Your Complete Guide To Bikini Bottom Types, Styles & Cuts

Want to show off a bit more skin? As the name suggests, cheeky bikini bottoms show off some cheek. This bikini bottom cut's style has a distinct V-shape and offers less coverage than a standard bikini brief. Cheeky cut bikini bottoms are like the happy medium - somewhere between a thong and full-coverage bikini bottoms.

If you're a gym bunny and love a good leg day, cheeky cut briefs might be perfect for you. Flirty but not too revealing, this is one of the best bikini bottom types for lounging in the sun, thanks to the fewer tan lines. What's even better is the V-shape reveals more of your backside, giving the illusion of longer, leaner legs.

Sultry, fun, flirty, alluring...there are many adjectives to describe one of the world's sexiest bikini bottom types. Unlike V-shape cheeky bikini briefs, Brazilian bikini bottoms have a Y-shape cut. Compared to other bikini bottom types, Brazilian bikini bottoms have received considerable attention because of how much skin they reveal.

Today, Brazilian bikini bottoms are still banned in some of the more reserved parts of the world. Interesting fact - the Brazilian wax was a by-product of Brazilian bikini bottoms as the more risqué cut resulted in women needing to remove excess hair.

If you love a bit of shock factor and are passionate and bold, Brazilian bikinis are ideal, especially if you like to leave little to the imagination. These bikini bottom cuts are also for beachgoers that take tanning seriously. Despite the minimal bikini bottom coverage Brazilian bikini briefs offer, this bikini cut adds shape to bottoms of all different shapes and sizes.

If you have an athletic build with a sculpted backside posterior, this is one of the best bikini bottom types to enhance your assets. To show off your natural curves even more, opt for Brazilian bikini bottoms that sit higher on the waist.

We've embraced the return of retro-glam swimwear. The 40s were all about high-waist bikini bottoms that sit over the hips slightly above or below the belly button. High-waist bikini bottom styles can feature a low-leg cut that offers more coverage or a high-leg cut that gives a more contemporary feel.

If you're looking for bikini bottom coverage styles that will conceal your tummy and create more waist definition, these are perfect. Since these bikini bottom styles visually shorten the body, they flatter ladies with longer torsos. When combined with a high-leg cut, they help elongate the legs.

Wide ribbons, understated bow-ties, string ties, rhinestone embellished side ties...tie-side bikini bottoms come in a variety of designs and are one of the most adjustable and versatile bikini-bottom styles. These easy-fitting bikini briefs are also perfect for tanning - simply untie the sides and sunbathe without having to worry about tan lines.

We love how tie-side bikini bottoms are so versatile when it comes to different body types. Tie-side bikini bottoms look great on slender women as their frames are accentuated by the minimalist design. You can even add more feminine curves by enhancing the hip area with wider ties. Conversely, curvy body types or plus-size women can also highlight their assets as side ties help streamline the figure.

The revival of the 40s and 50s and retro fashion has meant the return of boyshorts. An instant classic, these bikini bottom styles, as the name suggests, are bikini bottoms in the form of shorts that sit just above the cheeks. As well as offering more coverage, they're also ideal for summertime activities like paddleboarding.

Boyshorts are some of the most flattering bikini bottoms for pear shapes as they offer more coverage. To add even more balance to your look, try accentuating your cleavage area with a halter-style bikini top.

Thanks to Baywatch, Love Island, and the Kardashian clan, high-rise (or high-leg) bikini bottoms have found their place among some of the most coveted bikini bottom styles. These bikini briefs are known for their sky-scraping V-shape cut.

Petite? Then high-cut bikini bottoms are ideal as they naturally elongate the leg. These are also some of the most flattering bikini bottoms for thighs, as they have an amazing slimming effect. And if you're worried about your hips, fear not - by choosing high-leg bikini bottoms that sit on your mid-section, you also create the illusion of a slimmer silhouette.

Hugging the hips with a thick(ish) waistband, hipster bikini bottoms typically sit medium-to-low-rise. Compared to boyshorts, there's slightly less bum coverage, giving them more of an enigmatic effect and a flirty feel. Hipster bikini bottom types are also some of the easiest bottoms to mix and match bikini tops with thanks to their moderate coverage.

This bikini bottom style smooths the hips while showing off the entire stomach area. This swimsuit bottom style is perfect for you if you wish to add length to your torso area or balance wider hips.

The latest wild card for swimwear trends is the bikini bottom swim skirt. Wear this teeny miniskirt in place of classic bikini bottoms. With a distinct 50s vibe, these bikini bottoms are one of the most practical bikini bottoms because who needs even to wear a cover-up when you've already got a built-in skirt? Skirted bikini bottoms come in various styles that include tie sides, frilly skirts, and longer lengths.

