Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Fashion Girl,

Dear Fashion Girl,

So what is exactly in for swimwear this year? I know bikinis and one pieces will always be in and all, but what print? What colors? I've got a two piece in my dresser drawer, it is fuchsia with hawaiian print. It has boy shorts because my thighs are curvier than the rest of my body. It also has a bra top, an underwire one. No halter or strings, just a clip in the back. No strings because they pull on my neck, and I am sensitive to pain.

Sincerely, Swim Dilemma

Dear Swim Dilemma,

It's definitely time to leave your fuchsia hawaiian print suit in your dresser drawer and go swimwear shopping for the summer! This season's swimsuit styles are so beautiful that any excuse to buy a new suit is a good one! Designers are experimenting with an array of colors, fabrics, and styles that haven't been seen in swimwear before.

Bright neon colors like fuchsia and day-glo yellow have been replaced by subdued earth tones and soft pastels. Unusual natural shades like avocado, charcoal, clove, plum, poppy, khaki, and eggplant are showing up this summer along with pastels in lavender, yellow-green, baby-blue, and pink. Designers are combining these shades in colorblock patterns, or simply mixing solid colored separate tops and bottoms.

The weathered, earthy look of batiks and screenprints is hot this season along with cascading blossom prints, watercolors, and abstract "painterly" patterns that hint at an Asian influence. Animal prints are still in this season, but done in unusual colors on plush velvets and suedes. This year's coolest swimwear inspirations--hennas, body art, and tattoos--are showing up in intricate embroidery details like tiny flowers, leaves, butterflies, insects, and Celtic designs. If you are into the athletic look, plenty of swimsuits sport piping stripes and popular logos.

This summer, four great silhouettes are dominating the beaches - the bandeau, the tankini, the square neck corset, and the unitard. The bandeau bikini top that was so popular in the 70's has been revamped for this season with support accents like gathers, underwires, padding, and adjustable hooks. The bandeau is perfect for you, since it eliminates the pain of straps pulling on your neck and shoulders. The added bandeau bonus is that you lose those tacky tanning "strap lines"! Many of this year's bathing suits could easily pass as elegant lingerie, making them all the more fun to wear in public! The camisole-inspired tankini is all the rage this season, with tank-top lengths varying; some to the waist, others all the way down to the hip. The romantic square neck corset top seems too pretty to get wet! The boned corset top is even showing up with plastic grommets and lacing up the back.

The unitard is this year's one-piece. The workout wear-inspired suit has hip hugger bottoms, like boy shorts with an attached top. Microshorts continue to be the best bikini bottom bet for curvy thighs. With added accents like hip belts, lacing, embroidery, and waist ties, boy shorts have definitely evolved to become more feminine!

You have lots of new styles and beautiful fabrics to choose from in swimwear this year. Have fun deciding which of these cool suits is for you! But most importantly, enjoy your summer!