How To Find the Right Swimsuits…

For Your Body Type

Perhaps you heard the joke about getting the ideal beach body? Here’s how it goes: How do you get a beach body? You put on a bathing suit and go to the beach! In other words, every body is a beach body, but there are still some swim suits that are better for your shape than others. That leads to the question of figuring out how to choose the best swimsuits for your body type.

It is actually not all that complex, but does involve a bit of self-assessment and then some basic goal setting. Let’s first figure out body type and work from there!

Determine Your Body Type

There are many ways our bodies appear, and all of it is based on genetics. Tall or short, wide or narrow, and even a tendency to be curvier or not can all be due to our ancestry. Then there is our level of fitness and our body weight added to the mix. However, those dominant body types still prevail. The four most common are:

Pear
Apple
Hourglass
Straight (Athletic)

On top of these general shapes are other issues to consider. There are people with larger busts, small busts, broad or narrow shoulders, and so on. The key is to first address your body type and then those special considerations. However, as it can get super confusing to attempt to combine the tips and methods here, let’s take just a few moments to draw up some basic rules for selecting the best swimsuits for your body type.

Some Basic Rules for Emphasizing, De-Emphasizing and Dealing with Not So Favorite Parts

If you are small busted and sensitive about it or have wide hips and hate it, you can actually use the following tips to overcome some of your concerns:

• How to emphasize a feature – dress it in a brighter color or pattern.
• If you wish to de-emphasize a feature – use a solid, darker color. If it is the bust area, opt for a suit that cuts straight across the neckline and has wide set straps as this visually shrinks the area.
• Complexion fair to pale – consider using darker or richer jewel tones on your suit.
• If your complexion is medium to dark – consider wearing brighter colors.
• Create the illusion of volume (such as a larger bust) – use ruffles or anything that creates visual bulk in the area, including a ruffled skirt at the hips, and so on. A halter top can also draw attention to the area and create the illusion of a larger bust. As one fashion expert said, “Tie-front bikini tops draw the eye to the bust, as well as pulling the breasts closer to one another, effectively making them look larger. If you have small breasts and want them to look larger, this might be a good fit.”
• If you want to create the illusion of less volume (such as minimizing a waist) – select suits that use ruching or shirring in that area and go with a one-piece.
• Need to mix and match pieces and prints to get the look you like, such as brightly colored top and darker bottom, that is perfectly fine!
• If you want to make your legs appear longer – choose a suit with high cut leg openings.
• Eager to create an illusion of some kind – choose a suit that is clearly designed to create it. For example, suits that use curved stitching and contrasting colors are often designed to create an hourglass curve or minimize the waist. Don’t overlook the way any patterns, straps or other features of a suit are intended to improve the outline or silhouette of the body.
• If you wish to broaden some area – Use horizontal stripes. If it is the hips, the boy leg style really widens them.

Of course, it should go without saying, but we’ll remind you here, that it is of the utmost importance to always choose a suit based on its purpose. A bikini for laps at the gym is not a smart option!

With these basic tips and tactics, you’ll have a lot more luck as you begin looking at bathing suits for your body type. That means it is time to look at those body types!

The Pear

So, let’s begin with the pear shape. Just picture the fruit – it has a broader base and narrow top. That can translate to a person’s body with wider hips and narrower shoulders. It is not an unusual body type and is what you see with J-Lo, Gwyneth Paltrow and many other celebrities.

The suits for you are those that draw attention to the upper body, such as those with thin or decorative straps or a bust flattering neckline. Of course, the goal at all times is to balance the proportions and that might mean choosing a skirted bottom that hits just below the larger area of your leg or choosing a neckline that is a bit more plunging as that draws the eye upward. Side cutouts are great for creating an hourglass illusion and diagonal lines in the stitching or pattern are also good for some visual trickery.

Ombre colors are also great if you have the brighter/lighter hue at the top and darker shade below. Color blocking and/or vertical detailing is very helpful and the use of smaller prints and vertical patterns can do a lot.

The Apple

Again, envision the fruit – it has a center that is wider than the top or bottom. The apple has a thicker waist that may be even with the bust. Think Mindy Kaling or Elizabeth Hurley, both of whom have waists that are even in size to their hips and busts.

The bathing suits for this figure can vary quite widely but the goal is to draw the eye way from the midsection and to the other areas of the body. A one piece or tankini can work well, but even a two piece is okay if chosen correctly. The one piece should use that shirring or billowing panel at the belly area to slim down the waist and printed bottoms make this even more effective.

