Buying the best and most flattering women’s swimming suits for your figure and body type can be a challenge. These tips and hints should help you to find the perfect swimsuit for your body, making the right choices depending on your figure type and areas you may wish to conceal or show off!

Key things to remember:

Every body has its flaws and its assets. Accentuate the positive; minimize the negative.

Light attracts; dark recedes.

If you remember just those things, you’ll do ok when shopping not only for a woman’s bathing suit, but for figure-flattering clothes in general.

Below are common problem areas and the choices you can make when shopping for swimwear to deflect attention away from them:

Heavy thighs: Draw attention upwards by wearing a belted suit to call attention to waist or a suit that has details across the bust area if that is one of your assets. Wear black on bottom to “hide”, pattern or color(s) from waist up to draw the focus there.

Pot belly: Choose a dark color for this area. Full length tankini, or look for a swimming suit with built-in tummy control. A belted suit can help hide bulge (but can also call attention to that area, so be careful). Ruching or draping can help conceal a poochy stomach.

Big bust: Think support and look for wide shoulders and thicker straps. Look at one-piece swimsuits with empire waists and support from underneath, straight neckline, or deep “v” neck to elongate. A swim suit for a large breasted woman should include inner support such as a shelf or underwire cups. Dark color is best.

Small bust: Prints, patterns, and bright / light colors are good for this area when the bust is undersized. Bikinis that tie around neck can provide some lift. May want to consider a bikini top with built-in padding and/or a demi bra to lift and enhance.

Short legs: Look for bottoms with high cut sides to give the appearance of longer legs.

Big butt: Look for skirted styles, swimdresses and skirtinis. An added bonus is that they can be especially sexy and feminine. Be sure to stick with dark colors on bottom such as black or navy to minimize your derrière.

Waist-less: Side shirring and swimming suits that have vertical lines down each side which curve in middle will serve you well.

We hope these tips will help when shopping for your swimming wear and beachwear.