Lindsay Lohan might not be great on a surf board, as demonstrated by photos recently posted by gossip site TMZ, but she sure does look good getting wiped out by a wave. Wearing a black monokini, Lohan gives us a look at what has become one of the hottest swim wear trends.

Why wear a monokini? Aside from providing slightly more coverage than a bikini, having the cutaways on the side creates a slimming effect by making your waist look narrow. The bold shape of the suit also creates visual distraction, hiding problem areas while also helping enhance or create the look of an hourglass figure.

Monokinis are also great choices for active beach going. They're much more secure for swimming or even surfing than many bikinis. So what should you look for in a monokini? First, it's important to understand your own body shape. Monokini's come with a variety of different cut-outs along the torso, and you need to choose the right style for your body shape.

For top-heavy women looking to balance out their silhouette, Volcom offers a suit that really emphasizes the hips. While it wouldn't work on a pear shaped figure, it's perfect for creating balance for bustier gals. For those with a straight torso that want to add some curve, this Dolce & Gabana suit does a great job of emphasizing the waist and enhancing your curves, while this safari suit from O'Neill uses a v-shape to emphasize the bust and shoulders, effectively balancing out figures that are more hip heavy.

Asymmetrical cut-outs are also all the rage, but they won't hide figure flaws in the same way as the center band monokinis. They're also usually not as secure for swimming and better suited to sunning. With that in mind, don't forget to consider the tan-lines that monokinis produce and how they may or may not go with the rest of your summer attire.

Have fun at the beach, and may you have better luck with the waves than Lindsay Lohan!

Superheroes and comic books have long been studied for their influence on fashion. But it's not the capes and the masks that made Watchmen so fashion-relevant. Rather it's the showcasing of looks from the 1980s, which have been slowly but surely making a revival over the last year.

While there had been much talk of updating the setting for Watchmen, it soon became clear there was no way to tell this story of an alternate mid-80s world filled with masked heroes, nuclear dread (not to mention a Richard Nixon who, thanks to the repeal of term-limits, keeps getting re-elected) without the 1980s backdrop.

The film uses both music and clothes to make sure everyone knows exactly what time period it's set in, even if the political landscape of the film is a bleak, alternate universe fantasy. From leggings and sweatshirt dresses to big hair and bigger earrings and giant shoulder pads, Watchmen takes place in both a past era and a time that never quite was.

It's also a great showcase of how we can borrow fashion ideas from the 1980s and make them work for the 21st century.

What was one of the great lessons of the 1980s? Men can and should wear color. Okay, maybe that bright purple jacket that Adrian Veidt wears is more than a little over the top, but vibrantly colored ties and dress shirts are definitely in right now. Forget about white collar or blue colors and look to burgundies, purple, dark greens and more.

For women, you can create a great 1980s look and still skip the legwarmers. Think brightly colored leggings under dresses, brightly colored high heels and bold patterns. If you wear eye glasses, consider owning more than one pair so you can have frames in multiple colors. And while blues and pinks were overused in makeup in the 80s, a hint of vivid color in your eye make-up can be fun to play with for evening looks.

Speaking of evening, the 1980s were all about metallics, and they're making a resurgence now. Look for cocktail dresses in silver, gold or copper, but be careful of some of the weirder 1980s silhouettes, which might not necessarily flatter every figure.

Public Enemies, the upcoming new film from Michael Mann about the battle between law enforcement and legendary gangsters of the 1930s, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd is sure to be full of amazing retro-styles that will only reinforce the current trend towards styles inspired by the 1920s and '30s.

While we've been seeing a resurgence of fashion from this era for about a year now, in what has largely seemed like a comment on the current financial climate, a movie this big and this gorgeous looking (the previews are available on-line and are not to be missed), will probably make the look go mainstream.

So what is the look you're looking for if Public Enemies gets your fashion appetite going?

Men should think pinstripes. Additionally, suit silhouettes are fairly narrow, so overly built up shoulders will not be as popular. Finally, trousers are a bit fuller than the mod-inspired super skinny look that has been popular in suits for the last several years. And of course, you'll need a hat.

For women, flapper fashion is the easy, but not exclusive answer. Think short, simple and fringe. But the 1920s had lots of other style elements going on too, including art nouveau-inspired prints, fitting dresses that can be considered the predecessors to modern shirt dresses, and longer evening wear combining sheer fabrics and drape.

Fashion in the 1920s and 30s was a struggle between structure and casualness. For women, that means fewer restrictive undergarments, and outfits with more natural silhouettes. And while men were definitely in the three piece suit, this was still a simplification over earlier forms of attire. Of course, many of these looks would seem sharply formal to us today; after all this was an era in which a tuxedo was worn for informal dining (white tie still being necessary for truly formal occasions).

This era of gangsters and turmoil is a great influence if you're looking to put some formality and structure back into your wardrobe while still showcasing a bit of personal flair.