Introduction

It’s that time of year again where beautiful summer days and whimsical notions of holidays come to the forefront of our minds. And one thing that goes hand in hand with summer holidays is swimwear – whether you’re wearing it in Margate or Marbella.

Every year in Miami Beach there is an annual swimwear event that showcases and predicts the popular swimwear trends for both men and women, which heavily influences the design choices of both designer and high street brands the following year. Recently, Judy Steiner, Executive Director of the Swimwear Association of Florida, summarised the changing face of men’s swimwear with the following comment:

“Men’s swimwear offers greater quality, variety, creativity and style than ever, making this July the perfect time to review and purchase the latest and greatest styles.”

The men’s swimwear market is undoubtedly growing with each passing year, and for spring/summer 2013 there are more options available to you than ever before – meaning there is a variant for every body type and personal style.

In this two part article we will be focusing on the four main swimwear trends for men this season: swim briefs, trunk shorts, short swim shorts and board shorts.

Swim Briefs

Swim briefs or Speedo-styles, to drop a brand name, saw a rise in popularity last year following the London 2012 Olympics, where swimmers and divers such as Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and our very own Tom Daley triumphed in their swim briefs.

Obviously swim briefs are extremely small and do not leave a lot to the imagination, so to wear them successfully a fairly decent body and A LOT of confidence is required. On the plus side: if you are serious about your swimming rather than only being concerned with the sartorial side of things, swim briefs are the way to go. And, of course, less material means fewer unsightly tan lines.