Petanu, swimwear from Pashma

Team Trendy is taking off for a summer spa day next Tuesday May 27. We’ll see you back Thursday May 29!

We went to Maui last summer. Everything was awesome from the word go: The beaches, the hotel, the hula dancers, the mahi-mahi. But then, bikinis were de rigeur here — and I, with my Indian inhibitions, was a complete misfit. Till I realized that body types matter less than the attitude with which you carry these teeny-weenies. I wore my first bikini in Hawaii — and what a thrill that was!

Since then, I’ve been on the lookout for bikinis for my next beach holiday. And my search came to an end with Pashma’s latest range Petanu. Made up of 80 per cent polyamide and 20 per cent elasticine, they are oh-so-comfortable and superlatively feminine. Strings, bandeaus, halters in red-hot-right-now colours like aqua, fuchsia and skin. Some perked up with crystals, some enlightened with embroidery.

For more cover, there are single pieces (which, incidentally, are the trend du jour) that are almost oomphier than the bikinis. With plunging necklines, string tie-up bottoms, low backs, they cover the wobbly bits and leave you feeling like a sea goddess.

My favourite? An aqua-and-white confection studded with blue beads. I love it that each swimsuit is super-stretchable and looks right on all shapes and sizes.

And then there are the cover-ups that can take me from beach to bar without blinking an eye. Sheer kaftans in soft silk that feel like a whisper on my skin and slip on over the swimsuit. And a day range of knitted linens that allow the skin to breathe.

Now that I have my Petanu, all I want is a pina colada. With the paper umbrella, please.

Petanu by Pashma, at Ffolio, C17-18 Leela Galleria, Hotel Leela Palace, Bangalore. Tel: 080-41150789. Taj Khazana, Taj Mahal Hotel, 1 Mansingh Road, New Delhi. Tel: 011-23026162. Taj Khazana, Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Apollo Bunder, Mumbai. Tel: 022-66653336. Swimsuits and bikinis: Rs 4000-8000, kaftans: Rs 2500 onwards, beach tunics: Rs 8500 onwards.