HOT LINES: Cut-out suits, like model Kelly Brook’s, are all the rage this summer. (Optic Photos, PacificCoastNews.com)
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Say goodbye to your little string bikini, and hello to bondage-inspired beachwear this summer.
While modest ladies would normally rejoice at news the tank suit is making a comeback — these are more cut-out than cut-in.
“There’s a resurgence in popularity of the one-piece, which is not to say it’s more conservative than the bikini,” said Fashionista.com editor Leah Chernikoff.
Bondage bathing suits, like the $590 Agent Provocateur “braided one-piece,” do their best to barely cover your rear.
Gold rings and ropes strapped around the pelvis look like they were inspired by the S&M novel “50 Shades of Grey” — and are sure to leave wearers with artistic tan lines.
“There was a trend in bondage fashion before ‘50 Shades of Grey,’ but it’s becoming even more prevalent because of the book,” Chernikoff said.
Even professional athletes who spend their days in Speedos are getting into the craze. Last week, Australian swimmer and three-time Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Rice, 24, posted on Twitter a risqué shot of her wearing a bondage-inspired two-piece from Veve Swimwear.
“Women are looking to have more fashion sense and make a fashion statement with their swimwear,” said Allison Davis, a fashion publicist with Alison Brod PR. “The beach has become a runway of high-fashion neoprene and spandex. People are looking for a suit that’s not necessarily for swimming but more for showing fashion sense while laying out.”
The trend started last year on the runways of haute-couture designers like Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier and has finally trickled down to the almost-naked masses.
The master of the bandage dress, designer Herve Leger, even turned his popular cocktail-outfit concept into a skimpy suit. The poolside version uses less than half the material of the tight dress — but costs more at $1,155.
For sun worshippers on a budget, the American Apparel nylon one-piece — with a V-neck that dips to just above the belly button with only a strap holding it up across the back — retails for $45 and has been flying off the shelves and onto the shores of New Jersey and Long Island.
Fashion experts said the upcoming Summer Olympics in London have inspired a surge in athletic one-pieces over the bikini.
Vogue magazine even featured two Olympic athletes — soccer player Hope Solo and tennis champion Serena Williams — on the cover of its June issue wearing nude-colored, one-piece bathing suits.
And celebs like Rihanna have popularized silk-screen tanks by designer We Are Handsome that cost $298.
“The one-piece is even sexier than the two-piece because you’re playing with what you can reveal,” said Nicole Fischelis, director of fashion and forecasting at Macy’s. “It’s not so much about the bikini anymore.”