How to Choose the Right Swimsuit for Your Body Shape

When choosing a swimsuit, you might realize that certain models look very different on the body than they do on a mannequin. On some bodies, a swimsuit highlights the advantages, and on others, it looks bad. So, how do you find out what type of swimsuit is good for you?

5-Minute Crafts is going to explain how to choose a swimsuit according to your body type.

Before you start choosing the right swimsuit to highlight the best parts of your body, it makes sense to find out your body type. If you already know your body shape, you can skip further down.

Triangle or pear body shape

Because this body type has a clear waistline and the most prominent part are the hips, the upper part of the body might lack volume. To balance out the proportions, try to switch attention from the hips to the bust by choosing patterns and decorative elements that make them visually bigger.

• If you have a small chest, you can lift it and make it look bigger by using push-up swimsuits.
• You can highlight the area by using lace, fringe, and other additional decorations. You can also highlight the upper part with color, patterns, or deep cleavage.
• If you don’t want to attract attention to the cleavage area, highlight the shoulders. For example, use tops with open shoulders. They will attract people’s attention and draw it away from the more massive lower part.
• You can also use any decorative elements in the upper part of the swimsuit. For example, you can buy models with lace around the neck that attracts attention to the unusual top of the swimsuit.
• To make the hips less visible, choose solid-colored models. The color should not be bright. Choose ones that cover the bikini area in order not to attract more attention to the area than is necessary.
• To highlight your waist, choose 2-piece swimsuits. One-piece models can smooth out the body’s curves. This doesn’t mean you can’t wear one-piece models. You can use ones with open shoulders and decorations near the bust.
• If you don’t want your belly to be visible, choose models that have a high waist. They will make your body appear longer.

What to avoid:

• Swimsuits with additional details on the bottoms (patterns, lace), and also models where the lower part of the suit is brighter than the upper part. They will make your hips appear bigger and attract additional attention to them.
• Very short tops because they will highlight the hips even more.
• Swimsuits with shorts. They make the hips appear wider.
• One-piece swimsuits, without additional decorations on the upper part, that will hide the beauty of your waist and highlight your hips.
• Models with a big opening in the bikini area. Again, this will highlight your hips too much.

Inverted triangle body shape

The main goal when choosing a swimsuit for the “inverted triangle” shape is to draw attention from the chest area or the wide shoulders. To balance out the shape, highlight the lower part of the swimsuit using color, patterns, and decorations.

• Wear light or bright colors at the bottom to make the hips appear bigger.
• Choose patterned trunks and solid colors for the top part. This will help you move the attention from the chest to the hips, and make them more attractive.
• Fringe, lace, and other decorations on the lower part of the swimsuit can also draw attention from the massive upper part.
• Buy swimsuits with an asymmetric top part and also with deep and narrow U or V-shaped cleavage. They can move the attention to the upper part of their body.
• Consider buying one-piece swimsuits and tankini swimsuits that are basically swimsuits and a T-shirt. They hide the volume in the top part of the body and highlight the legs and the hips.
• Think about buying swimsuits that have shorts at the bottom. They will make the buttocks look bigger which is exactly what you need.
• Also, choose swimsuits with deep slits in the bikini area that will highlight your long legs.

What to avoid:

• Decorative elements at the top part will attract unwanted attention to big busts and/or wide shoulders.
• Swimsuits where the upper part is brighter than the lower one or that have patterns there. Choose models with highlighted lower parts.
• Swimsuits with a low shoulder line. Wide-open body areas at the top attract a lot of attention.
• One-piece models with a straight or rectangular open area at the neck can make your shoulders look more massive.

Apple body shape

The main goal when choosing a swimsuit for the apple body shape is to hide the belly, shift the attention from it, and still show the waistline. Moving the highlights to other body parts (the bust and the legs) can help.

• Choose swimsuits with a visually narrowing central part to make the body look more proportional. It may be a pattern that follows the silhouette or additional cutouts on the sides.
• You can also use diagonal stripes to hide the belly and show the curves better.
• Pay attention to the swimsuits with light capes that will make people’s looks go around the entire body instead of getting stuck in the same place.
• You can also choose tankini models with decorations at the bottom of the top. They highlight the waistline making it look more like an hourglass.
• To draw attention away from the belly to the waist, choose the models that are tight on the waist or even those with a belt.

What to avoid:

• Any details that highlight the belly. For example, light or horizontal lines, or folds in the area.
• Decorative details around the central part in order to not draw additional attention to it.
• One-piece swimsuits with small or round cutouts for the neck that hide the bust and make your shoulders look narrower.
• The models that make you appear bigger in the middle part of your body.

Rectangle body shape

Girls with a rectangle body shape usually have slim bodies that don’t have visible curves near the bust, waist, or hips. In order to create more attractive looks, you need to work on highlighting the upper and lower parts of the body and also showing the waistline.

• Use push-up swimsuits to lift the bust and make it look bigger.
• Pay attention to the models with cutouts that will create curves on your body.
• Use patterns, textures, and details, like lace, fringe, and other things to draw attention to the lower and upper parts of the body.
• Try wearing swimsuits with a dark belt that can highlight the waistline.
• Try swimsuits with round or V-shaped cutouts or those with decorations around the cleavage area.
• Use trunks with a high cutout to make the legs look longer and make the hips look better.
• Experiment with one-piece swimsuits that can make your body look more feminine. Using side cutouts, geometric patterns, and color highlights, you can draw the waistline.
• Swimsuits with decorative pieces that imitate the hourglass shape can make the body proportions more attractive.
• Trunks with a high waist can help you highlight it. Don’t forget about this fact when choosing the lower part for your swimsuit.
• Use a lot of diagonal lines and patterns that can help add more curves to the body.

What to avoid:

• Shapeless models that hide all the natural curves of the body.
• Square-shaped cutouts and straight cuts at the top that will make the body look more angular.
• Swimsuits with rectangular shorts and rectangular tops. They will only make the body look even more “straight.”
• Horizontal lines on your swimsuits in order not to look smaller or bigger than you really are.
• Bright or even neon colors and patterns. They attract too much attention and don’t make the body look any better than it actually is.

Hourglass body shape

The hourglass body shape is considered to be naturally balanced. These women have a clearly visible waistline and the bust with hips are about the same size. When choosing a swimsuit for this body shape, you just need to make sure that you’re not distorting the proportions and not attracting attention to a single body part.

• Buy swimsuits that just make your beautiful natural silhouette even better.
• Don’t be afraid of highlighting the waistline with colors or belts. This will only make the hourglass effect better.
• Use color block-style swimsuits to show off all the good parts of your body.
• One-piece monochromatic swimsuits are a great choice for you. You can have a deep V-shaped cleavage that will look great.
• Trunks with a high cutout can make your legs look longer.
• The classic separate bikini will also make your body look good.
• If you have a big bust, choose the models that will ensure good support.
• The trunks with a high waist can highlight the waist, which is great.

What to avoid:

• Models that hide the waistline.
• Decorative parts on the hips and shoulders that will attract a lot of attention and distort the silhouette.
• Trunks with lots of decorative elements that will distort the balance of the hourglass and make the entire look heavier. Don’t use shorts.
• Bras with a wide neck cutout and additional elements that will distort your natural body proportions.