Sighs of relief as bikinis put on the back burner

Twenga, the online shopping platform with the biggest choice online, has recorded increases in beachwear pointing to the trends that women will be sporting this summer. The good news is that the most popular styles are also the most wearable.

Visits to skirted swimwear have increased by 214% in the space of a week, indicating that relaxed styles like maxi-dresses and wide-leg trousers will also remain popular. Check patterns are proving more popular than polka dots so far, with preferred colours being turquoise, white then navy.

A 115% increase in beach cover-ups confirms the trend. These are sometimes decorated with sequins or beads, but most commonly in bright, block colours. Red, white then green are the most popular this season.

Even the bikini is losing ground against the monokini, which has seen a 50% increase in visits. White is the most popular colour, followed by darker models, with animal prints such as leopard and zebra almost as in demand as block versions among consumers.

*Visits for the period 30/04/11 – 06/05/11, compared with 23/04/11 – 29/04/11