So THAT is why she looks so good in a bikini! Millie Mackintosh splashes out on £450 ‘made-to-measure’ swimwear

• Handmade swim pieces take 4-6 weeks to create
• Binikis start at £450 for a basic design
• Brand dubs itself the 'Rigby & Peller' of the swimsuit world
• Reality star wore two bespoke designs last week in Ibiza

By Toni Jones

Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh loves tweeting pictures of herself posing poolside.
And to make sure she is looking her absolute best the size 8 star is spending over £450 a time on one-of-a-kind ‘couture' bikinis.

That might seem a lot for a few tiny pieces of Lycra, even if they are made-to-measure.

Balearic babe: Millie makes sure she looks hot on the beach and at her Ibizan villa in made-to-measure bikinis that she designed herself with Chelsea swimwear boutique Bioni Couture

But money isn't a problem for the Quality Street heiress.
And a stylishly skimpy wardrobe is crucial when part of your job is to show off your teeny tanned body as much as possible (Millie was signed as brand ambassador for the St Tropez tanning brand in May).
Last week Millie tweeted pictures of herself in two bespoke bikinis while on holiday in Ibiza with boyfriend Professor Green.

 

And the loaded reality star has requested more designs for her next summer jaunt.

The one-off swim pieces are created for her by Chelsea swimsuit store Biondi Couture, whose bespoke studio service has been dressing South London’s jet setting crowd for over seven years after opening near the King’s Road in 2005.

Poolside in Ibiza: Millie shares a twitpic of one of her designs

Millie and her fellow Made In Chelsea stars Binky and Cheska are regulars at the boutique, as is model Kelly Brook whose famous curves are often snapped in designs by the specialists.
Locals have even spotted a few royals popping in to create their own trendy two-pieces

And the recession isn’t dampening demand for the OTT swimwear – the studio is so busy there’s currently a six week waiting list.
Biondi Couture owner Claudine Davies says: 'This is our busiest time of year and the Millie effect means that we are busier than ever creating swimwear for women wanting to stand out on the beach.

Millie turns designer: These are two of the bikinis that reality star created for her Ibiza wardrobe. Couture designs at the swimwear boutique cost between £450 and £1000

Work in progress: A glamorous design is realised in the Chelsea workshop

‘Millie has an amazing body, we couldn’t hope for a better ambassador for the brand.

‘As soon as she is seen in one of our designs demand goes crazy.

‘Millie has always worn our couture bikinis because she wants to make sure that she’s wearing something a bit different from everybody else, and she is really involved in the design process.'
But super slim celebrities with money to burn aren't the only customers keeping Biondi's tills ringing.
'Lots of our customers don’t look like Millie, our client list includes women of all ages and body shapes.

Bathing beauties: Millie shows off another swimsuit from her expanding collection while on holiday with boyfriend Professor Green in Ibiza, but this one's off-the-peg rather than bespoke

‘As well as designing fashion bikinis and swimsuits our team work a lot with women who have larger cup sizes or are plus size and find it impossible to find flattering swimwear.
'We also have clients who want to hide scarring or have special requirements following mastectomies and need clever beachwear to give them confidence on holiday.
‘The most ostentatious design we have ever created was a £950 showpiece bikini for a woman competing in a fitness competition, it featured thousands of Swarovski crystals all sewn on by hand.’
As well as designing her own swimwear Millie regularly stocks up on the store's luxury off-the-peg styles, whose prices aren't quite as high as the bespoke range but still start at an eye-watering £115 for a simple bikini.
But Claudine is confident that the hefty price tags won't put off women wanting the best from their holiday wardrobe this summer:
She says: 'Good quality swimwear makes the difference between looking hot and not on the beach.
'Wearing a swimsuit is the most naked a woman ever is in public, so it makes sense to invest in looking good.'

Green fairy: Millie tweeted pictures of herself in a variety of swimwear while on holiday in Dubai earlier this year

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This one? Or This one?: Make-up artist Millie asks her 400,000 Twitter followers to decide which swimsuit she should wear for a hard day's sunbathing in Dubai

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