Top 5 travel fashion trends for summer 2011

With summer just around the corner, it’s time to take a look at what travelers will be wearing as temperatures rise and vacations abound. Before you know it, schools will be out, beaches will be packed and road trips will be in full effect. So, what are the hot fashion trends for tourists and travelers alike? We attended fashion shows from Milan to Albuquerque so that we could report back on the styles that will have everyone looking chic, sassy and, of course, functional as they hit the road for summer fun. Grab some sunscreen, a good book and your camera because we’re going to have you looking your best. These are the Top 5 travel fashion trends for summer 2011.

1. Mankinis
Long the style in Europe, swim briefs are ready to hit the shores of the good ol’ US of A. They dry fast, allow your thighs to breathe and their snug fit keeps sand away from all of your naughty bits. While most American men used to shy away from these skimpy briefs, sensibilities have changed over the years and the time has come smuggle those Yankee plums.

2. Socks & Sandals
For years, Germans have understood the secret to comfort during travel. Finally, however, their fashion-forward ways have caught on in the States. Sandals can cause blisters, awkward tan lines and injuries to exposed toes. By adding a sock layer between your feet and the sandals, you eliminate chafing, create one easy-to-manage tan line and protect yourself from injuries. Beyond that, a fashionable pair of socks can dress up any sandals when it’s time to transition into your evening affairs.

3. Fanny Packs
Whether you’re out for a day of sightseeing, on a hike or just hitting the hottest clubs, you’ll want your hands free to take pictures, keep your balance or grind with anonymous dance partners. Fanny packs (or bum bags to many of you) are convenient, practical and suit any fashion sense. There are rugged lumbar packs for hiking, exquisite designer fanny packs from Louis Vuitton for formal occasions and styles for everything in between. Your passport, money, hotel key and map will fit perfectly in a handsome fanny pack and you’ll turn any sidewalk into a fashion runway.

4. Shirts emblazoned with the name of the place you’re visiting
People love to get souvenirs but most of what we bring home is just schlock that takes up room in our homes. The most practical souvenir is the one that you can wear at any time – including during that very trip. That’s why fashionistas the world over are sporting stylish shirts purchased at airports, gift shops and amusement parks. Showing off logos and name brands is so passé. Today, it’s not about who you’re wearing, it’s about where you’ve been. Do you love NY? Then show it off! Been to DisneyWorld? Let the world know! Checked out the Anne Frank House? Good for you.

5. Everything that these ladies are wearing

British fashion site to men: Don’t pack the Speedos on your summer holidays

Online fashion store Very says it surveyed 3,000 people to find the worst male summer fashion sins and Speedos and other men’s bikini bathing suits topped the list.

So, Very is urging the so-called “vacuum-packers” who wear the tight suits to leave them at home, and buy a new swimsuit from them, of course.

“As many as one in 10 men say they only go shopping once a year – which may explain why so many men continue to embarrass us with their holiday fashion choices,” according to a Very press release.

The campaign to leave the Speedos at home follows the banning of Speedos at British theme park Alton Towers last year, and I, for one, must say I’m pleased to see the campaign against Speedos expanded to apply outside of the country, as well.

Other men’s summer fashion crimes on Very’s list include the “vacation uniform” of a football (soccer) shirt and shorts, socks with sandals and clashing Hawaiian shirts and shorts.

[Photo credit: Flickr user elastic design]

British theme park bans Speedos – to protect the children

British theme park Alton Towers has decided that guests wearing Speedos are no longer welcome in their park.

The iconic “show your bulge” swimming trunks are deemed unfriendly to families, and possibly scary to kids.

Of course, the whole argument is based upon standards gone crazy, because 20 years ago, beaches were full of men wearing their Speedos, and as far as I know, there have been no mass outbreaks of adults requiring mental care to suppress flashbacks of their childhood trips to the beach.

The park is so hell-bent on protecting the children, that they are even considering offering complimentary male waxing services, you know, so the poor kids don’t see little hairs coming out the side of daddy’s trunks.

I’ve got a much more “European” opinion of the Speedo – if you can pull it off, do it. My biggest concern is people who can not pull it off, yet do it anyway.

Piss in the ocean, not in the pool and other TripAdvisor reader thoughts

So much of life is governed by “unwritten rules,” but beaches and pools are surprisingly short of convention to cite. Public opinion is all over the map on what matters most – and what can lead to a heated conversation. But, there are still a few hot buttons that irritate the world. According to a recent survey of 3,800 people by TripAdvisor, 69 percent encounter some breach of etiquette, with 13 percent taking the cynical view that everyone breaks these undocumented standards.

The most common violations at the beach and pool are hogging beach chairs, pissing in the water and littering, while the most annoying are loud music, smoking and, yet again, draining into the water … though you can get away with doing this in the ocean if you aren’t too close to anybody. And, in praise of double standards, more respondents believe that women can get away with skimpy beach gear than feel men should wear speedos.

So, what enrages?

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Hogging beach chairs: if you’re “saving” a chair for someone for to use later, 84 percent of TripAdvisor readers think you’re an asshole. According to a TripAdvisor Destination Expert, “My bugbear is when people throw a towel over one of the highly sought-after sun lounges/cabanas, and then go AWOL.”

“Bugbear”? Eh …

Unleashing the stream: 16 percent of survey respondents called this the most annoying breach of pool and beach etiquette, but 53 percent will piss in the ocean if nobody’s around.

Smokers blow: 82 percent want to ban poolside smoking, and 62 percent don’t want you puffing at the beach. Says one of these Destination Experts, “I can’t stand when on a crowded beach day people smoke one foot away from you, and then discard their butts in the sand…I don’t care at all if people choose to smoke as long as it doesn’t affect me or the beauty of the beach!”

Washing off not a big deal: 14 percent of travelers don’t bother to shower before they go into a pool (hell, it has all that chlorine anyway, right?), and 37 percent do so rarely. A substantial 69 percent find it acceptable not to bother cleaning up before swimming.

Stay away: if the beach isn’t crowded, 38 percent of respondents believe you should set up camp at least 20 feet away, and 22 percent think seven feet to 10 feet is acceptable. When the beach is crowded, you should stay at least six feet away. According to one of these TripAdvisor Destination Experts, “I find the perfect spot on the beach, far away from the intrusion of kids, pets, and game players. Then a family of 12 with undisciplined kids sits right next to me! When the beach is empty move over!”

Watch what you wear: 76 percent of respondents don’t think it’s a big deal for women to wear revealing bikinis (no word on whether hotness matters), but only 65 percent say the same for men and speedos. Only 14 percent think speedos are only appropriate in the United States. One of the Destination Experts is irritated by people who “either go topless or wear tiny little dental-floss bikinis on the beach or by the pool.” Again, I say don’t judge until you see the body that’s barely covered.

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Photo of the Day (01.04.2008)


This photo of Bondi Beach really speaks to me, you know? I love the scenery–the sand, the surf, the bright blue sky stacked above the perfectly tanned sand. It’s a perfect scene, particularly for those of us who are feeling the last remnants of winter.

Have another ‘perfect’ scene to share? Submit it to our Gadling Flickr Pool.