As exciting as it is to plan a tropical beach vacay, soak up the rays and warm weather, and look forward to some well needed R&R, there’s one thing in all of the beach trip planning that gives many women angst…
Swimsuit shopping!!
It’s one thing to brave the awful dressing room lighting, and come to terms with our reflection in the mirror. Then something else, trying to figure out which suit will look great on us.
There are so many different styles, shapes, colours, details….just so much, it can be overwhelming to know which to choose.
I’ve taken some of the most common complaints or struggles, I hear from my personal styling clients, and made some suggestions.
Similarly to when we are dressing in clothes, we want to accentuate our assets and balance our proportions, with our swimsuits.
It may be a little more challenging with swimsuits since we don’t have layers to play with, but follow my tips and suggestions and you’ll look killer in your suit.
First thing for us to get really clear on, is that looking great in our swimsuit, is not about keeping up with trends. It’s always about what fits our body the best. There are just some trends we have to watch from the sidelines :).
We want to look fantastic and feel confident in our swimsuits, so the next thing to keep in mind is understanding our shape. This will make it much easier guiding us to the right fit.
These are just guidelines, not rules. Many of these styles will work for other shapes too, so don’t feel limited. I’m just highlighting the key features that make them right for a particular body shape.
I encourage you to try several different styles on.
So here we go
Full bust– If you are heavy-chested, it’s really important to have swimsuits that will provide the support the girls need. Wide straps around the shoulders will be most comfortable and distribute the weight evenly. A halter style without neck ties could also be a good option. Underwire and a supportive band under the breasts are also great features. With a full bust, I would not recommend high necks, this will make you look bigger and give you a uniboob. V-necklines are always a great style. Here are some options:
Small chest– If you’re on the other end of the spectrum, and don’t have much in the breast area, and want to make it look like you have a little more, or not highlight that there isn’t much there, think about tops that have details in the bust area. Think ruffles, patterns, scalloping, ruching, beading or sequins. Make that area fussy.
Check these out:
Heavier on the bottom-To balance your proportions, with a heavier bottom half, you want to bring the attention up to your top and away from the bottom.You do that by having bare shoulders, which makes your top look wider. Try to have all the interest in the top. V-Necklines, plunging necklines, bandeau tops with ruffles, asymmetrical tops. For the bottoms, choose higher leg cuts. No boy shorts. All the fabric brings attention to your larger bottom. You also want to choose a style that has more coverage/fabric on the bottom.
Here we go:
Athletic/straight-If your shape tends to be more straight up and down (this is the shape of many models), then you want to try to create some curve and movement. I like cut-out at the waist, asymmetrical necks, low rise leg, ties at the sides of the bottoms. A monokini is a great option for this shape. Here are some options:
Plus-sized and curvy-Don’t hide. Get out there and enjoy. I love a wrap style, a V-neckline, ruching in the mid section, and colour blocking is also a nice treatment.
Here are some ideas:
Petites– My petites, I didn’t forget about you. What we want to accomplish for a petite frame is elongation. And making legs look longer. So higher leg cut, string bikinis, colour blocking cutting the body in 1/3 and 2/3, are great styles to try.
Try these:
Here are some options from my storefront on Amazon. I think these styles will work beautifully on many different body shapes. Some are also best sellers.
If you’d like some private 1:1 help with finding swimsuits for your body or ready for a wardrobe refresh, let’s chat and see what possible for you.