One Piece Bathing Suits

"How to Select the Best One Piece Swimsuit for Your Figure"

You don't need itty bitty bikinis to look gorgeous on the beach! One piece bathing suits have finally rejuvenated their reputation of being boring and turned into one of the most amazing womens swimsuit styles available.

Badgley Mischka green one piece bathing suit

Courtesy of Badgley Mischka/Nordstrom's

One piece swimsuits provide more coverage and elegance - which are excellent when you're lounging by the pool.

However you can also find monokinis which are more of a cut-out one piece swimsuit with top and bottom pieces connected by thin straps, laces, etc. They're almost like bikinis but with extra fabric on the front - they're definitely racy but it's a stylish swimsuit option for confident and fashion-forward women who don't mind baring their body.

The right one piece can accentuate your best features, but the wrong one can do the opposite and in worst cases look sloppy on your body figure. Here are some tips on how to select the best one piece swimsuits that suit you:

How to Look Good in One Piece Bathing Suit

First you need to understand your body shape

Do you have any prominent body areas that you're self-conscious about? By knowing your body figure you'll know what details and swimsuit styles camouflage these parts and leave room for you the ones you love.

Basic guidelines for the 5 main body shapes:

Pear body (prominent hips/butt/thighs):

Inverted Triangle body (prominent shoulders):

Apple body (prominent chest and mid-riff):

You and inverted triangle body shape share some of the clothing guidelines - but your widest body point is lower on your body shape, which means you need swimsuits that add interest lower on your body figure. So avoid high-leg cuts and try boy shorts styles. Or simply opt for a swimming suit that tuck in your waist such as a Miraclesuit or details that camouflage your waist (eg. ruching) and keep your girls up (think bust support).

Rectangle body (little or no waist definition): You need more curves on top and bottom so that you waist looks slimmer. Think ruffles, pleats, prints - any frilly details will do. Just make sure to keep the details on your waistline minimal or opt for details that help slim this area down.

Hourglass body (slim waist, proportional upper and lower body): Since you have the ideal body shape with good body proportions, you're more free to experiment with various one piece bathing suit styles. But it completely depends on the "problem areas" you're self-conscious about - and if you want to accentuate your slim waist or slim down on your hourglass body figure. I think belted one piece bathing suits look amazing on you :-)

V-neck bathing suits slim and elongates

V-neck help keep your chest and neck look long and lean - compared to rounder and straighter necklines that tend to make your upper body look shorter and curvier. A slim upper body with a v-neck is a plus for petites, short torsos, full busts and short necks. However if you have a full bust, you'll look best in v-necks that stop higher up on your cleavage.

Click here to learn more about V-necks

Details that slim your body figure

It depends on what areas you want to slim down. For example, ruching around the stomach camouflage the flab. While no or minimal details on the bottom slim down a curvy hip. But if you want an all-over long and lean body figure then try swimsuits in a dark neutral (eg. black, chocolate, dark navy blue, dark olive green). If you're short (5'4"/163cm or below) then opt for a color that is similar to your skin tone (eg. fair skin with peach pink, or dark tan with dark navy blue) - this helps avoid visually cutting up your body frame.

Click here to learn more about slimming swimsuits

If you're Petite or have a short torso

If you have a shorter body frame then you'll often discover that most one piece bathing suits bunch around your waist, making you look sloppy. Unfortunately not many stores offer one piece swimsuits suitable for this body figure so if you're Petite or have a noticeably shorter torso, you might want to opt for Tankini swimwear instead. With a tankini you can choose your top and bottom without showing off your stomach.

If you want longer and slimmer legs

Then select one piece swimsuits with a high-leg (cut to the hip bone) to show more skin and elongate them. I personally don't feel comfortable with high-leg cut swimsuits and bikini bottoms - I love boy shorts because they accentuate my hips and butt ;-)

Want to achieve an even tan?

If you want to achieve an even tan with a one piece you might want to check out Cooltan and their tan-through swimsuits.

Scale the print to your body size

If you want to go for a full swimsuit with prints, keep in mind that you need to pick the right size of patterns for your body scale. Medium to big prints look best on medium to full-figure sizes and/or tall women, while smaller prints compliment skinny and petite women (height and size -wise). We basically don't want to make your size too obvious.

Remember to select a style that you feel is YOU and reflects your personal style.

More fashion advice on Swimwear:

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They are available in a variety of designs; from sporty to glamorous, romantic and geometrical patterns. Some of my favorites that I find very chic are the belted and one shoulder style. Underwire bra are also amazing because they emphasize the feminine bossom (which I need for my small breasts!).

Stores where you can buy one piece swimsuits at the bottom of this page

one piece swimsuit at Bizrate

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Store Directory

Ami Club Wear Very affordable sexy one piece swimsuits and monokinis.	Nordstrom Good selection of quality affordable designer swimsuits.	Bigger Bras Chic swim wear for women with big busts (D-cup ++)	Figleaves UK-based store offers a nice selection of exotic-inspired swimsuits.
Bare Necessities Provides a great range of figure-flattering swimsuits by Fantasizer, Spanx, Miraclesuit, etc.	Zappos A wide variety of on-trend one piece bathing suits by brands such as Hurley, O'Neill, Tommy Hilfiger, Tommy Bahama, CK, Volcom and many more.	Shopbop Lots of womens designer swimwear. Free worldwide delivery.	eBay A fabulous place to find swimsuits at discount prices. Just type in your desired swimsuit brand!