With luck, the countdown is now on to summer fun in the sun, which requires proper suit attire. It's time to find that fabulous new swimsuit.

This season, there is a handful of trends that have trickled down from designers into the swimwear market.

Some key looks include:

- Neoprene: This is the big fabric news of the season. When Chanel, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Helmut Lang get inspired by this rubbery scuba material, you know it's hot.

"People immediately think of us when they think of neoprene," says Body Glove swimwear designer Karin Theberge, speaking of the firm's famous sport suits popular in the 80s.

"This season, we're doing trendy, updated versions of our classics by combining neoprene with other fabrics to make the suits more breathable."

Body Glove's two-piece styles have a Bond Girl cachet. The top-selling bottom, the low Surf Rider, is now made entirely from nylon with only a wide neoprene belt.

"It was designed along the same lines as Ursula Andress and most recently Halle Berry's suits. Only in Die Another Day, Berry's dagger belt was made from white leather, as more of a prop for the movie," Theberge says.

- Retro: The 60s has sparked renewed interest in one-piece suits with circular and triangle cut-outs at the midriff. Wolford's Baracoa collection "creates the optical illusion of bareness with cut-outs covered in nude-coloured mesh," says Nina Dyson, owner of Wolford boutiques in Toronto and Montreal.

The Canadian designed Shan collection, also 60s-inspired, has triangle-shaped, one-piece suits with midriff cut-away.

- Embellishments: Sequins, glass beads, embroidery, seashells, macrame, rows of tiny buttons, turquoise and sprinklings of crystals bring decadent detailing to the surface.

"Everything that is redundant is hot," says Fay Yeung of Sandpipers Sports and Funwear. "None of these details have to be on a suit in order to swim. Moonsplash, for example, did a Swarovski crystal bikini that you can actually swim in," says Yeung of the suit's triangular top with crystal-studded net overlay.

- Separates: Swimsuits this season also offer a mix and match way of suiting up, allowing women to size swim tops and bottoms specific to their body type. "Roxy has amazing fits," says Mary Ann Dimuzio of Swimsuit Essentials. "Also Seafolly from Australia, Calvin Klein, Point Conception, Rebel, Tango. Most women need to buy separates."

Other themes making a splash this season? Cover Style brings Formula One car racing, Asian tattoo and cartoon prints to life.

Generally, Yeung says hips are a focal point this season. "Hipster belts are big and so are bikini bottoms with side ties or detailing at the hip bones."