This post caused me much hilarity - look at the size of those bikini bottoms! They remind me of the knickers my Mum would wear.
I must give a warning - you may be shocked by the contents of this post. I think that it's fairly obvious that there hasn't been any photo editing of any description. No filters, camera tricks, lighting tricks or anything else to make me look better than the real life "me" were used in taking these photos - and boy does it show. Nope, it was just an iPhone and about 10 quick snaps which took a couple of minutes. We are so used to seeing everyone airbrushed/botoxed within an inch of their lives that when we see something which hasn't been given that treatment, it can be a little bit shocking.
Anyway, predictably there's a story behind the whole debacle, which started with me leaving my nicest piece of swimwear at the hotel in Cornwall. I have two other bikinis with me but they aren't great when I'm doing lengths of the pool, so I needed something else. I'd already decided that next year would be the year that I invested in some serious swimwear and, knowing that I wouldn't find anything that I loved, I decided to opt for something cheap and cheerful instead.
I looked in the sales at White Stuff, Joules and Seasalt but to no avail and then, when we were in M&S in St Peter Port, this little gem caught my eye. I've called it a sporty/40's hybrid with the top being sporty and those less than brief, briefs, looking like something from the 1940s. It cost me about £10 in total, rather than the £38 that it should have done and I left with a huge grin on my face, knowing that in all likelihood it would give us a giggle, if nothing else.
My dilemma.....
The thing is, how does one go about getting changed on the beach, especially when that beach happens to be very busy and without any facilities? When we holidayed here as children, we had great "changing pods" - towels made into a tube with elastic around the neck which we put over our heads whilst changing underneath. As an adult I hadn't seen anything similar but there is no way that I would get changed on a beach without something fairly significant between me and the rest of the world.
The answer?
A few months ago now I was asked to speak on the radio about what politicians shouldn't wear on holiday. The image of David Cameron struggling to get changed under his Mickey Mouse towel on the beach in Cornwall last year came to mind. It was obvious what he needed and, subsequent to that radio interview a friend, who had made a changing pod for herself a few years before, and I did some market research and concluded that there was a market for them and so we looked into producing them, under the company name "Bathe & Change". Whilst there are some out there in high tech fabrics, they are designed with surfing dudes in mind. We were after something very much more "bucket and spade" - something a little bit spotty, or striped, functional but aesthetically pleasing and which was just a really nice piece to have with you on holiday.
This is one of our earlier prototypes. We are still tweaking the design (they will be available for men, women and children), planning our PR and marketing strategy and talking to stockists - but here is one in action. It has also been tested, and approved, by Mr SG who is one of the most discerning people there could ever be when it comes to getting changed on the beach. He is very much one for keeping himself to himself - unlike the men we came across yesterday on what appears to be a nudist beach (in Guernsey?) But that's a whole different story.
And here I am part way through the changing process. Not a thing to be seen!
Wow, look at those pants! I said that they would give everyone a laugh. Bridget Jones eat your heart out. My husband's words were: "I don't think that it's the most flattering piece of swimwear that you've ever had. " Understatement of the century but then, even with the best designers and technology in the world, I'm not convinced that any swimwear is really that flattering is it? When things are on show which shouldn't be on show and which are only covered by a small amount of fabric, there's always going to be room for improvement isn't there? ie getting dressed.
And there we have it - all changed without a flash of anything!
Still astonished by the size of those pants!
For anyone who would like to find out more about Changing Pods, please email me at style@bethgoodrham.com
