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What is a Tankini?
A Tankini is a swimsuit which is made up of a tank top style upper and bikini bottoms or shorts. Tankinis are generally made from spandex and cotton or Lycra and nylon. Tankinis are available in a variety of colours and styles, some even have push up bra and are referred to as under wire tankinis, while others have integrated sports bras so that they are supportive and can be used by athletes.
History of the Tankini
Tankinis are the invention of Anne Cole, who is a leading US swimwear designer with her own label. This ingenious piece of swimwear was first designed by Cole as a young girl who felt that it allowed wearers to benefit from having the freedom granted by the bikini plus more modest coverage of a woman’s torso and abdominal area. The Tankini was first launched in the late 1990s and went on to become a massive success within the swimwear market.
Why wear a Tankini?
A Tankini offers great midriff coverage for those women who do not have washboard abs, whilst still maintaining a sense of femininity. Today tankinis are worn by athletes, children and many of the female population. There are some tankinis which have been specially adapted for women who have had a mastectomy or for women with a smaller bust.
Tankini Types
Like many other fashion garments the tankini has now spawned its own offspring or variants. There are two main variants of tankini’s which are camkini and baneaukini. A camkini is a tankini with spaghetti straps similar to the straps found on a camisole. A baneaukini is a strapless tankini with tube like top. Both still offer the distinctive bikini bottoms to complete the set.
Tankini Labels
There are not only different types of tankini but also different designer tankini’s, these include; Gucchi, Raulph Lauren, Donna Karen and Calvin Klein. Tankini’s and their counterparts have also made an appearance in the Victoria Secrets line and sports tankini’s have featured in Nike’s breast awareness campaigns.
Tankini for Life!
With the growing tankini trend and the different variations being introduced to the fashion market, a woman could in fact wear a tankini throughout her life and just vary the colour or style slightly. In today’s market there are;
Children’s tankini – these are often very bright and colourful, plus very practical for children of all ages.
Maternity tankini – these have been specially designed to have split in the middle of the top to allow more room as the baby develops.
Sports tankini – these are made with a supportive non under wired bra that tends to be found is sports bras to provide support for more active tankini wearers who require tankini swimwear, perfect for triathlon events.
© Tankinis.me.uk 2010
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