It's scary but summer is around the corner and soon we'll see swimwear in shops. Here's what swimwear will be the best fit for you.

When a fashion week rolls into town, it's always a sudden reminder about what's around the corner, a whole new wave of trends that are just waiting to captive you and drain your credit card! It's slightly daunting however, watching next seasons swimwear come down the runway, when you're wrapped from head to toe against the cold. And worse when you know that underneath those layers there is some untanned, goose-pimply flesh that’s certainly not ready to see the light of day.

At Cape Town Fashion Week earlier this month, some of South Africa's premier swimwear designers, such as Dax Martin and LoveWaterLove, paraded their gorgeous tanned and toned models down the runway in some of the looks that we can expect to see on the beaches this summer. The collections included a lot of monochrome, animal and tribal prints, belted bikinis and the oh-so-daunting monokini.

But if the mere thought of swimwear makes your winter thighs quiver with apprehension, take courage, we've put together a few fail safe ways to ensure you buy the best swimwear for you this season:

  • If you want to look slimmer, go for a darker colour and stay away from prints.
  • This season we're seeing a lot of monochrome, white and nudes. But there's also colour, and for an effective way to distract attention from your least favourite bits, use a bold pop of colour to divert the eye.
  • To give your bustline a boost, choose a lightly padded halter top, or something with underwire. Also, go for texture like ruffles or smocking.
  • If you have a 'boyish' figure. Lucky you! The monokini is ideal to give the appearance of more waste and more curve. Especially if there is a darker colour in the crotch to the middle of the ribs and a lighter colour over the chest.
  • Look for brands that allow you to mix and match bikini tops and bottoms. The fabrics, styles and sizes might flatter your chest but not your butt and some bikini's have to be bought together.

    • So regardless of body shape or size, there is something out there for you. Just choose carefully, slap on some sun cream and head out into the sunshine...