Swimsuit Season

It's swimsuit season again. Not that you'd guess if you step outdoors into the pouring rain! But for those of us off to sunnier climes at some point in the next couple of months, making sure we have light, cool, skimpyish clothes and swimwear we feel good in can be stressful and frustrating. Warning: I'm in the mood for a bit of a rant.

Why is it that if a woman needs a bikini top with a decent amount of support in a cup size larger than a C, we have to pay more for our swimwear and can't just pop into any old high street shop and pick up a bikini or one one piece for £19.99 like all the smaller busted women out there? I've been into every single shop and scoured the websites online and I am so annoyed to find that the only costumes that fit me a) cost far more than the non-cup size ones and b) seem to come in gross, ugly, flowery fabrics more suitable for my great grandmother c) don't provide good comfort - halter necks, when you have a big bust, are not great. My neck gets quite tired of holding my bosoms up all morning!

Have you ever tried to buy a bikini with a 32E top? The cheapest one I could find (apart from M&S where none of them appealed to me at all) was £64. £64!!!! From Bravissimo. That's crazy. And I didn't even like it, the colours and pattern were garish and far too bright. I loved a stripy one I saw in a high street shop for £20 but even the size 16 top (two tiny little triangles attached to a string no thicker than a shoe lace) barely covered me.

I have had this problem since I was 15 years old. I can still remember the horrible shopping trips to buy me swimwear with my mother, and sadly, infuriatingly, very little has changed.

Why is it that women with larger breasts are not catered for? I don't get it. Is there not a market out there for attractive swimsuits in large sizes? But then, I know it's the same for all clothes in larger sizes. There is so little choice, so little available. A few retailers include the larger sizes in their collections but walk into most high street shops or designer stores and you'll be lucky to find anything above a size 16.

Surely this is an untapped market? How is it that some clever entrepreneur hasn't cottoned on the fact that women of all sizes need to dress and like to dress well? Is it just that designers are all prejudiced or that there's no way to get investment or support to create attractive clothes and swimwear that fit all women, not just slim ones?

I am utterly fed up. I want to go and buy myself a pretty bikini which fits me well without having to spend a fortune. As it stands I have to make do; with colours I don't like and shapes that don't suit me - and all at a ridiculous price.

I would love to hear your experience of buying swimwear and if anyone has any great shops or websites where you can buy affordable and attractive ones in a 32E, do let me know.