The trends in swimsuits this spring and summer mirror the trends in clothing:
- Animal prints. They started last year with silk blouses, continued in wool sweaters and even stamped leather shoes, and now they're filling the swimsuit racks, too. Something about animal prints looks sexy in a swimsuit, especially when the suit is cut high on the leg - which is a trend that has gone about as far as it can go. Some suits are cut so high in the legs that they've reached the waist.- Neon colors. Probably the most obvious trend you'll see in swimsuit departments of stores and in smaller surf shops are neon colors - the brighter, the better. The stores have racks and racks of neon pinks and greens and oranges so bright they hurt the eye on a sunny day - but they look great on sunwashed skin.
- Metallics. Gold breastplates on a bikini, mirror appliques on a maillot, even gold coins hanging from chains. They'd look right at home in the Roman Empire.
- Sarongs. The pareo has been the coverup of choice for most women who have been fortunate enough to visit a tropical island. One big length of fabric that is wrapped around the waist, it makes a perfect skirt with a bikini top.
And this year, swimsuits are in on the look, too. Swimsuit designer Anne Cole created a black and white bikini, then attached a minisarong in Indian patterns, secured with a tie and beads.
Luckily, the pouf look in fashion fizzled before it was translated to swimwear.