Suit Your Shape

Do three-way mirrors, fluorescent lights, and the thought of seeing your own pasty skin squeezed into a form-fitting garment usually scare you right out of shopping for a swimsuit? Well, it’s time to face your fears. With the help of Jessica Dole with Jimmy Swimmy, try these tricks to make this year’s suit shopping painless:

• Shorter people should not wear bulky bathingsuits with an overlap. They should also stick to bathing suits that are thin on the sides of the hips. This helps elongate and thin out the legs, while taking emphasis off the midsection.
• Are you a tall drink of water? Try a longer line tankini and coordinate with separates.
• For a large bust, try a tankini, because it emphasizes your upper curves in a classy way. Also, look for suits with built-in bras for support.
• The one-piece is in. You see more and more people – large, small and everywhere in between – with uniquely styled one-peice suits.
• Bright colors in the summer emphasize tans and pedicures.

Fortunately, online retailers like JimmySwimmy.com are starting to really help women shop for bathing suits. Instead of numerical sizes, the sizes are color-coded, and the online shopping experience may decrease your public bathing suit shopping anxiety.

According to SheKnows.com , here are more simple shopping tips:

• Go shopping for a swimsuit on a day you are feeling confident and are in good spirits. Selecting a suit will be all the easier if you feel good about yourself.
• Do not set limits – especially time limits. The more time you have, the smarter your final choice will be.
• Know your body. Certain body types can’t wear certain suits. That’s just the way it is. Once you get that settled, you’ll avoid a lot of tear-fests.
• Just because your dresses are size 8, don’t assume your bikini will be. Swimsuits tend to run smaller than clothing, so be prepared to try on a few sizes larger than you are used to. Is the suit creating bulges or muffintops? That’s an instant hint to go up a size.
• Be comfortable – not just physically, but mentally. Thongs are hot, but you won’t be if you feel like a dork wearing one.