The Quest of a Bathing Beauty, Part 1

With all this warm weather lately and spring kicking into high gear, my thoughts drift off to continued warm weather, visits to the beach, and of course then - bathing suits. EEK! I don't know about you, but bathing suits are one of my most dreaded items to shop for. I loathe the idea because I know it will take a significant amount of time and more than several disappointing fittings before I find one that I can live with (let alone one that truly suits me).


Swimsuit shopping is seemingly a more treacherous task than others because it is the one clothing item that potentially has you publicly displaying more of your naked self than usual. Thankfully, many fashion magazines and fashionistas understand this peril and offer advice as to how to find the perfect swim suit for your body shape. I am fully convinced that it is possible to purchase a bathing suit, bask in the sun, and maintain a level of classiness while doing so. Unfortunately, others don't always share in my belief. You see it walking down the beach far too often.

 
So, in an effort to help, I offer you these expert opinions:

Click here for Cosomo's take on what works for various body types.

Good Housekeeping offers this 20 swimsuit slideshow with style tips.

Glamour magazine offers multiple looks & suggestions for each body type and includes categories of physical features that I have not seen receive a distinction in other guides.

And, Fitness magazine contributes these helpful guidelines specific to bikinis.

As for my own endeavor, I will now share the details of my maiden voyage. Before leaving for any store, I settled on a strategy:

1. I have zero money available, so I cannot buy anything today. You may ask, "Then why bother shopping at all?" But by not pressuring myself into thinking, I have to find the perfect suit today I can relax and enjoy the shopping experience more fully. And what's more, if I do find something I like, I can mull it over for at least a day to be sure I want to purchase it.This will safeguard me from an impulse buy.
2. $40 was my target price. I did not want to spend more than that.
3. I am primiarly looking for a tankini.

There was a specific swimsuit store in the mall that I wanted to check first. I figured if swimsuits are the only thing they sell, they ought to have a good selection available. However, it took me about 2 minutes after walking in to realize that all of the suits in the store were outside of my price range. Many of them were two piece suits with one piece alone costing $60. Granted, they were name brand suits, but names mean little to me. I moved on.

At the 2nd store, I found 2 possible options and tried them both on. I learned - bandeau tops, even when disguised as a halter top, do nothing for me. C'est la vie!

See them dimples? Not for me.

More of what I'm looking for.

Secondarily, I became comfortable with the idea of wearing regular bottoms. For the last couple of years, I have worn swim skirts in an effort to minimize my thick bottom half. I tried on a regular bottom today and was not horrified. In fact, I thought, "Yeah, I could rock this." However, after doing a 360, I decided that if I was to get a more traditional bottom, I want full coverage. No one needs to see half of my buttocks (as cute they are). :) Can't find the class in that.


I didn't even bother with the swim skirts at that store as they were longer in length than I like. So, I felt that they would end up looking matronly on me, as if I was trying to hide something, which I'm not.

I tried one more store and was disappointed in the selection. All of the bikinis were too itty bitty for me, and the tankinis were mostly in blacks and greys. While I would prefer dark bottoms, I want a fun print for the top, and this store just didn't offer that. So, that is where my search ended today, but I went home, feeling accomplished and a little wiser. Overall, it was a positive experience. I will continue my search and keep you updated as I go. Good luck with your own!! I hope the websites I provided help you in your quest.