Women's Swimming Suits: Five Popular Bikini Styles

Swimming suits for women are generally classified into two types - the one-piece (or tank suit) and the two-piece (or bikini). The two differ in their range of body coverage, with the latter known to have been fashioned in a way that it exposes as much of the body as possible.

Bikinis are the favorites of many women when sun bathing or swimming for recreation. As it is called a two-piece swimsuit, a regular bikini has two parts. The upper part (called bikini top) covers the breasts, while the lower part (called bikini bottom) covers the groin and buttocks.

Bikinis come in various styles. Some of the most popular ones are the microkini, string bikini, tankini, monokini, and sling bikini. The last two, although bikini variants, are technically not two-piece swimsuits.

Microkini:

This bikini style is popular for its extremely scanty design, with only enough fabric used to cover the genitals. The straps in some microkinis are for keeping the swimsuit in place and nothing more. The strapless variant, on the other hand, uses adhesive to keep it attached to the body. Wearers of microkinis are said to be literally only an inch or two away from total nudity.

String bikini:

This is perhaps the most popular of all the many bikini styles. It is skimpier and therefore more revealing when compared with the traditional two-piece swimsuit. The characteristic string design has given this swimsuit its name. The top is kept in place by the attached pieces of string, which are either tied or continuous. The bottom is made up of two pieces of fabric, each in the form of a triangle. These are linked to each other at the groin. A string, which wraps around the waist, connects the two pieces at the sides.

Tankini:

This swimsuit is a combination of the tank top (a one-piece swimsuit with shoulder straps) and the bottom of a regular bikini, hence its name. The top covers much of the body part that is otherwise exposed in a regular two-piece swimsuit. Some women prefer using the tankini for two reasons. The first is that it gives the same degree of modesty provided in a one-piece swimsuit; and the second is that there is no need to take off all of the garments, as one would do with a one-piece suit, when using the toilet.

Monokini:

By its name alone, it's easy to conclude that this is not a two-piece swimsuit. And it really isn't; it consists only of a bikini bottom, and its wearer goes swimming or sun bathing topless. A monokini is also sometimes called a unikini.

Sling bikini:

This may be likened to the lower half portion of a string bikini. However, its side straps, instead of wrapping around the waist, stretch upwards to shield the breasts. The straps then go over the shoulders, link behind the neck, and extend down the back to the buttocks. A picture of a woman wearing a sling bikini will show the entire sides of her torso exposed.

Several other bikini styles have evolved from the styles mentioned above. These include the minimini, teardrop, and thong.