A few years ago the sight of women lounging beachside in a one-piece swimsuit would be a rarity. In our body-conscious world, it was all about showing off skin with a bikini to be sexy. While July marks the 70th anniversary of the bikini, this swimwear option might have run its course of symbolizing the liberation of women to the shift of women being able to wear whatever they want at the beach.
Of course, two-piece swimsuits have their advantages such as creating minimal tan lines and being easier to remove when wet. One-piece swimsuits were viewed as matronly, conservative and reflected some sort of insecurity in how you looked. These viewpoints are all about to change.
Now, the retro one-piece style is en vogue again, but with the modern twist of straps and cutouts as well as the usual one-piece shape that are dare I say, sexy too.
Image via Instagram of officialktr
“If you show up in a one-piece it’s definitely a statement, and it’s one of the most comfortable statements you could possibly make at the beach,” Connie Wang, style director of lifestyle website Refinery29 told CNN in 2014.
Over the last three years, we had the surge in popularity of high-waisted swimsuits that Taylor Swift and Katy Perry wore on a regular basis as a way for the body-conscious to ease into their string-bikinis. These swimsuits eventually promoting the revolution of the fatkini, or encouraging curvy woman to find the confidence to rock a skin-baring two piece, when before they were delegated to matronly and probably black swimsuits.
Now women of all shapes and sizes are choosing to try out this old swimwear staple. “Last time I wore a one-piece swimsuit I was a child but I see they are very trendy this summer and I would like to try out the style,” said Alex Pamias from Barcelona. “I think it’s a nice break form bikinis that seem to have dominated the swimsuit industry.
This summer, it seems that all major brands will stock at least a few options. With plunging necklines, embellished details, atypical fabrics or fun prints, one-piece swimsuits can feel very fashion forward.
The search interest for one-piece bathing suits more than doubled since July 2015 on Google. Magazines have created entire lookbooks dedicated to celebrities in the one-piece to use for inspiration and guides dedicated to finding the most flattering type for your bodyshape.
Screenshot from Google Trends about one-piece swimwear searches
Let’s consider some of the most famous one-piece swimsuit moments in history. These women oozed sex appeal in their swimwear choices, absolutely proving that one-pieces are not just for older women. Baywatch, with Pamela Anderson jogging down the beach in her iconic high-cut red suit or Farrah Fawcett’s posing to promote Charlie’s Angels in a clingy one-piece after feeling uncomfortable in a bikini, also red. We can’t forget Bo Derek emerging from the ocean in the 1979 film 10 in a nude maillot or the sex-icon of Sex and the City, Kim Cattrall lounging in a white number. Last summer, we had reality star Kylie Jenner posing in her mother’s high-cut swimsuit and over July 4th weekend, we saw the internet go crazy over Taylor Swift’s patriotic swimsuit, twinning with model friends Cara Delevingne and Gigi Hadid. Searches for the Solid & Striped Swimsuit had a 365 percent boost on shopping site, Lyst.
Taylor Swift and friends in matching swimsuits | Image via Instagram
With the one-piece trend in Spain heating up, more and more women are opting in for this alternative form of swimwear.
“I feel more confident in a one-piece,” said Katie McEvinney, a student from Glasgow, who purchased her first one-piece this February. “They are quite flattering and the one I have, has wired cups that pushes your boobs and helps shape your stomach.”
Others agreed. Lauren Wallace, a student from the United States, said, “By wearing a one piece, it makes you feel more confident by not feeling the pressure of having a perfect stomach and confidence is the best thing any woman can wear!
At El Corte Ingles, Spain’s main department store, a young woman about to purchase her first one-piece spoke about how she felt it was the style of the season and wanted to try it. For every bikini style, it seemed that the mega-store carried a coordinating one-piece option.
Saleslady Patricia at El Corte Ingles said Enfasis was a popular swimwear line for young woman wanting to try the one-piece trend, pointing out options with animal prints and cutouts as her favorite. Spanish fashion magazine Telva showcased a model in a black swimsuit on its July cover.
July 2016 Telva cover with Kate Bock trumpeting the return of the one-piece swimsuit
This summer, put away your itsy, bitsy tiny-weenie yellow polka dot bikini and invest in a one-piece swimsuit that makes you feel glamorous, sexy, and comfortable all at the same time.