Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer. Pools open and families start making plans to hit the beach. Moms can use the opp to sunbathe and relax with the fam to also show off cute swimsuits without fear or shame or hiding their bodies.
These days, there are tons of swimsuit manufactures that cater to all tastes and comfort levels.
Women who have children are no longer forced to stick with the swim skirt or tankini. They can experiment with cuts, color, design, shape and patterns to accentuate their best features and shield those they are not comfortable with while still being confident.
Here is a roundup of various swim suit options out there and how to accomplish your pool-side or beach body look goal:
Ample bust
For those who have ample busts, itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikinis just won’t do. Exposing the girls to a beach full of folks is not an option. For them, go with a one piece bathing suit with a halter top or a top with wide straps to provide max coverage and security. There are specialty stores that cater to large cup sizes and other designers make cuts that can also handle the boobage. I like Carmen Marc Valvo‘s Cape Town Beach Crossback One Piece suit. The back will give the extra support needed and it has runching in the side for max comfort and give. It’s under $100 at $69 at Swimoutlet right now.
Small Bust
If you have a size A-B cup chest, you can afford to be bold and daring with your look. Off the shoulder tops are perfect and you can do string bikini tops with no problem and then can throw on a high cut bottom and go! One option is Beach Riot Pretty Lights’ Mirage Plunge One-Piece swimsuit with a plunging neckline which is under $100.
Full-Figure or Pear Shaped
If you want to distract from any areas of your body that you consider “problem” ones, call attention to other areas like your shoulders, legs or waist in one of Canadian-Nigerian designer Andrea Imayah‘s retro-style high-waisted swim suits. They have beautiful cut-outs making them very mom friendly yet still sexy and chic. Imayah has been featured in many fashion mags and other press Cosmopolitan UK, Ebony Magazine,Style HQ and other sites and her designs have been still also worn by celebrity bloggers Necole from XO Necole and Claire Sulmners of The Fashion Bomb Daily, and Hollywood figures Christina Milian, Adrianne Bailon, and Angela Simmons. The swimsuits cater to full-figured, petite, hourglass and pear shaped women. The bathing suits are full of color, patterns and prints that are inspired by cultures on the African continent
Ample or Wide Hips
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Instead of a swim skirt, scope out the 1940s style swim suits that have built in body contouring that clenches the hips and hides your butt cheeks. Bring the focus of your pool-ready look to your chest, not your hips, in this flirty black number, for example. The halter top gives your chest ample lift while the ruffled, but fitted, skirt slims the look of your tummy and hips. This suit by Tommy Bahama is available in sizes 8 to 16. It’s on sale now for $105.
Wide Waist or Large Belly
Draw attention from a belly with a suit that has sides that are black but a design in the middle. It will minimize the waistline. A suit like Spice Temple DD Maillot with its classic Aztec print mixed with solid side-panels will give you a slimming effect to create an hourglass silhouette. It’ s little on the pricey side at $187 at WalaSwim, but you can certainly find a similar look online or in the stores for less.
Short Waist or Long Torso
Now if you have a short waist and want to elongate your torso a bit, (or if you have a long torso and want to shorten it) a color block swimsuit is the way to go. Pick one with a pattern that either has long strips to lengthen the waist or short blocks to minimize it. We like Calvin Klein’s Color Block suit with sells for under $70.
Stretch mark Tummy
Finally, not everyone like the high waist bikini bottoms, but we love them because they are great at concealing your tiger stripes from pregnancy. You can get an assortment of them in different patterns and colors and then get a solid black or other solid color bikini top to wear with the various bottoms.