Meet your VFB — Very Forgiving Bikini!

RigHT, swimwear. Deep breath. Time to root it out, if you haven’t already, try it on (always safer), and if you find yourself less than delighted by what you see in the mirror (join the club, it’s been a comfort-eating sort of year), then chin up.

There is a swimsuit or bikini out there that you will look forward to wearing — just pay attention to these tried and tested swimwear buying rules. Here goes…

Bikini or swimsuit?

a SwiMSuiT is what i feel happiest in, but if bikinis are what you always used to wear, then it’s nice to have a VFB (very forgiving bikini), just in case you want to tan your torso when there aren’t many people around.

i recommend ones with wrapdown bottoms and a top with thickish straps. Boden does amalfi fold-over bottoms and bikini tops to mix and match (both £35, boden.co.uk, far right), while Pain de Sucre has Tobago wrap-down bottoms (£51, paindesucre.com) and a Donia halterneck top (£77).

The wrap-down has the advantage of being adjustable, depending on how much tummy you want to show, and that extra fabric offers a bit of concealment.

Otherwise, your best bet are mid-rise bottoms, which guarantee decent coverage, but not so much that you’re into high-waisted territory (we’ll cover that in a minute).

i favour halterneck tops as they’re flattering, particularly with a thick understrap, and they give you an extra Hello Boys boost. apologies for omitting tankinis but i just don’t get the point. wear a swimsuit,

it’ll look cleaner and neater.

High waists & legs

HigH-waiSTeD bottoms look good in pictures, don’t they? elegant and ideal for the woman who doesn’t want to show too much flesh.

But don’t be fooled. You need to have a figure to carry them off. a waistband that finishes an inch or two below your tummy button is generally a lot more flattering.

as for high legs (and, of course, this applies to swimsuits too) hardly anyone suits a genuine high cut, and at this point the sweet spot to aim for is a gentle 10 o’clock angle rather than an 11.

Boypants can look good, too, if you have an athletic figure. Boden has amalfi bikini shorts (£28, boden.co.uk) and Piping swim shorts (£35), which are meant for bodyboarders, but they’re cute and look very Helena Christensen on hols with a rash vest (£45).

Quality vs quantity

wHen you’re 18 you want as many bikinis as you have knickers. now you only need one great costume, and a back-up, so spend as much as you can afford. going with a pricier brand ensures quality of fabric, which in turn gives you the best fit, keeps its shape, and lasts for decades.

Have a look at beachcafe. com for high-end brands such as Seafolly and Heidi Klein, or there’s French brand eres (eresparis.com) — costly, but you’ll have it for ever.

That said, these days i prefer Boden’s one-pieces (from £65, boden.co.uk) with the internal structuring that actually gives you a figure. what can i say? all roads lead back to Boden. it just happens to have nailed swimwear for all ages.

and if you like a bikini and you’re not a size 10, Tona is a new British brand catering for women who wear up to a 38g cup size and 20 brief size (tonathelabel.com).

Plain or not

Plain, pale swimsuits can be surprisingly revealing, right down to the contour of your tummy button. i like a swimsuit to have defined underwired cups, and draping or panels.

Seafolly does a ruched top with fold-over bottoms (£90, aspiga.com), or there’s Helen Jon’s gathered top and foldover hipster pants in a batik print (£165, aspiga.com).

But on a swimsuit, block colours are the midlife woman’s secret little helper. For this, head straight to Boden (again) and get yourself a Santorini (£65, boden.co.uk). The eyedeceiving colour blocks literally shave inches off your torso.

a quick word about colour. Try it! Mix up shocking pink with red and navy. if you go for plain black make sure it’s got glamour details that separate it from a school-team basic.

M&S does a ribbed tummycontrol swimsuit with a plunge V front (£17, marksandspencer. com) which looks a lot chicer than the one Catherine ZetaJones wore on her yacht the other day, though the legs may be cut fractionally too high for some. Take your pick.