'Insane' and 'impractical' new plastic bikini trend is roasted by shoppers online - so would you wear the scandalous celebrity-endorsed look?
- Plastic strap bikinis were made famous by Kourtney Kardashian in June 2018
- The style involves tiny pieces of fabric stitched together with transparent string
- It creates the illusion of wearing nothing but patches over the breasts and crotch
- The controversial trend has been revived by online clothing label Fashion Nova
- Shoppers have branded it 'uncomfortable', impractical and 'insane' on Instagram
- Australian influencers like Tammy Hembrow have worn the eye-popping design
A trend for tiny bikinis held together with clear plastic straps has been slammed as 'uncomfortable', impractical and 'insane' by online shoppers.
The style, first worn by Kourtney Kardashian in 2018 and recently revived by US clothing label Fashion Nova, involves small pieces of spandex stitched with transparent string, which creates the illusion of wearing nothing but strategic patches over the breasts and crotch.
Models and influencers are fans of the eye-popping trend, with Australian fitness sensation Tammy Hembrow and British reality star Chloe Ferry both posing in neon green designs during isolation in April.
But despite this celebrity endorsement, consumers have branded it 'insane' and impractical, with one woman demanding to know how the fabric stays in place to protect modesty on an Instagram photo of a model wearing the design.
Others said it looked flimsy and 'uncomfortable' under photos shared on Fashion Nova's official account on Monday.
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Would you dare to bare? Canadian fitness model Amanda Elise Lee wears the $61 'Clear Skies' plastic strap bikini from Fashion Nova on March 4, 2020
Peas in a pod: Australian fitness queen Tammy Hembrow (left) wears a lime green plastic strap bikini at her home on the Gold Coast in Queensland on April 6, 2020 and British reality star Chloe Ferry (right) poses in a PVC clear strap bikini in isolation on April 11, 2020
'What's the point in even wearing that?' one person asked.
'Super super cute but I would rip this in two seconds,' said another.
Clear strap swimwear first hit the mainstream in June 2018 when Kourtney Kardashian was photographed in a tiny black two-piece held together with thick plastic panels on a yacht in Capri, Italy.
The $250 'barely there' bikini set from Girls on Swim was swiftly copied by fast fashion retailers like Missguided and OhPolly, who rushed to cash in on the lucrative influence of brand Kardashian.
OhPolly launched one of the most talked-about styles - the 'Skinny Dipping Clear Strap Micro Triangle Bikini' – whose tiny triangular top and bottoms stitched with transparent straps left little to the imagination and caused controversy on social media back in 2019.
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A model wears a $50 plastic strap bikini from PrettyLittleThing, showcasing the skimpiness of the design which leaves little to the imagination
Where it all began: Kourtney Kardashian wears a $250 'barely there' bikini with plastic straps with longtime friend Simon Huck on a yacht in Capri, Italy in June 2018
The $66 'Skinny Dipping Clear Strap Micro Triangle Bikini' from OhPolly, which caused controversy on social media when it was launched in 2019
By the retailer's own admission, it covered 'only the essentials' and not much else.
The $66 set, which is still available online in cream and neon orange, has a high-rise thong design and adjustable straps, meaning tan lines will become 'a thing of the past'.
Opinion was divided about the practicality of the bikini, with one woman writing under a promotional photo: 'Why bother, just go nude.'
'This what a bikini is nowadays?' asked another.
For Australians brave enough, clear strap bikinis are now available to order from Meshki, Fashion Nova, PrettyLittleThing, Missguided and OhPolly.
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