Grankini: Helen Mirren sparks boom in bikini sales for over 50s

Now older women who dare to bare  -  such as 65-year-old actress Dame Helen Mirren  -  the over-fifties are reclaiming the bikini.

Advances in swimwear technology mean there are more two-pieces available that suit more mature bodies.

Age defying: Helen Mirren, 65, Kim Catrall, 54,  show off their bikini bodies

They have wider straps, gauge wires and built-in mesh to support and shape the bust in the same way that lingerie does, while the bikini bottoms have higher waistlines.

Sales of the ‘grankinis’ have risen 118 per cent in two years at Debenhams  -  driven by those in their fifties and sixties.

Sasha Nagalingham, the store’s swimwear buyer, said: ‘A full costume on an older lady instantly says “granny”; but a supportive, well-proportioned bikini is less ageing and accentuates rather than hides natural shape.’

Show of support: Wider straps and built in underwires hoist and shape breasts

A survey showed 71 per cent of customers aged 50 to 65 had replaced their one-piece with a bikini in the past few years.

Dame Helen caused a stir in 2008 when pictures showed her looking remarkably toned and youthful while posing in a red bikini on holiday in Italy. She has since insisted it was simply a flattering picture.