It is still 65 days until the official start of summer but with temperatures in the 80s recently, warmer weather is already here.
Along with the warmer temperatures, a glance at clothing racks in area stores shows that bathing suit season has arrived as well.
"We've had them out for several weeks," said Judy Sharp, manager of the Marietta Kmart.
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ERIN O’NEILL The Marietta Times
Alice Greene, an employee of the Marietta Kmart, holds up a youth two-piece swimsuit in a colorful geometric pattern. Vibrant colors, patterns and “tankini” styles are popular with teens and tweens this season. String bikinis, such as the one pictured below, tend to never be out of style, according to Swimweartrends.com.
"We are still carrying the tankinis - the tank top with a mid-rise brief - and our Jaclyn Smith line has a lot of the slenderizing styles. We also have a good selection of plus-size swimsuits."
Sharp said that the trend in teen and tween bathing suits is bright, vibrant, tropical colors and earth tones for women. Bikinis and one-piece suits are equally popular.
According to The National Retail Federation, April is the month to typically find swimwear on sale.
"April is a great month for markdowns," said Daniel Butler, vice president of retail operations for the National Retail Federation.
He said retailers right now are offering 20 percent off savings on swimwear and also tanks and tees, sandals and summer handbags.
Kmart hasn't discounted their swimwear just yet, according to employee Alice Greene. But there have been lots of customers coming in to get a jumpstart on their summer wardrobe.
"A lot of the styles are similar to last year, just different colors and patterns," Greene said.
Leigh Ball of Marietta said she usually goes for mix and match pieces for a better fit.
"I try to get solid colors for both pieces and (I shop) anywhere cheap," she said. "The bottoms are the hardest - too small and (body parts) hang out, too large and it sags like a diaper."
Some trends seen on the runway this year include pieces with matching cover-ups, geometric patterns and metallic embellishments.
Amanda Beebe, 31, of Beverly, said that shopping for a swimsuit requires a lot of thought when it comes to her teenage daughter.
"My daughter and her friends will go everywhere to find one. It was two weekends and a lot of stores before they found the ones this year," she said.
The girls eventually settled on two-piece styles, one in a bright rainbow pattern and the other in blue.
Swimsuit shopping isn't fun for everyone, however.
"The No. 1 thing on my 'most hated' list of things to do is buy a swimsuit," said Lydia Donnelly, 43.
"As the sand in my hourglass has sunk to the bottom over the past few years, I'm thrilled that the Miraclesuit line has come out with several different styles with 'support' in all the right places."
