A quick look around your local shopping mall will reveal an array of vibrant swimwear designs, but it can be a real challenge knowing which ones will make you look your best. It is important to choose items of swimwear that highlight your best features and downplay your worst ones. Also remember that fabric and color are just as important as style. So, before you go rushing out to buy any new swimwear, think carefully about the following points:
- Get in the mood. There is no point in shopping for swimwear if you’re not in the holiday mood. So before you embark on your quest for the perfect swimwear, take a look at some old holiday photographs or travel brochures. If this doesn’t do the trick, you could try playing some of your favorite holiday tunes.
- Remove unwanted hair. This is essential before trying on any swimwear, especially if you are taking a friend along with you for a second opinion. It is important to remember that if you don’t look your best when you are trying on items of swimwear, you are likely to lose interest quickly and probably end up going home empty-handed.
- Get the tape measure out. Make sure you measure yourself properly beforehand. This will give you a good idea of your size and should hopefully prevent you from having to take a variety of different sizes of swimwear into the changing rooms with you.
- Determine your body shape. You will need to decide where your body naturally distributes weight, as this will determine which items of swimwear will suit you best. To find out what shape you are, measure your waist at the smallest point and your hips at the widest point. Once you have done this, look at the following shapes:
. Apple — This is when your waist is bigger than your hips and more or less equal to your bust.
. Pear — This is when your hips are bigger than your waist and bust.
. Straight — This is when there is no difference in size between your waist, hips and bust.
. Hourglass — This is when both your hips and bust are the same size, but your waist is significantly smaller.
- Take a good look around first. Don’t be tempted to buy the first item of swimwear you find that appears to fit well in all the right places. Make sure that you have a good look around first and make a note of prices. Some of the department stores have their own ranges of swimwear, and these can often work out cheaper than many of the designer brands. Once you have a better idea of which swimwear designs suit you best, you could even have a look online before making any final decisions.
- Look at the cut.Buying swimwear with the right cut can help to accentuate certain parts of the body and hide others. A one-piece swimsuit or bikini bottoms with a high waist can help to hide your stomach, and a tankini can help to draw attention to it. If you want your legs to look longer, choose high-cut bikini bottoms. Bikini shorts will help to make your hips look wider, and you can accentuate your bust by wearing a triangle or halter-neck bikini top.
- Think about its use. Think about the sort of holiday you are going on, as this will determine the type of swimwear you will need to buy. If you are planning on spending your holiday doing lots of water sports, for example, then a small bikini may not be the most practical thing to wear.
- Consider colors and fabrics. Surprisingly, colors and fabrics can play a large part in highlighting and hiding certain areas of the body. Bright colors and patterned fabrics can help to highlight areas you want to be more obvious, and solid colors can help to hide your more undesirable features. You can add volume to an area by using ruffled fabrics, and your skin tone can be enhanced by certain colors. B lack or deep tones are great choices for people with pale skin, and bright color s look great against a dark complexion.
- Take a friend along. It may be difficult to decide which items of swimwear look best when you go shopping on your own, so it may be a good idea to take a friend along with you for some moral support.
- Buy it and see. If you can’t decide whether to buy something or not, then why not buy it and try it on again when you get home? You can always take it back to the shop if you change your mind.
Once you have tried on a variety of different swimwear designs, you will soon find out which styles and colors look best on you. Having the perfect swimwear for your body shape will help to flatter your figure and enable you to look your best on the beach or around the pool.
