How to Pick the Right Swimwear for Your Body Shape

If you’re planning a summer getaway, now’s the perfect time to pick out swimwear that truly flatters your body shape — and makes you feel amazing. 💛

To help you do just that, I’ve created a quick visual guide showing the most flattering swimsuit styles for each body shape, and pack with confidence.

✅ Learn what suits your shape best 👙

✅ Choose the right cuts, colors, and details

✅ Feel amazing at the beach, pool, or on vacation

Choosing the bikini that you feel your best in

First of all, I’d like to highlight that we do not have to have the perfect body. All of us, in any shape, were beautiful and unique. Full stop. However it is perfectly ok to desire a more flattering, slimmer or curvier look. For example, my least favorite place on my body is the fat around my tummy. And I feel myself more confident when my mid section looks slimmer and my tummy flatter. Therefore, my priority in the swimwear search is bikinis or one pieces that conceal my midsection. On the other hand, for tops I like the tiny bikini tops or plunge swimsuits. Similarly, you may want to conceal or highlight some sections of your body. Here are the style tips on how to pick the right swimwear for your body shape.

The Best Swimsuit / Bikini for APPLE Body Shaped Women

You have an apple body shape if you have a wider upper body compared to lower body. A merely defined waistline and fuller tummy create a rounder mid section silhouette. Your hips may be the same width or even slimmer than your upper body. Usually apple body shaped women have beautiful and slender legs. You’re so lucky!

The major styling strategy for apple shape is: Concealing the midsection by styles that add interest to anywhere but the midsection. Here comes the best bikini and one-piece swimsuits for apple body shapes:

Swimwear Style Hacks for APPLE Body Types

• Design & Patterns: Plain colors and designs instead of eye catching patterns or bold designs around midsection,
• Bikini bottoms:
  • High waisted bikini bottoms that covers the tummy,
  • Side bows that are adjustable to fit your curves.
• Bikini Tops:
  • If you have fuller busts: bikini tops with square necklines, underwired (like a bra), wide straps for stronger coverage and lift. Adjustable straps would be a plus.
  • If you have small busts: Details or designs around neckline like multi straps, one-shoulder, embellishments like stones or metals… that draw the attention away from tummy and focuses the eye around the bust, neck and shoulders.
• One Piece Swimsuits: Single, solid colors instead of patterns. Bikini tops’ rules apply according to your bust size.

AVOID: Bold patterns and designs around midsection, tiny and tight fitting bikini bottoms, if you have fuller busts: triangle, bandeau bikini tops, spaghetti straps

The Best Swimsuit / Bikini for PEAR Body Types

You have a pear (or triangle) body shape if you have a a slimmer upper body than the lower body, which means shoulders, bust and waist is way narrower than the hips, rear and thighs. Therefore, sorting out a balance between lower and upper body will be our focus during the search of the right bikini/swimsuit.

You’re a lucky girl for your slim and curvy waistline. Therefore, we’ll aim to highlight your upper body and waistline while concealing heavier lower body with the right selection of bikini bottom.

Since the upper body is slimmer than lower body, it may be difficult to find the right size in one piece suits. Because when the size is chosen with a focus on the bottom, then it might be loose at top or when fitting the top, then too tight at bottom. Which size should you buy? To avoid this dilemma, prefer the mix and match bikinis where you can choose a larger size bikini bottom and smaller size bikini top.

Of course, you can still go with a swimsuit as long as you prefer one that highlights your waist curve and conceals your hips and below. As in the example below:

Swimwear Style Hacks for PEAR Body Types

• Design & Patterns: Plain design/pattern at bottom, playful at top. Dark colored at bottom, light colored at top
• Bikini bottoms:
  • Adjustable side bows for arranging it to the hip’s width.
  • Dark colored, none or minimal patterns
  • High waist and leg cuts that would elongate your legs
• Tops:
  • Details or designs around neckline like multi straps, one-shoulder, ruffles, frills, embellishments like stones or metals > tops that draw the attention away from the lower body.
  • Light, neon colors, eye catching patterns
• One Piece Swimsuits: Attractive neckline designs or plunge one-pieces that draw attention to the cleavage

AVOID: Bold patterns and designs at lower part, not too small, tight fitting sizes or cheeky bottoms, ordinary bikini tops (unless full bust)

The Best Swimsuit / Bikini for INVERTED TRIANGLE Body Types

You have an inverted triangle body shape if you have broad shoulders versus narrow hips (the opposite of the body type ‘pear’). The slim hips, thighs, and wide shoulders give you an athletic image. Even though it’s a statement look, balancing lower and upper body would create a more proportionate silhouette. For this goal, the styling tip is deemphasizing top and adding volume to the hips and thighs.

Since the body gets slimmer from bust to hips, the waistline may not be curvy and the rear may look flat. At this point our ‘balancing’ strategy will be adding curves to the waistline and below.

