Lord Sugar’s Apprentice winner Sian Gabbidon brings the pool party to Trinity Leeds

Choosing swimwear is surely the toughest fashion quest, if indeed it is a fashion quest. Many of us would rather find something that fits us and flatters us and frankly, who cares if it looks “so last season” to the discerning fashionista?

Much of swimwear marketing is all about selling a glamorous lifestyle, with images of young and beautiful models looking carefree and tousled on the beach or at the pool. It’s selling us holidays and pool parties as much as anything else.

Well, the pool party sure comes to Trinity Leeds Shopping Centre this Friday when the winner of the 2018 BBC One’s The Apprentice, Leeds’s very own Sian Gabbidon, launches a pop-up shop there for her SS19 Sian Marie swimwear collection. It’s for three days only and will feature local DJs, Ibiza holiday giveaways, an Apprentice meet and greet, free hair and make-up styling and carnivalesque dancers wearing the range.

Head down there for 11am on Saturday to meet Sian along with some of her fellow candidates from The Apprentice, including Khadija Kalifa, Kayode Damali, Tom Bunday, Jackie Fast and Alex Finn. Leeds-based salon Dickeybow Boutique will also be on hand to give create the full summer festival look, offering £5 lashes with free fitting, £20 hairpieces with free styling and make up demonstrations all day Saturday and Sunday.

Sian says she’s excited to have a pop-up store in her home city. “The Tropical Goddess collection offers girls beautifully fitting swimwear pieces, by allowing customers to select different sizes for the top and bottoms, while still being stylish and statement making. The collection is perfect for when you want to enhance your curves to make you feel your best.”

This week also sees the Yorkshire launch of the new Ladyship Swim collection by Lady Victoria Hervey, at the special fashion show at York Mansion House with York-born red carpet designer Scott Henshall.

Although she lives in Los Angeles, Lady Victoria knows Yorkshire well, especially Harrogate, where she can often be found at Bettys. Her collection is as glamorous as one might expect with clean lines and luxe designer touches. “It’s affordable luxury,” she says. “I want women to feel confident wearing them. I design what I think works on the body through personal experience.”

When it comes to major high street brands, Marks & Spencer has some standout pieces coming in swimwear for SS19. Its M&S Collection range has expensive-looking beach to bar styles using its Secret Slimming technology.

The striped lace-up front swimsuit featured here is exactly the sort of swimsuit that meets all the packability criteria in that you can wear it as a top this season with shorts, cropped jeans or wide-legs, saving space in your case.

Head to The White Company for simple elegant swimsuits that won’t look out of place wherever you go. Check out how the brand’s shoot teams style their models for the brochures and online marketing images, because these demonstrate exactly how wearable and versatile swimwear can and should be, not least because these are pieces that we carry with us in our luggage – they have to prove their worth in and out of the water.

Big-name trusted brands such as Gottex are well known for supplying glamour with wearability and quality. It’s stocked at SimplyBeach.com but also at independent lingerie and swimwear boutiques where you can try on and find expert advice. If you prefer online swimwear shopping, as many women do, Figleaves has extensive style, fit and sizing guides to help identify perfect pieces.

The Sian Marie pop-up is at Trinity Leeds this Friday, March 29, to Sunday, March 31.

*Read more about York Fashion Week events and Sian Gabbidon here