Bikini, Tankini or All-In-One-Kini

My children have worn nothing but Indian cotton kaftans since we arrived in France. My husband has worn a colourful variety of Happy Socks with sandals daily and I’ve been head to toe in Breton stripes and Tallulah and Hope. Life is good.

So that’s the coverups sorted out. My husband’s Happy Socks don’t really count I know but  at least they keep him smiling and the locals entertained.

I’m still unsure about my bikini situation though. I’ve always been a little nervous of the bikini. You see, I like swimming, I like going up and down the pool, diving in, a bit of front crawl, maybe even some forward rolls if I’m feeling sprightly. Sadly bikini’s do not tend to weather well with all this activity. It results in rather too much unplanned exposure, if you know what I mean. What you really need is a proper swimsuit and I do happen to have one with me, my Adidas blue stripe with razor back, but it’s not really the thing to be worn by the pool. It doesn’t work well for either sunbathing activities or general poolside chic. What’s a girl to do.

I’ve tried all styles of bikini. The halter versions tend to expose from bottom up, especially during that first dive of the day and the bandeaus, well they just end up round your tummy when faced with even the slightest bit of action. There is the Tankini of course and I do like a Tankini, it’s a clever bit of bikini style design and perfect for the post childbirth tummy but I still don’t feel nearly as secure as in my faithful one piece.

So here’s what I’ve had to do. The Adidas comes out very early in the morning for my serious swim. When I can leap and splash to my hearts content and emerge breathless but decent. The bikini (which this year is a blue and white polka dot halter from Topshop) makes its appearance for the gentle breaststroke with head above the ripples, complete with the all important squeals as I lower myself in to the icy cold water and finished off with a graceful, modest exit via the steps.

All rather boring but essential bikini behaviour.