To choose the best swimsuits for your body type, you first have to know what body shape you are. Knowing your body type means knowing your best features, your problem areas, and the swimsuit designs that’ll flatter your figure even without trying them on. In other words, painless online shopping. Here’s how to choose the best swimsuits based on your body type.
Are you a plus size? Read this instead. I have a different guide for plus size ladies.
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Triangle or pear
You have a pear or triangle body shape if your body meets the following characteristics.
- Your breasts are flattish to average.
- Your shoulders are proportionately narrower compared to your hips.
- You have a well-defined waist.
- Your hips are wide and prominent that when you gain weight, it’s one of the places where you gain fats.
Best swimsuits for a pear body type
The drama should be happening at your upper body. Your hips are already gorgeous and need no further enhancements.
Your upper body (breasts and/ or shoulders), however, could use some enhancements. If your goal is to enhance your breasts, opt for push-up bikini tops. They’ll enhance your breasts and make it a cup or two bigger.
If you’re not a fan of enhancing your cleavage, wear voluminous tops with extra embellishments.
Examples are frilled and ruffled off-shoulder tops. They capture the eyes’ attention taking the focus away from your hips, therefore balancing your proportion.
While you enhance your bust, it’s recommended to downplay your hips. Wear dark, plain colored bottoms.
That doesn’t mean you can’t wear a printed bottom though. You can. You just have to remember one rule which is: Your bikini top should always outshine your bottom.
For a detailed guide on how to choose the flattering swimsuits for a pear-shaped woman, read this article.
It tackles the use of patterns, prints, and colors and how to use it to a pear woman’s advantage. It also discusses the swimsuits that should be avoided.
Rectangle or straight
You have a rectangle or straight body shape if:
- You have little or no waist definition.
- Your hips, waist, and shoulders are almost the same width
- Your breast and your booty are flattish to average.
- You don’t have a lot of curves.
Best swimsuits for a rectangle or straight body type
If you’re a rectangle, your goal likely goal would be to enhance your breasts, accentuate your curves, and visually widen your hips to create a more feminine silhouette.
To enhance your breasts, you have two options: Wear push-up bikini tops to enhance your cleavage or wear voluminous tops to create the illusion of a bigger bust.
To accentuate your curves, wear swimsuits that mimic an hourglass figure. Peplum and A-line swimsuits are excellent at this due to their hourglass shape.
You can also make use of the patterns and stripes to create the impression of an hourglass figure. For example, overlapping diagonal stripes in the middle of your midsection will soften your edges and emphasize your waist curve.
For a detailed guide specifically intended for a rectangle body shape, read this guide.
It has all the tips and tricks on how to spot the flattering swimsuits for a straight or rectangle body.
Inverted triangle
You have an inverted triangle body shape if:
- your upper body is wider than your lower body,
- you have wide and broad shoulders,
- you have large breasts,
- your hips are slim and your butt tends to be on the flat side.
Best swimsuits for inverted triangle body
If you want a more feminine look and balance out your proportion, your goal is to bring emphasis to your hips and slim down the broadness of your shoulders.
Therefore, keep your bikini top simple by wearing plain dark colored tops that are free from extra embellishments like ruffles and frills.
Reserve the embellishments for your hips. Opt for bikini bottoms with extra details at the hips like strings, ruffles, and frills. They’ll make your hips appear wider, therefore, balancing out your proportion.
If you want to play with colors, go for printed and loud colors for your bottom while solid colors for your bikini tops. Prints will enhance your hips while solid colors will downplay your shoulders.
Does this mean you can’t wear printed bikini tops? You still can. Just remember this one rule: Your bikini bottom should always outshine your top.
If you want a detailed guide on how to choose the best swimsuits for an inverted triangle, read this.
It explains how to wear stripes to your advantage, which prints to wear, and which level of booty coverage is best for an inverted triangle woman.
Apple
You have an apple body shape if:
- rounded shoulders
- full-sized breasts
- flattish to average booty
- less defined or almost straight waist
- you gain the most fat on your midsection (tummy)
- your arms and legs tend to be thinner
Best swimsuits for apple body type
The goal is to camouflage your midsection and take the eyes’ attention away from it. You can do this by wearing swimsuits that mimic an hourglass.
Peplum tankinis and A-line swim skirts are excellent at this as they’re naturally shaped like an hourglass. They’ll hug your waist and flare at the hips.
This creates a flattering contrast between your waist and your hips and shapes you like an hourglass.
If you’re not a fan of tankinis and swim skirts though, use lines and patterns instead.
For example, diagonal stripes will camouflage the bulk of your midsection and accentuate your curves.
This one piece, for instance, mimics an hourglass shape by using diagonal lines and drawing them closer together at one side the waist. This contrast creates the illusion of a slimmer waist.
If you want a guide specifically tailored for apple body types, read this article.
It contains detailed tips and tricks on which swimsuit designs to avoid and how to choose flattering ones according to shape, pattern, and color.
Hourglass
You have an hourglass body shape if:
- Your waist is curvy and well-defined.
- You have well-endowed booty and breasts.
- Your shoulders and hip share the same proportion.
- Your shoulder-waist-hip proportion is 4-2-4.
Best swimsuits for hourglass body type
Consider yourself lucky if you’re an hourglass. Of all body types, you have the most versatile shape. You can pretty much wear anything you like and look good in it.
There are, however, swimsuits that I suggest you avoid depending on the occasion. For example, avoid bikini tops that have flimsy strings as they usually don’t offer enough support for your large breasts.
However, you could still wear them if you’re just tanning and lounging and won’t be moving a lot.
I’ve written a complete guide for hourglass ladies on how to choose the most versatile swimsuits that will not only look good on them but also bring them comfort and support.
