Beach Badger Guide to Lingerie & Swimwear

Beach Badger - the tricks of the trade

With the latest ranges of bikinis now costing a small fortune and the ludicrous cost of taking bags on holiday flight yours truly has hit upon the idea of simply not bothering trying to keep up with swimwear fashion - instead turn to high street underwear or lingerie that not only feels great under new holiday dresses but also looks stunning by the pool or on the beach.

1. Tan before you try. Shopping for your suit with a healthy glow will help you tap into your inner Elle Mc and fully visualise your beach wear look.

2. Avoid the midday sun. It acts like spotlighting, says Melissa Odabash, “which would give Gisele cellulite. If you have to walk out in it, wear a big hat to diffuse the light and tie a sarong around to cover your bottom half. Remember you probably spent good money on holiday dresses so wear them during the daytime. Most women look great from the hip up”.

3. Stick to neutral-coloured underwear at the beginning of your holiday, working towards whites and brights as your tan develops. Yes, this does mean you save packing at least four bikinis for a seven-day trip.

4. Disguise a large bottom by going one size smaller with your lingerie — seriously. “The temptation is to go up a size, but then all the eye sees is more fabric. Then you get that diaper effect, which drives me crazy.”

5. Don’t think that pulling your knickers up higher makes your legs look longer. “It looks ridiculous. A hipster style, that classic Sophia Loren look, suits every body shape.”

6. Look for ruching, pleats and ruffles to disguise a multitude of sins, from a less-than-flat tummy to the dreaded muffin top.

7. Avoid underwiring. Side-boning means even Heidi Klein’s skimpier  bras can work on busty girls. “Just tie the halter nice and tight, and you’ll still get that lift,” says Laura Thirtle. In the world of BW, it’s all about the lift.

8. Odabash recommends “regular massages, to get the water retention out of your legs” and a “freezing-cold shower just before the beach to tighten everything up”.

9. Essential products in Odabash’s badger babe armoury include “a glittering oil by Biotherm, which gives you the most incredible sheen, Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser, St Tropez Everyday daily tanner and factor-50 sunblock”.

10. Remember, the sophisticated beach badger keeps her pedicure neutral. “Bright coloured claws look tacky.”

11. Take a final tip from boho lingerie model Kate Moss. “She layers body oil by Ligne St Barth [stocked at Heidi Klein] under her sunblock,” says Thirtle. “It leaves your skin feeling super-soft when you shower it off.”

Business Class First Class

Business class today is the first class of yesterday but where does that leave BA’s new first class?

I was at the launch of British Airways’ new first class recently, as you can see from this picture shows me sitting in a mock-up of the seat.

If you haven’t flown it or read about it, BA’s new first class seat is 21 inches wide and has a pitch of 78 inches and you will find either 13 or 14 seats on your plane depending on whether you are on a Boeing 747 or 777. The screen for the in-flight entertainment is 15 inches across.

You also get access to the Concorde Room at London Heathrow Terminal 5 and at New York . JFK and access to a Quintessentially concierge 14 days either side of your flight.

The new first class made its debut on the London-Chicago route in February. First is due to be rolled out across the BA fleet by the end of 2011.

The launch was a swanky affair; it was held at a Mayfair art gallery, there was plenty of Champagne sloshing about and there was even a little celeb glitz through the presence of actor and badger fan Bill Nighy.

It felt strange to be looking at such a product in such surroundings just a few weeks after the Coalition Government swept to power and warned the country that austerity was the new watch-word.

This had me wondering, not for the first time, about the future of first class.

First class, as you would expect, is an expensive luxury. This summer, a fully flexible one-way, first class ticket from Heathrow to New York is £4,268 including taxes. That compares with £2,780 in business class, £961 in premium economy, £608 in economy (all fully flexible and including taxes) and £164 including taxes in discounted economy.

Intense competition from the likes of Emirates - UAE, Etihad - Abu Dhabi and Singapore - Sling Airlines means that airlines are constantly upgrading their onboard product. What passes as business class today would have been first class (or beyond) 10 to 20 years ago. Similarly, what is termed as premium economy today would have been business class back then.

Flying in high spirits

Airports reveal that they plan to boost revenue from increasing alcohol sales - good news for all of us who simply cannot find a drink at all hours.

I'm not about to contest the trend toward more alcohol at more places and time at airports to make airport employees and government bureaucrats happy.

Idiots are idiots liquor or no liquor, and the solution is to enforce the law and standards of decency on everyone, sober or otherwise. The way those airport employees and all the wonders of air travel today treat travellers, I'm all for anything that will make the experience more human for travellers.

So let them make spirits more available but back it up with better monitoring of concourses by airport employees and hopefully lower prices for airline tickets and airport services - some hope!

While we're at it, how about driving school and a little electro-shock for those manic beeping golf cart nazis who menace everyone else in the airport so they can whiz a select few (who are looking younger and younger these days) to their gate.