Skirted briefs are flattering bikini bottoms that will accentuate your feminine curves. Perfect for poolside games and beach activities, skirted pants are stylish and help boost confidence.

Fold-over bikini bottoms are perfect when it comes to pairing with halter bikini tops or bandeaus. With these bikini bottom types, the selling point is the adjustability of the fold-over shape, as this allows you to choose how high or low you'd like to wear them. For some amazing fold-over bikini bottom inspiration, check out the likes of Melissa Odabash.

This contemporary bikini bottom style is perfect if you want to adjust how much coverage you want on the waist and hips, meaning that these will flatter most body types. Choose to highlight your waist and midriff or conceal it - the choice is yours!

Another trend that's popular with A-list celebrities and the Insta-famous is the micro bikini, AKA the thong, which is a super high-cut bikini bottom style that offers very little-to-no coverage. With its low-rise waist and very cheeky bottom, micro bikini bottoms raise the heat. The micro is one of the best bikini bottom types that will help keep tan lines at bay, making it a holiday essential.

If you're confident enough to wear one of the most revealing bikini bottom cuts, HOLLA! Girl, go for it! You see women of all shapes and sizes wearing this bikini style, so as long as you're brave enough, just do it! One tip for wearing these teeny tiny bikini bottoms is to fake it - not with confidence, but with a fake tan - there's nothing more powerful than a subtle glow at the beginning of summer that makes all bikini bottom styles look better.

Ruched bikini bottoms conjure up images of poolside sophistication. Vintage-inspired ruched swimsuits are some of the most sought-after bikini bottoms types at the moment. Sometimes ruching on swimsuits is purely for aesthetic purposes. Still, more often than not, strategically ruched areas, such as the tummy, sides, or bum, are there to get rid of unwanted lumps and bumps as this bikini bottom style doesn't dig into your body like regular bikini pants.

If you're self-conscious about a specific part of your lower body and want to hide it, look for ruched bikini bottoms that help create smooth feminine curves and offer more coverage. Alternatively, if you want to enhance your bootie's curves, look for bikini bottoms with a slight ruched detail in the centre of the back of the bottoms that give a bubble-butt illusion.

As well as getting the bikini bottom cuts right, sizing is super important, especially if you're purchasing your bikini bottoms online. To measure correctly, stand tall with your feet close together. Take a measuring tape and wrap it along the fullest area of your hips and bottom.

By doing this, you'll be able to get the right fit without worrying whether they're going to be too loose or too tight. Remember to always refer to the swimsuit size guide for different brands.

If the different bikini bottom types aren't enough - some bikinis brands refer to the coverage instead of the actual bikini brief style.

Made famous by Marilyn Monroe and other pin-up models, full-coverage bikini bottom styles cover as much area as possible without interfering with different activities or performance. These bikini bottom types have the highest rise at the waist area and the lowest leg cut, which scoops just under the butt.

Kiini, Seafolly, and ViX are just a few brands that specialize in the most flattering bikini bottoms for the tummy, bottom, and thighs. Fuller-coverage bikini bottoms hug you in all the right places, which also makes them perfect post-partum bikini bottoms.

Slightly less than full coverage bottoms, this bikini bottom cut gives moderate coverage that rounds across the bottom and has regular to high-cut leg openings. These bikini bottom coverage styles are ideal for surfing, beach volleyball, and water sports.

Medium coverage bikini types offer a good balance between skin and bum coverage. Sitting diagonally across the bum area, good examples of medium coverage bikini bottoms are hipster bikini bottoms and high-leg high-waist bikini bottoms, which will allow you to transition from the pool to the beach in confidence easily.

Cheeky and Brazilian bikini bottom types are good examples. They offer minimal-moderate coverage (depending on who's telling the story) while accentuating your figure without revealing too much.

Dare to bare? These are the bikini bottom cuts that have minimal coverage, like the thong.

There are a variety of bikini bottom types that range from full coverage to micro bikini bottoms. There's nothing worse than needing to constantly tug on your bikini bottoms to get them to stay where they should. If you follow our comprehensive bikini bottom style guide, you'll have a better idea, so don't let all the types of bikini bottom names put you off.

When choosing the right bikini bottom types for you, finding the right size is vital. But you also need to consider what cut and style you're most comfortable with. Do you want to flaunt your assets, or does exposing too much worry you? But remember this - self-confidence is the best outfit you'll ever wear!