Does your excitement for summer come to a screeching halt when you think about bathing suit shopping? Here are my suggestions to make it a (practically) pleasant experience.
1. Know your body type, and then shop only the shapes and styles that will flatter you. Don’t waste time on suits you may love but don’t love you back!
To determine your body type, take this quiz or identify yourself below:
An hourglass figure hasshoulders and hips that are about the same width with a defined waist (Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johannson). Rectangles arestraight, with shoulders and hips about the same width without a defined waist (Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson). Triangles have smaller shoulders and a fuller hip (Jennifer Lopez, Mischa Barton). Inverted triangles have broader shoulders/bust and an almost non-existent hip (Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz).
Check out this video for bathing suit suggestions by body type, or see my faves for 2010 below!
2. Shop now! When the pressure isn’t on to find a great suit by the weekend, your shopping experience will be a lot more relaxing. As well, if you wait until summer, the retailers may run out of your size and color choices.
3. Shop online. Spare yourself the torture of trying on a zillion bathing suits in horrible fluorescent-lit fitting rooms. Many retailers will offer free shipping with a minimum purchase. You will only be charged shipping on what you return, a small price to pay for the opportunity to try on in the privacy of your (perhaps candlelit?) bedroom! Don’t forget to order up a size from your usual clothing size.
Check out some of my favorite suits for 2010:
Rectangle
The ruching on this Lenny tankini hides a multitude of sins in the tummy area!
Triangle
Gathering on the top of this J. Crew suit adds volume and draws the eye away from fuller hips
Inverted Triangle
This Miraclesuit provides excellent support for larger-busted women.
A note to Philadelphia-area readers:
You must check out Abbe’s Place at 4355 Main Street in Manayunk. Owner Abbe Cheskin has been fitting women in bathing suits for 20+ years, so she knows all the right questions to ask. Abbe is so good that twice she has fitted me for bathing suits over the phone! The exclusive labels she carries may cost a pretty penny, but the service and quality she provides is well worth it.
One of the privileges I have as a stylist is seeing the inner transformation that can occur when someone’s outsides are spruced up a bit. There is a ripple effect that happens when someone looks good and feels good. They have an energy about them that affects everyone they come in contact with.
It was lovely to read someone else’s words about their reaction to seeing one of my clients “looking fierce”.
Persephone Brown is a health coach who primarily counsels women in the art of self-care. The following is an excerpt from her blog post entitled, Yoga Pants are for Yoga:
The other day I met some friends and their children at the park. One of the mom’s, and fellow health counselor, showed up looking fierce. She had just returned from a consultation with a client and from her hair to her shoes she looked professional, fun, and sexy. Apparently a friend, who works as a stylist, gave her a little guidance and supported her to pass on some of her more difficult to get rid of clothing items that no longer suited her (ie:maternity clothes). Her stylist nicely suggested she stop wearing yoga pants to work and to save them for the gym. This experience seemed to have breathed new life into my friend, she looked on the outside how she felt on the inside. You can’t get much more authentic than that.
This got me thinking… Does your current style support who you are and where you want to go?
I have always admired people who took the time to put themselves together in a way that reflects how they feel on the inside, the colorful, fun, funky ones. Admittedly I spend a majority of the winter in my pajamas or my “yoga clothes”. I’m on Block Island, I see no one, I work from home, I get dressed when I am leaving the island or meeting with a client and that’s pretty much it. Even when going for walks I just put my coat on over my slug-wear. Do I think this supports who I am and where I want to be going with my life? Nah- ah. I feel so much better the days I get dressed, and better still on the days I really get it together and dress nice. I am more motivated, feel better in my skin, and confident. What I recognize though is this takes energy, what I know is energy creates momentum and in turn creates more energy.
The key to creating a stylish maternity look is to invest in a few beautiful maternity pieces, creatively integrate your non-maternity clothes, and then accessorize like crazy!
A few must-have investment pieces for the season: designer denim, white pants, trapeze tops, and the wrap dress. (Dresses can be a lot more comfortable than pants when you are pregnant, giving you the freedom of not having a waistband digging into your belly.)
Take stock of your non-maternity wear that can be worn through much of your pregnancy– for example, cardigans and jackets can be left unbuttoned and used as layering pieces. Tunics and leggings can be worn well into the 2nd trimester and are right on trend. Just make sure to keep the volume on one half of the body. Keeping the other half fitted will help make you look thinner.
Accessories are “one size fits all” and can bring attention to areas you would like to focus on, like your face. A long necklace can keep the eye line moving, resulting in a slimmer and longer appearance. Scarves and handbags are a great way to add some color and can be used long after the baby is born.
When I created my health and lifestyle women’s group coaching program for women, Jill was the first speaker I booked. Jill has found a way to bring image to a spiritual level, to connect how we present ourselves to who we want to be; how to look in the mirror and see our bodies' best features, highlight those features and embrace the body we currently have. Many of the women were so inspired by Jill that they have been purging their closets, cutting and coloring the gray from their hair and wearing earrings everyday. Thanks to Jill, they understand the impact investing a little time can make to their self esteem.
-Hannah's Harvest Heath and Lifestyle Coaching, Providence, RI
