It’s that time of year again to make a splash, and the July sales are perfect for purchasing a new swimsuit. I don’t know about you, but I dread shopping for a bathing suit because all my body imperfections stand out!  I’m probably not alone in criticizing my shape, which does not resemble one of the thin models. However, the process doesn’t have to be excruciating anymore. Here are plenty of practical guidelines for finding a suit that fits your body well and makes you feel great! Now head to the beach or pool feeling confident, knowing that you’re swimwear suits you to a T!

Knowing Your Body Shape Starts with Your Measurements

Where you naturally distribute weight––determines which swimsuit will look best on you. Measure your hips at the widest point, waist at the smallest point, and bust at the fullest point.  Swimsuit sizing and styling depend on these ratios. Here are some simple interpretations:

• Inverted triangle- Your hips are significantly wider than both your waist and bust.
• Triangle- Your waist is significantly wider than your hips and equal to or nearly as wide as your bust.
• Hourglass shape- Your bust and hips are about the same width, but your waist is significantly smaller.
• Rectangle (also known as ruler or banana shape)- You’re thin all around, with no significant difference between your hips, waist, and bust.

Decide What Areas You Want to Show-Off or Camouflage

Small Chest:  To create the illusion of a fuller bust, choose a top with embellishments, ruffles, or padding to give you a little something extra.

HUGE Chest: For the girls with big girls, string bikinis and suit tops that come in S, M, or L  are not your friends. Select a suit with cup sizes and underwire for the support you need to keep your boobs intake when you take a dip. For a more flattering result, look for thicker bathing suit straps and double-stitched bands.

Flat Booty: Create the illusion of a bigger behind with frills, ruching, bright colors, and loud prints. Also, showing a little cheek is preferable to full-coverage bottoms.

Big Behind: If you have a larger backside, string bikinis and high-cut swimsuits are uncomfortable and too revealing. Look for designs with solid bottoms with enough fabric for adequate coverage to avoid wedgies and printed tops — which will help balance out your figure.

Short Torso: The trick to elongating a short torso is adding length and lifting the bustline. Your torso appears longer with low-rise bottoms and halter straps drawing attention to your neck and shoulders, so people skim over your short mid-section.

Back Fat:  A suit with thin straps usually dig into your skin and make that dreaded flesh folds more pronounced. So reach for designs with thicker straps and high backs to smooth any lumps and bumps.

Short Legs: Go for suits with high-cut legs to elongate shorter legs. Since you are showing more skin, it will make you appear longer. If you’re daring, go for a thong for optimal lengthening potential.

Full Thighs:  Opt for bottoms with a little bit more coverage to camouflage a fuller thigh. A skirt bottom conceals part of your upper leg giving a slimmer appearance.

A Tummy Pouch: Hiding a tummy is easier than you think. A one-piece with ruching and a plunging neckline moves the focus upwards, which conceals your stomach.

Compact, Athletic Body: The goal is to give the illusion of curves with a top with cups, padding, gathering, and picking feminine prints and bright colors. Avoid straight-across bandeaus, boy-cut briefs, or shapeless one-pieces because they will enhance your athletic figure.

Choose colors and fabrics that will highlight your best features and downplay your less-loved parts.

The secret to selecting your best swimsuit is drawing the eye to the most flattering parts of your figure.  Here are some essential tips to follow:

• Use bright color or pattern to highlight a feature like
• Use a solid color to hide something you don’t like
• Use black or deep jewel tones if you have pale skin: dark purple, navy, and maroon.
• Bright colors can be more flattering and help hide what you don’t like if you have a dark skin tone.
• Select a piece with ruffles to add volume (such as to the bust or hips)
• Use shirred or ruched fabric to hide volume (such as at the waist),
• Don’t be afraid to buy separates that don’t match perfectly! For example, if you want to highlight your bust but draw attention away from your hips, you might buy a bikini top in a bright solid or pattern, and a bottom that’s a dark black, blue, or brown (depending on the top)

Choose the right cut.

Here’s a quick summary of what you might want to highlight or conceal.

• Choose a one-piece with shirred panels over the stomach or a 1940’s style bathing beauty bottom that’s high- in a dark, solid color to hide your waist. A 1940 style bathing beauty bottom that’s high-waisted can help conceal a waist.
• If you love your waist but not your hips or bust, choose a tankini because it draws the eye to the section of skin showing.
• If you have a large bust and want the hips to appear wider to match a classic hourglass shape, choose boyshorts.
• If you’re short or long in the torso, high-cut bikini bottoms make legs look longer.
• If you have small breasts, halter, triangle, and tie-front tops, draw the eye to the bust and pull the breasts closer to one another, making them look larger.
• If you’re an inverted triangle and want to imitate an hourglass shape, choose a bandeau top with ruffles or another busy detail to make the bust seem wider.
• For a large bust, select a straight across cut at the top of your swimsuit with wide-set straps. Also, try a bikini top with an underwire and a thick chest band for extra support.

Consider the primary purpose

If you plan on swimming laps or surfing, don’t buy a string bikini to avoid embarrassing moments! Bikinis are limited in active workouts in a pool or the sea, but a more solid tankini would hang in there with no problems.  Instead, check out sports swimsuits which often have added features to help with support, streamlining and comfort, if you’re planning on doing more than keeping cool by the pool.

Get professional help

If you’ve tried shopping on your own and can’t find anything that works, you may want to consider hiring an image consultant. ImageUp will take your measurements and go with you to make your selection. Be upfront about what you like and what you want to hide. Together we’ll find the swimsuit that suits your body type and has you looking and feeling your best! Schedule your complimentary Signature Style profile NOW to determine where you are in your style journey and what you want your style to be.  Let’s make a plan to get you what you want- so you can move forward in fashion!