Midlife women are driving a boom in sales of the two-piece, and with good reason. Photos / Instagram
Midlife women are driving a boom in sales of the two-piece, and with good reason. Photos / Instagram
If you are among those who no longer have school age children and are jetting off for a late summer holiday next month, lucky you. And perhaps you’ve ploughed some of that saving on flights and accommodation into a chic new bikini.
Yes, bikini, you read that correctly. You may have grown-up offspring, but that’s no longer an excuse not to wear a two-piece if you want to. Choose to, and you won’t be alone. Bikini sales are up this summer, and it’s a shift that has been driven by women over 50.
According to new data from online clothing retailer Freemans, bikinis accounted for 82 per cent of swimwear sales this summer, significantly outselling the traditional one-piece. The retailer is crediting the 45-plus demographic for the boom.
It’s not just at Freemans either. Luxury resort wear label On the Island saw a 40 per cent increase in bikini sales compared with last season, with approximately 20 per cent of those customers over 50. Cossie+Co, whose elegant colour-blocked bikinis have a cult following, says more than 45 per cent of its customers are over 50.
On Instagram, we’ve seen Mariella Frostrup, 60, has documented megayacht sightings from her Greek holiday in a yellow bikini; while television presenter Saira Khan has an array of different cuts and styles.
Fashion designer Marielle Wyse, 59, and 111Skin co-founder Eva Alexandridis (in her 40s) have joined the midlife bikini brigade, too. This is less about gratuitous celebrity showboating, and more a question of projecting relaxed confidence.
Mariella Frostrup captioned the photo: "Woman over fifty in bikini shocker!" Photo / Instagram
At the Greek resort where I’ve just spent the past week, the majority of women (from 30-somethings nursing newborns to 70-somethings herding grandchildren) were in bikinis. So was I at 41, and so was my mother, 72.
Sure, continental Europeans tend to have a more laid back approach to body image. But the Brits around the pool were representative of a broader change in the way older British women feel about their appearance. In fact, many have never looked or felt better.
“I have a lot of friends around my age who have converted back to wearing bikinis,” says On the Island founder Sue Whiteley, who is in her early 60s. “We’re doing Pilates regularly, eating well and generally looking after ourselves. With many women over 50 there is also the means [for them] to invest in their swimwear which is worth it for the positive impact it can have on how [they] feel in it.”
Fitness coach Caroline Idiens, 51, agrees: “It’s funny – this summer in Portugal my parents said they remembered when I was in my 20s I would be grabbing my sarong the second I was out of the pool and would never walk around in a bikini; but weirdly post-50, I just don’t care as much and am more confident in a bikini.”
What we might once have deemed “imperfections” are now worn with pride: “‘In my 20s and 30s I was always finding excuses not to love my body, but now in later life, I’m a mum of two and I’m much more comfortable wearing a bikini,” says Alexandridis. “I’ve also had some surgery and have a scar which is visible above my bikini line but I actually wear my bikini with pride.”
This feels like the last bastion of ageism slipping away. We’ve all heard about how we should embrace our laughter lines and wrinkles as we age, but the conversation has yet to touch upon the older body more broadly. Traditionally, it’s been assumed that the 50-plus woman will want to cover up on the beach (usually by those outside this demographic). Now, whether she wants a one-piece, a two-piece or a UV-resistant rash vest, fashion has something to offer her.
Of course, not all bikinis are made equal, and every woman I spoke to emphasised that a good cut is essential to their confidence. Wyse had expected her customers (largely within the 40-60 age bracket) to be wary of bikinis until she started selling them via her eponymous brand: “And we then found that there was more demand for bikinis than there was for the one-piece, which indicates to me that if they’re well constructed, something that enhances you and makes you feel supported, then bikinis are fine.”
“Forgiving fabrics are key,” says fashion editor and ceramicist Deborah Brett, 50. “I’m a huge fan of the British brand Prism Squared. They use a 3D knitted fabric that means one size fits all, and the shapes are simple and flattering.” Hunza G, Youswim and Cossie+Co also use excellent fabrics.
Less is more, adds personal stylist Fiona Rubie, who rates Melissa Odabash. “If you are a C or even a D cup, a classic triangle string bikini is the ultimate,” she says. “Weirdly the less flesh covered, the more flattering it can be. The space between the bikini bottoms and top of the bikini is key – the more space there is, the greater the elongating effect on the body. I don’t think high waisted or vintage styles are flattering on anyone and can look a bit frumpy.”
For many women, a one-piece isn’t even a consideration, and Wyse is one of them. “I just feel a bit fuddy duddy [in a one-piece] and I’m just happier in a bikini. I think it’s more fun and feminine for me,” she says. “I’m in France now, and I still see women in their mid-70s and 80s in bikinis there.”
Perhaps more of us should get on board with that attitude. Ageing is a privilege, and so is good health. The bikini is just one way to celebrate it.
