Any girl packing for the Love Island villa knows it’s those teeny, tiny bikinis that she has to get absolutely right.
Because it’s those scraps of material, that often only just about protect your modesty, which become your daytime uniform. And if you put one on and later decide it’s not working for you, too bad — for the sake of continuity you won’t be allowed to change.
I know this only too well. One day during my stint in the 2019 series I realised too late, because I’d already appeared in several shots, that my bikini was showing far more side boob than I wanted.
As Love Island has shown us, over the past few years there’s been a revolution in bikinis. (Maura Higgins in a pink buckle bikini, £10, Missguided)
Slippage, tan lines and someone else having the same bikini — and worse still, getting into it first — are more your day-to-day concerns. (Dani Dyer in a pink tassel bikini, £18.99, Bamboa)
Megan Barton-Hanson’s diamante bikini top, £32, bottoms, £22, Lipsy. From series four of the programme
Forget your boring old bra-like two piece — now there’s a dizzying array of styles, from the underboob, halter necks and sleeved bikinis to ones with chains, buckles, diamante and tassels — not to mention every which way of strap imaginable. (Pictured, Amy Hart)
I took a few dozen bikinis in with me. While this may sound like a lot, my five-and-half-week stay in the villa meant it was nowhere near enough. (Amy Hart in a leopardprint bikini, £10.99, Shein)
Other girls took in three times as many — Lucie Donlan had about 80. So I’m not surprised to hear that this year Liberty Poole took in around £2,000 worth of bikinis with her. (Amber Gill’s purple strappy bikini, £40, Oh Polly)
I asked the producers to let me swap but met with a wall of ‘No ways’ because of the editing nightmare that would create. I had no choice but to tape myself into it, move about as little as possible, and soldier on.
I didn’t make that mistake again.
As Love Island has shown us, over the past few years there’s been a revolution in bikinis. Forget your boring old bra-like two piece — now there’s a dizzying array of styles, from the underboob, halter necks and sleeved bikinis to ones with chains, buckles, diamante and tassels — not to mention every which way of strap imaginable.
Everyone who goes on Love Island knows they’ll be wearing a bikini every day, so you have to be comfortable enough with your body not to overthink what your tummy looks like every time you sit down.
Slippage, tan lines and someone else having the same bikini — and worse still, getting into it first — are more your day-to-day concerns. Duplications are common. In my year the show’s sponsors — fashion brand I Saw It First — gave each of us a £1,000 gift card to spend on their website, and inevitably we were drawn to some of the same items. They’re this year’s sponsors, too, so I expect they’ve been similarly generous, but with the same pitfalls.
But who cares, if you know you look good? And if a girl can’t get away with something that daring on Love Island, then where can she? (Kaz Kamwi’s pink bikini top, £40, bottoms £37, bahimi. com)
Admittedly, the extreme looks this year will make for some interesting tan lines. But I expect they’ll do as we always did and mix things up. (Molly Smith’s ruby bikini, £42, atlantisswimwear. co.uk)
My two favourite bikinis this season have been the pink marbled one with gold hoops, worn by Sharon Gaffka, and Rachel Finni’s adventurous green number. (Pictured, Amber Davies wears a green multi-strap swimming costume)
You might imagine there would be bikini summits in the dressing room each morning where everyone discusses what they plan to wear to avoid duplicates or colour clashes. Not at all. It’s every woman for herself — whoever’s up first gets first choice, with no prisoners taken!
I took a few dozen bikinis in with me. While this may sound like a lot, my five-and-half-week stay in the villa meant it was nowhere near enough, and I had to repeat bikinis several times. Other girls took in three times as many — Lucie Donlan had about 80. So I’m not surprised to hear that this year Liberty Poole took in around £2,000 worth of bikinis with her.
One of my favourites was a black and gold Versace-lookalike. But it let me down on the slippage front as I danced a bit too enthusiastically. My two favourite bikinis this season have been the pink marbled one with gold hoops, worn by Sharon Gaffka, and Rachel Finni’s adventurous green number.
In my year the show’s sponsors — fashion brand I Saw It First — gave each of us a £1,000 gift card to spend on their website, and inevitably we were drawn to some of the same items. (Pictured, Faye Winters in a pink strappy bikini, I Saw It First)
You might imagine there would be bikini summits in the dressing room each morning where everyone discusses what they plan to wear. (Pictured, Liberty Poole’s longsleeved bikini, £25, I Saw It First)
One day during my stint in the 2019 series I realised too late, because I’d already appeared in several shots, that my bikini was showing far more side boob than I wanted. (Belle Hassan wears a pink and yellow cutaway swimming costume)
Faye (with Brad McClelland) in a blue underboob bikini top, £12, Pretty Little Thing
Liberty wears Dazzle tassel Brazilian bikini top, £25, and bottoms, £25, modaminx.com. Right, Rachel Finni’s underboob bikini, £10.99, Shein
Both show more underboob than even I dared to reveal on the show — and I was no stranger to that look. I still take the I Saw It First strappy blue bikini on holiday. I feel as good in it now as I did then.
That said, those extreme versions don’t look particularly comfortable. I should think the underwiring probably pinches — and that gorgeous sparkly blue cross front bikini Faye Winter wore on her first day must have scratched like hell.
But who cares, if you know you look good? And if a girl can’t get away with something that daring on Love Island, then where can she?
Admittedly, the extreme looks this year will make for some interesting tan lines. But I expect they’ll do as we always did and mix things up — a halter neck one day, a strapless one the next, so every bit of you gets to see the sun. Where there’s a will, there’s always a way.