A Bikini At Any Age

I'm afraid I am still in full on holiday mode as I don't go away until the end of the month so you won't be seeing many new season posts just yet I'm afraid, I can hardly get my head around it at the moment with the good weather we have been having, plus there is still some swimwear to be bought despite my husband treating me to the M&S cossie (annoyed swimwear has 30% off and I have not had an email to alert me of  discounts) from my "Swimwear Lightbulb Moment" post here. I had such a great response to that post, so thank you for all your comments, but I thought a recent press release that dropped in my inbox may well lead on from my previous ramblings. It appears that certain brands have seen sales of bikini's soar in the 50+ age bracket which did come as a surprise if I'm totally honest, especially as I was all set to stick with the one piece after banishing my bikini's to the bay of E!

If you fall into this age bracket (or near as damn it) I think we pretty much established that patterned swimwear can cover a multitude of sins and if you are still on the two piece trail then maybe a tankini would be the sensible option as you can still lift the top up to get a bit of sun on your tum once laying down, but whatever you do, leave the tie sided skimpy briefs to your daughters, there are lines that nobody over 45 should cross unless they have the amazonian physique of Elle McPherson and even then I look at her and think, yes you look great but you are over 50 now love! Sometimes it just looks like women are trying too hard, don't you think?

In light of the press release, I set off in search of bikini bounty and I was actually a bit disappointed that Marks don't really have any suitable tankini's or bigger briefed bikini's online, surely their bikini selection, as lovely as it is, ignores a lot of the brands buying demographic. Swimsuits are lovely this season but no two pieces for the more mature holiday maker. The one nice monochrome printed tankini online is now sold out. Shame on you M&S, such a large range but nothing with bigger bottoms!

I hopped on over to Simply Beach thinking a brand dedicated solely to swimwear might have more choice and luckily I was right.  I adore Seafolly swimwear and they have some lovely prints this season including the Bella Rose print in Chartreuse above. The panels down the front of the tankini and the deep bikini briefs will be quite slimming in my opinion as they will help to elongate the body. Always good in my 5ft 2 inch book!


You all know I am a sucker for a stripe and love the unusual style of this nautical trapeze tankini top which will certainly skim the tummy and look tres chic around the pool. Also perfect for younger readers who may be expecting. As with most Seafolly ranges, tops and bottoms come in a range of styles but I have shown the slightly deeper brief here and also think this would be a great range to mix and match if you already have a navy bikini. And whilst we are talking Seafolly, check out their collection of Kaftan's and cover-ups at Simply Beach. Simply Stunning. I want them all!


John Lewis was also a huge disappointment, again not really catering for the needs of their buying demographic or the more mature bikini buyer with the deep ruched bottoms sold out in all sizes except a 10! Useless! And they should also bear in mind that bigger bottoms have been a fashion item with much younger women buying into the 50's style bikini trend, my three daughters were buying them last year and this.

Brief was £35 now £17.50. Top Was £50 Now £25 Bikini Top Not Shown Was £50 Now £25.

Over to House of Fraser where I found this Moontide two piece which not only fits the brief for the over 50's (excuse the pun) but is perfect for lightweight packing as you get two looks for the price of one with it's reversible monochrome print. Also available in a red/navy reversible combination - perfect for hand baggage only travellers.


Red is going to be a really big colour for autumn/winter but why wait if you still have a holiday to go on this year? This red Moontide bikini will add a touch of glamour to your holiday wardrobe and the ruched bottoms will be sure to hide any tummy issues.

So in light of the press release, I wonder where these over 50's women are buying their bikini's as there isn't a great deal out there and with the sales still on, getting your correct size in both top and bottom can often be an issue.

What swimwear have you bought for your holiday this year?