Pool-side Candy

If you're one of those who eschews colour in favour of good old black and beige, it's time to rethink you're fashionable colour choices for the summer season. Pastels and sugar sweet prints are hot right now and this really is a no-brainer for the colour-impaired. So if you're about to go on holiday and need a new bikini, go for bright colours.

Celebrities like Anna Kournikova, Nicole Richie and Lady Victoria Hervey have already in spotted in an array of yummy colours and prints. And what they can do, we can do to. Simply visit any given number of delicious shops to find the perfect bikini. A personal favourite is Austique on the King's Road. They have a small but wonderful selection of brilliant bikinis and swimsuits that will make you mouth water. Pretty triangle bikinis with tropical or graphic prints in the most luscious of colours will make you feel like a million dollars. Try the Zimmerman Swirl Frill Bikini or the Diamond Triangle Bikini for a more structured look.

Hilary Alexander recommends a visit to Pistol Panties, a shop in London's Westbourne Park Road. The British brand is popular with beauties like Sarah Jessica Parker, Elle Macpherson, Rachel Stevens and Jade Jagger. Alexander suggests a candy-stripe, triangle bikini top with hipster bottoms in either lilac/orange or pink/liquorice. Also on her list is Mambo, a brand that is especially popular with surfer chicks.

If all these eensy, weensy bikinis are making you feel jittery, because you haven't seen the inside of a gym since last year, do not fret. The tankini will come to the rescue. It's really a bikini bottom with a tank top in the same fabric and it's ideal for sunbathing. If you want a brown stomach, simply roll up the top to bare your midriff. Then, when the need for refreshments sends you scuttling to the beach bar, you can lower it again to help you feel less exposed. A good place for tankinis is Monsoon, where they do a great rainbow-stripe version and they won't break the bank.