WANT to make a splash on the bikini scene? Whip out a white one.
When Myleene Klass took part in I’m A Celeb in 2006 all everyone could talk about was her iconic shower in a white cossie — and with good reason.
It made her gym-honed figure look sensational and gave an element of classic glamour.
This is simply because a white bikini is the pinnacle of alluring beachwear, and I should know, as I’ve worn dozens of them in my 50 years.
As a model, a photographer or stylist would suggest I pose in one, as the colour makes any skin tone glow and pop, especially if you have a tan from a day frollicking by the sea.
And on the beach it has always been my go-to, because white actually keeps you cooler in the sun.
It should be every woman’s first choice, because whatever your body shape, white compliments because it acts as a reflector when worn, lighting up our faces in a subtle, flattering way.
The classic, golden heyday of Hollywood was thronged with actresses wearing white two-pieces.
One of the most iconic scenes is Bond girl Ursula Andress emerging from the water in a white bikini in 1962’s Dr No.
The scene is beyond striking and takes my breath away.
And from Marilyn Monroe posing coquettishly in a white bikini in some of her very first modelling shots in 1947, to Brigitte Bardot’s starring role in 1952 film Manina, The Girl In The Bikini, the trend has been going on for more than 75 years.
In fact the very first bikini created by designer Louis Reard in 1946 was actually in tones of white — so he obviously thought this shade was the way to go for the swimwear.
And contemporary culture has kept in step with the golden age.
In 1995 Pamela Anderson’s beach wedding to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee saw her wearing a striking white bikini.
Pammy, now 55, adored this classic look so much that for her second wedding in 2006, to rapper Kid Rock, she went the double and wore another show-stopping pearly string bikini.
I’ll bet the bikinis, which are utterly timeless, have stayed in her wardrobe long after both unions were done and dusted.
White makes a statement.
So when Margot Robbie was promoting her incredible performance as Naomi Lapaglia in 2013 movie The Wolf Of Wall Street, she wore one on the cover of Vanity Fair.
See-through
When I wear one of my white two-pieces I think I look optimistic, fun and free-spirited — and that is why Britain’s Got Talent host Amanda Holden wore one on her Sicilian hols last year when she wanted to embrace turning 51 and feeling fabulous.
And when actress Michelle Keegan launched her own swimwear range, Orfila Bee, she used a photo of herself in a striking bandeau bikini and on-trend high-waisted bottoms — in white, obviously.
There is of course the most impactful reason why photographers love models like me to don that white bikini, and that is twofold — it cheekily looks like underwear and it has the added bonus of being see-through when wet.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
There is no way I will ever be putting away my white two-pieces.
They make me look fresh, fun-loving and that my life is going swimmingly.
