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Fashion Friday: Bathing Suits

Oh yeah. I’m going there. Swimsuit season is almost here, and we might as well face the music. If you’re anything like me, finding a flattering swimsuit is one of life’s most humbling experiences. As far as I’m concerned, it ranks right up there with root canals and mammograms. It’s a necessary evil, for sure.

But there’s hope. There are some fantastic bathing suits out there, it just takes some trial and error to find the right one for you.

I’ve long been a fan of Miraclesuits. Back when I was birthing babies, I swore by these suits to keep help smooth out the lumps and bumps that were an inevitable part of life while losing baby weight. They had some cute styles back then, but when we were at Getting Gorgeous earlier in the month, Miraclebody Swim was on hand to show us their new line of suits, and there’s only one way to put it: They’ve come a long way, baby.

They were cute before, but they are super stylish now. Take a look.

From left to right: Sonatina Swimsuit (Berry)Solitaire Hamden Swimsuit (Black/White), Sanibel Swimsuit (Black), Rialto Swimsuit (Electric Blue), Kitty Galore Utopia Swimsuit (Chocolate). Photo credits from Miraclesuit.com. Mad photoshop skilz from moi!

I’ve never found a suit as good at holding the jiggly parts in check, and if this is what you’re looking for, I highly recommend giving Miraclesuits a try. They also have bikinis, which sort of defeats the purpose in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat. And they ARE cute.

If you don’t need quite that much support, Lands End swimwear is always a sure bet. They often go on sale halfway through the season, and that is when I tend to stock up. I’m a huge fan of their tankinis.

Photo credit: Landsend.com

Those swimsuits are all from their Beach Living Collection. What I like about Lands End is that you can search for suits by the type of solution you need. They make suits designed to flatten the tummy, slim the hips, conceal the thighs, elongate the legs, and enhance or minimize the bust. Yes please!

Last year I ordered from Athleta. Their suits aren’t quite as supportive as Lands End, but they are super cute. I am totally sold on their Swim Short. I bought this pair last year because they went with a top I already had.

I’m hoping to get a new suit this year, and I will definitely be getting shorts again. I have my eye on the Artisan Oceanside Short with the Artisan Banded Halter Tankini.

I usually wear skirted suits, but the shorts are a nice alternative and don’t feel as fussy. Go ahead, call me Grannie, but I’m a firm believer that there comes a time in a woman’s life when no one should have to see her thighs. And friends, that time has come and gone for me.

Now if you’re more daring, and if child bearing hasn’t done to your body what it did to mine, there are always these super cute bikinis.

Don’t you just want to BE that girl? Heck, I’ll just take her abs.

I wish they showed more of their suits with the tops and bottoms together. If I was more industrious, I’d use photoshop to show you some of the cute combinations, but you’ll just have to go peruse the site yourself because I have kids to get to school by 9am.

But first, I want to show you the swimsuits at Shabby Apple. I love their vintage inspired suits. If you want something no one else is wearing, this is the place to go.

Photo credits: ShabbyApple.com

From left to right: Amalfi in black, Castaway’s Beach in red, Astra in plum, Fresh Water Beach Halter in aqua.

If these suits are out of your budget, try Old Navy. They may not offer the support and coverage of the more pricey suits, but they have cute styles, and at these prices, you won’t mind tossing them at the end of the season and getting something new next year.

Photo credit: OldNavy.com

And guess what? This Saturday, from 7am to 11am only, Old Navy will have swimsuits for the whole family at 60% off. This offer is only good in stores, so make your plans now. I’d advise getting there right at 7am before everything is picked over and the displays get all trashy looking. (I don’t envy those employees one bit!)

How about you? What is your go-to place for swimwear?

Disclosure: links to Old Navy, Athleta, Zappos and Shabby Apple may be affiliate links.

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16 Responses

  1. I am a Land’s End girl through and through. They really do hold up . . . for years! . . . and are so flattering. I had to laugh at the “call me a Granny” comment because I totally agree that nobody (except my husband!) should have to see my thighs. I love my skirted suit from Land’s End!

  2. I bought my daughter two swimsuits at old navy. Bummed that I missed the sale!! But she feels that they are trendy enough, and I felt that they were modest enough for an almost-13 year old girl/young woman, so we’re both happy.

    My son needs one or two, so I might take him.

    I bought two suits from Lands End this year, and was surprised to find out that I can return my top that I ALREADY WORE. I was planning to exchange the second one for a better fit and when I mentioned that I had already worn the other and decided I didn’t really like the fit, she told me I could still return it. Awesome.

  3. Remember last fall when you said – RUN NOW and get a swim suit for cheap? I did. And I love it. (Lands End).

    And now I will gladly stick my head in the sand until I have at least HINT of color on my poor pathetic self (won’t be today! snow in the forecast? that’s right, be jealous).

  4. I bought 2 suits last year. One from Lands End and one from Everything But Water. My LE suit is a little too big so I need to exchange it this year. Basically, the material is fine dry but was too lose wet. I LOVE my EBW suit. I am a DD top and I was able to get an underwire top that fit great and supported well. The bottoms are sold separately like LE. I did get skirts with both suits but will not in the future. I like to swim and there is just too much fabric floating around. I’ll buy a cheaper cover up or wrap skirt for when I am not in the water.

    LE does have a good return policy. When the lycra went out of my kids suits in the course of a summer, I returned them, no receipt and got a full refund.

    1. I’m a DD as well and was able to order that last year with Athleta. It still isn’t quite enough support, though. I am loving the EBW site. That is new to me. I might have to place an order, but I wish they had the shorts.

  5. I love Lands End, for their suits AND their return policy. But darn it, those Shabby Apple ones are calling my name. I may have to try them for a change of pace this year. I’ve also had some decent luck at TJ Maxx, although you have to be able to spend some time searching.

    Great to meet you yesterday — I may have to pester you with questions as I start my family on our new journey into organics. (But mostly I’ll just keep up with your sites.) I’m already counting down to farmer’s market season!

  6. Love the Land’s End “tunic” top that has ruching on the sides. It’s nice to hide a midsection with fabric folds and wrinkles and not those of my own flab! (Fabric instead of flabric?? poor attempt at a joke) Great post! Thanks.

  7. I love my miracle suit. I always say, they are great, make you look 10 lbs. slimmer but it costs about 15 bucks a pound… I usually order from eddie bauer or find mine at Ross.
    I have the bright aqua one and love the fit and feel. The shirring helps too…
    I like the skirts on the bottom but when I tried them on I felt like they made my short legs look even shorter.
    The tankikis are great for mixing and matching.

  8. I bought a Land’s End tankini top two years ago to go with a skirt I already had. I love it! Unfortunately, they don’t have the same fit/style this year, but I’ll probably still go there for a second top when they go on sale. I love the skirt too, I just feel way too exposed in a bikini bottom.

  9. I’m a tankini girl – all the way! Right now I have a suit from Target, but I’m dying to try one from LandsEnd. Maybe this will be the summer that I do.

    I tried a Miraclesuit once, but it was too low-cut for comfort.

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