. Even at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc - ground zero for South of France chic - it more than holds its own, looking somehow much more "now" than skimpier alternatives. Plus there is the added bonus that I - unlike the other bikini wearers - can ENJOY lunch!'

Posted in: Bikini,Swimsuit