As online pool chemical specialists we have seen thousands of pools and enjoy learning everything there is to know about the swimming pool industry. However, in the process, we have seen numerous weird and wonderful pieces of swimwear. Here are our picks of the worst swimwear designs we’ve seen:

swimwear1. Bobby Norris’ ‘Sock’

This teeny tiny piece of fabric is indeed a swimsuit for men. This one sided thong championed by The Only Way is Essex star Bobby Norris has thankfully not become popular despite its affordable £10 price tag.

2. Nigella Lawson’s Burkini

Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson hit the headlines back in 2011 while holidaying in Sydney, Australia for her unusual choice of swimwear.    
Nicknamed the ‘burkini’, this head-to-toe three piece swimsuit is common among Muslim women whose religion dictates they must wear modest clothing. However, it later emerged that Jewish Lawson donned the suit to keep her then husband happy.  

3. Borat’s Mankiniswimwear

Sacha Baron Cohen revolutionised the ‘mankini’, a bikini for men, when his character picked a lime green version of the swimwear for his character Borat. Ever since the ‘mankini’ has become extremely popular, not as a piece of swimwear, but as a novelty item of fancy dress.  

       

swimwear4. ASOS Fringed Arm Bathing Suit

ASOS is often the first port of call for many stylish young women, but we think they’ve missed the mark with this unusual plunge neck, long sleeved bathing costume with long fringed arms. What do you think?    

       

swimwear5. Lyst Skin Coloured Bikini

We like the style of this beige balconette bikini; however, the colour leaves much to be desired. Why? Well, the beige colour matches the model’s skin tone and therefore, from a distance, makes the wearer look like they are naked.  

         

swimwear6. The Wedding Bikini

Call us old fashioned but we think a bride should wear a dress on her wedding day, not a bikini as Baywatch star Pamela Anderson did when marrying Kid Rock on a boat in 2006.              

swimwear7. ASOS Lattice Swimsuit

This lattice, web style one piece may look colourful but we wouldn’t recommend wearing it to sunbathe in. Imagine the tan lines! We think you’d also struggle trying to put it on.   Do you know of any swimwear designs you think we should include on this list? Then tweet us @onlinepoolchems Read more: The World’s Most Unusual Hot Tubs The 7 Best Swimming Pool Games for Kids of All Time People’s Craziest Swimming Pool Moments     (images: Allstarecho under CC BY-SA 3.0, ASOS, Lyst, Etsy and ASOS)