Make a Splash This Summer!
Welcome to June! We are on the cusp of summer and we all know what that means – the beach! Sultry sun, sand sifting through our toes, jaunts in the ocean all enhanced by that fabulous swimsuit! Did I really say fabulous? I did! If you have not purchased your season’s swimsuit yet, this is the article for you! By the way, don’t wait too much longer to make this purchase. By the time you hit the stores quantities and sizes will be limited!
Understanding your body shape helps to narrow the selection process. Here are some of my tips for bathing suit shopping based on body shape:
Hourglass – Shoulders and hips, bust align with a defined waist. Rejoice and accent that waist!
- Don’t break up the colors – to look and stay proportioned, have a matching top and bottom.
- Go for the wrap – Wrap Suits do wonders to enhancing your waist! Likewise a swimsuit that has a color-blocking band around the center creates the same effect.
- Halter Traffic – Halter tops are great for enhancing shoulders.
Rectangle – hips, shoulders align, not a clearly defined waist. The rectangle often carries their weight around their tummies.
- Rouching – like a great shirt, rouching is also magical on a bathing suit! Whether you select a one piece or a bikini, the pleats help to camouflage this often-tricky area!
- Select a “girly” suit – A great way to soften this shape is to select a suit with ruffles or bows. This is a great “3 F’s” trick. If the suit fits and flatters your body and the ruffles compliment your figure and provide a positive focal point for the eye to land, then you have a winner!
- The “ONE” piece – A belt, ruffle or color band around the waist of a one-piece or a monokini creates a more hourglass look.
The Triangle – Fuller hips and legs with smaller shoulders and bust. The goal is to bring the “eye” up to the upper half of your body.
- Mix and Match – This body shape is not a “one-size-fits-all!” Buying a smaller top and a larger bottom is quite common. If a tankini or bikini is your choice, go for horizontal stripes in your bust area, just make sure you have a solid bottom. The stripes will visually extend your top half to look more inline with your lower half. If you prefer a one-piece, select a suit that is solid on the bottom with color and/or embellishment around the bust area.
- Don’t band-aid the smaller bust! Avoid the bandeau – this will make your already flat chest look flatter! Instead, opt for more structured padded tops halter-top, triangular, shape or rounded cups. If you are not a fan of padding – how about ruffles to add a little extra material or a little bling with sequins!
The Inverted Triangle – Known for smaller hips and thin legs with either broad shoulders or a large bust. In this case, your mission is to bring the “eye” down to focus on your lower half!
- Slim the shoulders – The halter-top is a very friendly style on so many body types including the Inverted Triangle. Tops that have thicker straps will visually minimize the shoulders. Stick to dark colors on top!
- Enhance the shoulders – strapless and bandeaus showcase shapely shoulders.
- Rock the boy shorts! The goal is to balance your lower half with the top half. Boy shorts add width to the hips/thigh area. Go for lighter colors for the bikini/tankini bottoms. The eye always migrates to the lighter colors.
Maternity – Celebrate your body with a beautiful suit! A tankini or suit with ruching are very figure friendly. Patterns such as delicate florals or polka dots help to distract the eye.
Before handing over your credit card, I encourage you to consider what I call the 3 F’s: Fit, Flatter & Focus.
- Fit – What is my general body type (see above) and what size am I? For swimsuits, it is best to always try 1 size up from your normal size. This is not the time to get hung up on trying on the smaller size to boost your ego! Let go and grab for the next size up, your body and comfort level will be very thankful!
- Flatter – Does the bathing suit you’ve selected camouflage undesirable areas? Are you “busting” out of your bathing top or look proportioned?
- Focus – Does the bathing suit draw the eye to those areas you want to enhance, maybe your shoulders or thin legs?
I find shopping for a bathing suit is easiest done in private. Be prepared to try several on. Look in the mirror and ask yourself: Where is my eye drawn? Does it focus my best features or worst? Does the suit fit me? Does it flatter my shape? If yes – then go ahead and make the plunge!
Swimsuit Ideas:
Hourglass – balanced bikini – same top and bottom
Rectangle – monokini would be very sexy or bikini with ruffles or rouching
Inverted Triangle – strapless or bandeau – dark top with fun boyshorts
Triangle – embellished or printed top or horizontal strips with dark bottom.
