CELEBRATING THE 1980S THROUGH YOUR CHOICE OF SWIM AND POOL WEAR

by Jane Duncan, freelance writer

January 15 2021

The polar vortex is predicted to unleash chilly Arctic air in the U.S. and Europe this month, so if you have a fireplace, get it burning, don your cosiest sweater, and start planning your next summer holiday. The promise of new health solutions mean that travel will hopefully be possible once again to a far greater extent than in 2020 by the end of 2021, and that means that a lucky few may be able to make a great escape to paradisiacal settings like Maui, Queensland, and the Maldives.
Fashion is an important part of capturing the very best of your holiday through Instagram and other image-based apps, so make sure your swimwear is up to scratch. If you are an 1980s babe through and through, find inspiration in the following trends from your favourite era.

Sexy Wraps Over Swimwear

If you want to show off your sartorial flair in a whitesand Australian island or a dream luxury destination like the Great Barrier Reef, you can add a touch of style to your beach or poolside look by donning a sexy 1980s-style wrap dress over your swimsuit. Doing so will be perfect if you are staying at a luxury resort, where restaurant service can be enjoyed on an elegant Balinese bed on the beach, or on a luxurious sun lounger.
Wrap dresses were actually dreamed up by the iconic Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s, but they reached their pinnacle in the 1980s, when everyone from Linda Evans to Jane Seymour donned wrap dresses for elegant evening affairs as well as summery daytime soirees. Style your wrap dress with a high-cut one piece or Bond-style bikini, and feel free to wear your wrap top half-open when you’re catching the rays.

Bright, Bold Colour

One of the biggest trends of the 80s involved the use of bold, fluorescent and monochrome looks, as displayed dynamically by icons like Will Smith, Cyndi Lauper, and Boy George. Forget neutral and metallic looks, and go for fluorescent green one-piece swimsuits and bikinis, blending monochrome looks with one simple hue: black. If you opt for bikinis, remember that Brazilian and string bikinis were not so prevalent in the 80s. Bikini bottoms often reached to just below the belly button and revealed a little less of the derriere. High-cut bikinis were definitely big in this decade, though once again, G-strings and other more revealing cuts were yet to make their presence felt.

Girl on beach wearing a 1980s One Piece Geometric Swimsuit1980s Pattern Swimsuit

 

Bright and Geometric Prints

Swimwear was bright and busy during key periods of the 1980s, with fashionable femmes and gents embracing swimwear graced with bold patterns and geometric shapes in a blend of bright hues, including orange, yellow, green, blue and fuchsia. These suits bore cut-out, sometimes incomplete shapes such as circles, triangles, squares and rectangles, joined together by dotted patterns or loud base colours like fluorescent yellow. Equally popular were polka dotted, Argyle-print, and black-and-white chequered swimsuits, the latter being particularly symbolic of the new wave of music that played loudly at every teen pool party.

If you are getting tired of the cold, start planning for better, warmer days. Show your love for the 1980s by buying a few pieces in bright, geometric material. To take it down a notch, cover your suit in a gorgeous wrap dress or skirt, which can be dressed up or down depending on how you style your outfit.