Fear Bathing Suit Shopping No More!
For some, summer clothes shopping is a dreadful experience. The warm weather means less clothes and more skin. For me, shorts= pale legs and chubby knees so I avoid them as much as possible. (yes, I hate my knees. They look like a chubby toddlers knees, which are adorable on toddlers. Not so much on myself.)
And the hot beach days? That means an… eek… swimsuit! I unfortunately know many women who avoid pools and oceans altogether so they don’t have to wear swimsuits, or others that will visit these locations but wear their clothing the entire time. And I say enough is enough! Let’s stop being so hard on ourselves, stop fearing the fitting room when bathing suit shopping and start enjoying ourselves fully without being hindered by appearance insecurities. Easier said than done? For sure. But here are some tips to help fear bathing suit shopping no more!
Understand your body type. Dressing your body for the beach is the same concept as dressing it for work. Recognize your body type so that you can make educated silhouette choices.
Rock flattering fits. Most everyone has a physical feature they are not crazy about (in their own minds, anyway. Enter the knee situation again, friends tell me that my knees look completely fine. I, however, am not fooled). We also have features that we do like about ourselves. So choose swimsuits that that work to emphasize and flatter.
Some easy universal body type fit tricks:
~ ruching helps cinch the midriff
~ patterns help camouflage areas that are not smooth
~ halter top styles flatter the upper body
“Pay no attention to the size behind the curtain.” Swimsuits are made differently than clothing- different cuts, different fabric, different results. You will often have to go up 1 or 2 sizes. So don’t get caught up in the number on the tag, but rather how well it fits.
Style that bad boy! Again, the basic wardrobe principles apply to swim suits just the same. So layer and accessorize as you please. The same way I recommend adding a layering piece to any outfit, I recommend for a swim suit. And have you seen some of the cute cover ups available?! You can get a full dress, matching top and pants, sarongs. You can rock a scarf that triples as a sarong or a poncho. You can dress your look up with some cute wedges (while lengthening your legs). Add some jewelry, oversized sunglasses, a beach hat… any and everything your style is on a regular basis can be transitioned into a water fun wardrobe.
Most importantly, be brave and cut yourself a break. I started this blog by degrading my knees. (and I promise this is the last time I will bring them up!) But what I want you to take away from this is that despite my disatisfaction, I still go wherever I want during the summer, wear what I want and do what I want. I may prefer a maxi or midi length dress over a short one, so I make satisfying purchases so that I am dressed appropriately while feeling confident. And I surely will strip down to a knee bearing swimsuit at the drop of a dime because like a true Pisces, nothing is keeping me out of the ocean! Moral of the story- just do it. Find a way, make it work while feeling good and don’t jip yourself out of amazing experiences just because you are caught up in appearances. I’m not saying to haul off and go skinny dipping now (unless you choose!), but do begin your swim suit shopping trip with a determined plan to find a suit and a cover up that make you feel great!
Feeling overwhelmed about where to shop? Need a little assistance in the fitting room deciding which fits are indeed the most flattering? Dreading your summer vacation just because you’ll have to wear a bathing suit? I’m here to help! Let’s set up a virtual style session or in store shopping experience now!