Swimwear Style Hacks for INVERTED TRIANGLE Body Types

• Design: Statement bikini bottoms, and plain bikini tops
• Patterns: You can mix and match with light colors, wild patterns at bikini bottoms + solid, dark colors at bikini tops.
• Bikini bottoms:
  • Light colored, bold patterns: horizontal stripes, flowers, neon colors…
  • Eye-catching designs, details: zippers, metals, stones, different or multi straps, ruffles…
  • Ruched sides that create a voluptuous hip illusion.
  • Cheeky bottoms that make rear look fuller.
• Tops:
  • Simple designs that don’t draw the attention away from the lower body
  • Dark colored, plain or minimal patterns
• One Piece Swimsuits: The designs that give the illusion of a curvy waist: a drape at waist, ruffles, color plays etc.

AVOID: Horizontal striped bikini tops, single colored or striped swimsuits that create a linear silhouette. Strapless or bandeau tops. Boy shorts bottoms.

The Best Swimsuit / Bikini for RECTANGLE Body Types

You have a rectangle body shape if you have an uncurvy silhouette with none or little waist definition. The width of shoulders, waist and hip almost look parallel. (A small hint to distinguish between these 3 body types: If the shoulder is larger than the hips, then it is inverted triangle. If the hips are larger than the shoulders, then it is pear body shape. If they seem to be same width, then it is rectangle.)

Rectangle body shapes have a less defined waistline and usually have busts that are small to medium giving the whole silhouette a boyish figure. Therefore, in order to create an hourglass silhouette with a defined waistline and curves, we’ll aim to add volume to shoulders and hips.

Swimwear Style Hacks for RECTANGLE Body Types

• Design: Creative and playful designs instead of plain cuts, simple designs. Go bold girl!
• Patterns: You can mix and match colors, textures, patterns however you like
• Bikini bottoms:
  • Eye-catching designs, textures, details: zippers, metals, stones, different or multi straps, ruffles…
  • High legs, deep cuts, ruched sides, bows that create an illusion of a curvy silhouette.
  • Cheeky bottoms that makes rear look curvier.
• Tops:
  • To look more busty, prefer ruffles, frills, statement straps, bands, textured or embellished tops that add volume and creation to your bust area.
  • Go for any pattern, design, color scheme.
• One piece swimsuits: Designs that give the illusion of a curvy waist: drape at waist, ruffles, color plays etc.

AVOID: Single colored or striped swimsuits that create a linear silhouette. Strapless or bandeau tops. Boy shorts bottoms.

The Best Swimsuit / Bikini for HOURGLASS Body Types

You have an hourglass body shape if you have a curvy silhouette: with a clear, curvy waistline, soft featured shoulders and hips… All looking in balance. Aren’t you a lucky girl?:) As you’ve seen, all the tactics above are for imitating this silhouette. Therefore, for you, all need to be done is highlighting your already possessed beauty!

Swimwear Style Hacks for HOURGLASS Body Types

• Design: Almost anything, but not to conceal your curvy silhouette, prefer stand-out pieces.
• Patterns: Any color, texture, pattern, however you like – unless the color is a wrong choice for you.
• Bikini bottoms:
  • If you’d like to draw attention to your hips, prefer eye-catching designs, textures, details: zippers, metals, stones, different or multi straps, ruffles…
  • High leg cuts would lengthen your legs
  • Side straps, bows that you could adjust for your curvy hips
• Bikini Tops:
  • Probably you have medium to large size busts, to balance it prefer single colored plain tops without much decoration. Square or halter neck tops with thick straps give the extra support needed for large busts.
  • If you have small busts: plain, light or neon colors, patterns, triangle, bandeau, strapless styles
• One piece swimsuits: how about a monokini with a cut exposing your curvy waist…

AVOID: If you have large breasts: Bikini or swimsuit tops with ruffles, frills, statement straps, bands, textured or embellished tops that add volume and creation to your bust area. Also avoid tops with spaghetti straps, strapless or bandeau tops. + Simple designs. Why should you wear a boring piece when you have such stand-out curves?!

Disclosure: I may receive advertising or affiliate commission if you buy through the links I shared.

‘How to Dress for your Body Type’ Style Guide & Lookbooks

I have created a great resource for you! 20 pages ‘How to Dress for your Body Type style guide and lookbooks for 5 different body types: Apple, Curvy (Hourglass), Rectangle (Straight), Inverted Triangle and Pear.

These digital guides on how to dress for body types will help you to:
✔ dress in the right outfits that flatters your body shape. (and look stunning!)
✔ highlight or conceal parts loved or less loved. (Your confidence will skyrocket!)
✔ understand and internalize the logic behind dressing for your body shape (& use this knowledge forever:)
✔ use these learnings at shopping by buying only what accentuates your body type (you’ll save money & time. Bonus: no refunds hassle)
✔ get the most out of your wardrobe by adding only the right fits, cuts, patterns, fabrics, colors and eliminating the wrong ones.

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