Rashies get stylish and sexy with new range of sun-smart swimwear

NORMALLY you wouldn't put "rashie" and "sexy" in the same sentence. But this is not your mother's rashie.

SUN-smart swimwear has been given a sexy makeover to become the hottest trend for summer.

Gone are the daggy, oversized UV protective shirts.

Instead, Australian designers are producing flattering new rashie-style swimwear for women of all ages.

And Queenslanders can't get enough.

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Leigh Mason, from Queensland Swimwear Company, said its new range of rash jackets had been a hit.

"It's gone from that thing you screwed up in the bottom of the beach bag to something that's actually quite nice to wear," Mason said.

She said the sun-safety message was finally sinking in, but women didn't want to compromise on fashion.

"You don't want to buy a nice swimsuit and then put something hideous over the top," she said.

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Fellow Brisbane designer Kate Davis Steer developed a range of sexy, zip-front ruffled rashies for her label SunSoaked.

"So many women say to me how nice it is to have a feminine and stylish rashie now available," she said.

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