There are some evolutions though. This season fabrics are sheer, revealing glimpses of the sexy goddess body, and the length is generally long and floaty with trains seen at Christian Dior and Marchesa. John Galliano’s avant-garde reinterpretation is striking in its elegant use of ornamentation, something seen with Malandrino as well. Elegant drapery and nipped in waists truly give the impression of cloud-skimming ability, whilst keeping the look fresh and modern. I particularly love the use of colour in the dresses I’ve chosen; the use of monotone neutral pastels as well as bold whites and surprising orange at Halston.

I love how Mischa Barton pulls the trend off in a Matthew Williamson creation. This is so effective due to its grace as well as fun feel – with its free flowing maxi length and flower pattern it has an almost hippy like feel, complete with arm bracelets worn high up like cuffs. Indeed, to pull this trend off simple accessories are key; sparse jewellery and flat shoes with a maxi length, or classic heels with a mini-dress.

Becky Cope is a new writer for our blog. We strongly recommend you to check out her blog as well.

The shoelaces are not printed, they're actual shoelaces (!) For more cool black-white t-shirt designs, check out Shikisai.com.

We believe that there will be four major trends in swimwear fashion this year. First and foremost, we'll get to see plenty of the one-shoulder-bikini phenomenon that we've seen on dresses and so on. Secondly, one-piece bathing suits are back. Third, the cut-away bikinis are gonna be seen a lot. Last, but not least, dressing up your bikinis is the right thing to do in 2009.

Trend One: One-Shoulder Bikinis

We saw it last year with Victoria Secret's superseller (picture below), one-shoulder bikinis really can take your breath away. This year we'll see a lot more of it. And more one-shoulder swimsuits, like this bronze colored one from Jantzen.

Trend Two: One-piece Bathing Suits

One-piece bathing suits are always a good choice, especially this summer. Both bathing suits below are from Victoria's Secret.

Trend Three: Cut Away Swimwear

We saw it last year, and we'll see it again this summer. Cutaway swimsuit are hot. The monokinis pictured below are from (top to bottom) Vitamin A, Sauvage and Victoria's Secret. Cut away clothings like these monokinis are probably the sexiest thing you can wear on the beach this summer, that is if you don't find them to vulgar.

Trend Four: Dressing Up Your Bikini

If cut away bikinis are the most vulgar thing you can wear this year, dressing up your bikini is the least vulgar thing to do. The pictures below are from Victoria's Secret, showing their Paisley flyaway coverup dress, and from Milly by Michelle Smith (photo from Fashionising.com). And by the way, Michelle Smith has a great 2009 collection.






... if you're still not sure what to wear on the beach in 2009, check out our Bikini Fashion Disasters blog post from 2008. That way you can at least steer away from the worst mistakes, or just get a good laugh.