SWIMWEAR trends, like every other part of fashion, come and go in waves.
And this year we seem to be revisiting the ’80s with super-high-cut bikini lines sure to leave you needing a Hollywood wax.
First made famous in that decade by supermodels such as Cindy Crawford, Elle Macpherson and Christy Turlington, wedgie- inducing swimwear is back.
And this time round, it’s not just for celebs and reality telly stars - the high street is pushing us mere mortals to tackle thin gussets, too.
Forget full briefs or bikini shorts, everywhere you look at the moment, from M&S to New Look and Primark, has hip-high cuts and bum-cheek-exposing cossies.
With Love Island back on our screens and the women scantily clad in swimwear every episode, we expected to see a resurgence of the V-cut gusset.
And last week Kim Kardashian, 44, unveiled her latest Skims collaboration with Italian brand Roberto Cavalli, featuring a super-high-cut animal-print one-piece.
Meanwhile, sister Kylie, 27, stepped out in a vintage Chanel swimsuit, with a sky-high cut, first worn by Claudia Schiffer in 1995.
Just a few weeks ago Miami Swim Week — the pinnacle of all swimsuit catwalks — saw a host of high V cuts, with TikTok sensation Alix Earle, 24, strutting down the runway in a barely-there bikini.
Model Iris Law, 24, recently wore a black high-cut swimsuit, and former Love Islanders Maura Higgins, 34 and Zara McDermott, 28, have been showing off their svelte figures in them, too.
Gusset gauge
Host of the reality show Maya Jama, 30, has also been spotted wearing a barely-there bikini while on holiday this year.
Of course, these women all looked phenomenal, but for the rest of us enjoying a break on the Costa Del Sol or taking a dip at the local swimming pool, it’s not an easy look to pull off.
Aside from the obvious extremely bare bikini line you need to have, there’s also the probability you’ll spend all your holiday sorting out your wedgie, or even worse a flash of some flesh you definitely don’t want strangers to see.
Yes, we expect to see these flimsy cuts at Gen Z fave brands like Nasty Gal and River Island.
But I was surprised to see M&S selling this type of bikini bottoms, as the brand is renowned for selling comfortable underwear, particularly big “granny”-style pants.
It seems there is no escaping it if our sensible shops are hopping on board.
You have to wonder why.
There is a huge appetite for ’80s nostalgia currently, across music and fashion, and there are parallels between the economies of back then and now — both decades are characterised by economic uncertainty and fluctuating inflation rates.
We know about the hemline index, but could the gusset gauge be a more accurate indicator of how consumers feel about the state of the economy?
Whatever the reasons, there are, of course, aesthetic benefits to high-cut swimsuits — they give the illusion of longer legs and a smaller waist.
But if you are going to wear it, you really do need to commit to the trend — booking in for that wax and giving yourself a body-confidence pep talk, because there really is nowhere to hide.
