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Sun bound? Here's your poolside wardrobe

December 20, 2010 14:51

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

3 min read

The idea of peeling off the cashmere and heat-tech to try on a bikini or a beach kaftan right now is enough to make us all come out in goose-bumps. But if you are among the 11 million Brits estimated by a recent Halifax survey to be taking a winter-sun holiday between now and March, the current Siberian-style temperatures are unlikely to deter you from heading to the shops to scoop up some new swim and beachwear.

And even though the ice on the windscreen may be thicker than Nigella's Christmas-cake icing, and your lawn resembles the Arctic tundra, be assured, there is plenty of swim- and beachwear in stock right now to tempt you into some new poolside purchases.

Lingerie specialists, including Rigby & Peller with branches across the UK, and local specialists like Pretty Things (Cockfosters and Buckhurst Hill); Leiberg's (Temple Fortune); Fit to Bust (Leeds); Bal Harbour (Prestwich) and Cricket (Liverpool), maintain a year-round cache of swimwear and cover-ups, as do the better department stores.

John Lewis branches have a small year round collection, including at Oxford Street, Brent Cross and the Trafford Centre, while Fenwick, Brent Cross is known across North London for its year-round stash of swim- and beachwear. Currently, brands include the fabulous Meghan Fabulous, Pour Moi, Fantasie and Gideon Oberson, as well as beachwear from Lamis Khamis, Gia and Halle Bob. The store also has Havianas in - among other colours - pink, gold and silver, at £19, and metallic mules in silver and gold at £15.