Over the years, swimsuit styles have evolved tremendously. In Victorian times, women wore heavy wool swim dresses that almost covered their bodies completely. Nowadays, many swimsuit styles leave very little to the imagination.
If you are shopping for a new swimsuit this season, you certainly will be pleased by the different styles, shapes and fabrics available. Here is a brief guideline to the most common swimsuit styles. We hope this information will make your swimsuit shopping a little easier and fun.
One-piece Swimsuits
If you prefer a little more coverage, a one-piece suit is a terrific option. One-piece swimsuits come in various styles, all derived from the shape of a leotard.Maillot
Courtesy of PriceGrabber
In designer's terms, a maillot is your traditional one-piece swimming suit. It normally features a scoop neck and two tank straps. The straps vary in thickness from a couple inches wide to thin spaghetti traps.
Racerback Swimsuit
Courtesy of PriceGrabber
This is the type of suit that you see on Olympic swimmers. The racer style back allows full movement of your arms. This is the perfect style for any competitive swimmers.
Bandeau Swimsuit
Courtesy of PriceGrabber
Both one piece and two piece suits can be bandeau style. Bandeau is a strapless style which the fabric can is pleated and gathered in the middle. Oftentimes, bandeau swimsuits offer detachable straps that you can attach in different manners - spaghetti, halter or criss-cross style.
Monokini
Courtesy of PriceGrabber
When the monokini was originally created, it was a swimsuit that left the breasts completely exposed. It wasn't popular at all and evolved into a very revealing version of the one-piece suit. Basically the monokini is a one piece suit that the sides are nearly completely cut out, giving the appearance of a bikini that the top and bottom are connected with a thin strip of material.
Swim Dress
Courtesy of PriceGrabber
On the other end of the spectrum is the swim dress. This one-piece swimming suit has a built in skirt that provides extra coverage of your stomach, butt and upper thighs. It's a common swimsuit style that is normally available in plus-sizes and maternity wear.
Slingshot
Also called the sling bikini or the suspender bikini, this is another very revealing one-piece swim suit. The bottoms resemble bikini bottoms but they have straps that come straight upward and cover the nipple area. The sides of the suit are completely open. The straps come over the shoulders where they connect into one section which continues downward and becomes the thong bottom. You might associate this type of swimsuit with Borat or female body builders.Two-piece Swimsuits
For women who want to expose their mid-section, a tremendous variety of different two-piece swimsuits are available. The bikini is your classic two-piece swimsuit. You can choose bikinis with various shapes of tops and bottoms each providing different levels of coverage.Classic Bikini
Courtesy of PriceGrabber
A classic bikini top is shaped very similar to a traditional bra. It features two cups (which can have underwire support) and straps that go over the shoulders and connect to the band across the back. The classic bikini bottom offers complete coverage of the groin and buttocks. The legs are cut high. This swimsuit style is similar to a high-cut panty.
String Bikini
Courtesy of PriceGrabber
Your traditional string bikini features a two triangle shaped pieces of fabric that cover the breasts. The triangles are connected with three strings. One string runs through the bottom of each triangle with the ends tying in the back to create the band. The other two strings come out of the top of each triangle and tie at the back of the neck. On the string bikini bottom, the triangle front and triangle back are connected with a strip of fabric at the crotch. The bottom is tied at the hips with strings.