You can also choose a higher, banded waistline to visually carve out a waist and a skirted bottom can be even more balancing. If you are uncomfortable with your tummy, you can also look for control panel suits or surplice wrap designs.

Chevron stripes can also narrow the waist and this is the time to consider those higher cut leg openings and bust embellishments, such as ruffles.

The Hourglass

Again, this looks exactly as it appears in real life – the bust and hips are similar in proportion but the waist is very small in comparison. This is something that many people think of as a voluptuous and sexy figure, but it is very difficult to dress. Whether swimwear or everyday wear, it is hard to find bottoms for a body with a small seat and narrow waist or tops that are not too billowy over a fuller bust. This is the figure that someone like Marilyn Monroe or Kate Upton has, and you can see that it is a good one for most swim suits.

The “bombshell” figure benefits from suits that can accent those curves yet offer support. So, that would mean underwire bikini tops, high cut bottoms to lengthen the leg and give some balance, and color blocking that can be used to accent the curvy shape. Asymmetrical bathing suits can also direct the eye upward and downplay the bust.

The Athletic

Someone who is generally thin and without much difference between the width of the hip or the bust is athletic. Think of Emily Blunt or Olivia Palmero and you have a clear idea of that body type. Before you growl about those types having nothing to complain about in the beach wear department, think again.

After all, they need to choose suits that aim at giving them curves and the illusion of a far more voluptuous figure. In fact, some athletic framed women find it hard to find suits that fit well because they tend to be small busted with more athletic lower bodies. This is actually why monokinis work well for them.

The other suits for the athletic frames should emphasize the bust, use vertical details and color blocking to create balance and shirring or cut outs to create an hour glass figure. Smaller bottoms can be worn to emphasize the behind, and tankinis are great for those who wish to create a shorter or bulkier torso. Don’t forget that string bikinis are excellent for also creating the illusion of wider hips and larger busts.

Still Can’t Decipher Your Shape?

What can you do if your body doesn’t so easily fit into any one category? The good news is that many people cannot easily decipher their own body type. The athletic woman with the large bust or the pear-shaped woman with the belly she wants to eliminate are examples of this. Yet, you already have some tips you need to know just how to overcome such issues.

To create even more help, though, let’s take things a bit farther and look at one of the emerging systems for deciphering body types. This one uses letter and numbers, and though some are familiar, others are not and can really help those still stumped by their body type.

The Alpha-Numeric Approach

It is not unusual to see body type guides using a unique alpha-numeric system. They use the letters A, X, I, H, V and O along with the number 8. You can probably guess that the 8 is the hourglass and the O the apple. The I shape is the athletic shape, and yet the others may seem a bit mysterious, but you need only visualize them over a human form. The A becomes a pear shape and the V a bustier woman. The X is somewhat similar to an hourglass, but even more robustly proportioned.

We mention these alternatives because they come with a few different rules about dressing those styles. For example, the I bodies are encouraged to wear horizontal stripes, the Xs to always dress to emphasize the upper body and draw the eye upward. The H is told to look for surplice and waist enhancing designs, while the Vs are told to go with darker tops and lighter bottoms or even halter neck styles.

What you see here, though, is simply more advice about selecting styles that feel best on your particular body type. Someone with short legs is going to enjoy the comfort of higher cut leg openings. Someone with a large bust is going to love an underwire support and effective straps. The person with a rounded belly or thicker waist will feel more comfortable with a bathing suit that covers it or makes it look more proportion with ruching.

Time to Hit the Store!

All that leaves is for you to hit the stores and do the shopping. Before you rush off to the mall and the leading department stores, we encourage you to reconsider. While many designer labels make amazing suits, you may find that you have a lot more selection if you choose an actual swimwear supplier or wait until swimsuit shopping season (this often starts around March or April, peaks in May and has clearance sales in early summer through August).

If you can do some shopping in a store where there are professional clerks, it can be helpful, but most shoppers find it unnecessary. You will want to go when in the right frame of mind and not after an enormous lunch or meal. This is because your body might be retaining water or even a bit bloated and it can be disheartening to not feel at your best as you try on some suits. You may even want to purchase online, try suits on at home and make your choices in total comfort!

If you are honest with yourself about the areas of your body that make you self-conscious, the actual reason you are going to buy the swimsuit (such as you are taking up surfing, going to the gym, and so on) and know the right way to dress your body type, you will have good luck.  We are confident you’ll be able to find the best swimsuits for your body type.

Related: Makeup for Your Skin Tone

More Great Body Type Resources:

The Most Flattering Swimsuits For Every Body Type

How to Choose the Right Swimsuit

How to Dress for Your Body Shape