La Ped, I joked about wanting a ball to throw around, did a little bit of moving, but probably not as much as I should’ve. It seemed to me that the red one, with cups set further apart, would be better at keeping me covered; the SA said the opposite; that people pop out towards the inside when they’re playing volleyball or whatnot. I got the feeling the volleyball example was not purely theoretical. So the red suit might not be the right choice.
The black and white one is also low down on my list, partially because I don’t get tan, and the b/w doesn’t have the same effect on pale skin, and partially because the cups are actually a bit big on me. They are staying in place and have the right shape while they are dry, but I don’t really fill them. On the other hand, Gillian Rose hit exactly what I like about this suit—no wires, no padding, none of the fussiness. I’ve been thinking about that since she wrote it. She’s right about me not wanting “fuss” and that I do want to be able to play.
Cat2’s choices, the yellow one and the b/w, do the best at avoiding that “mumsy” look, as Synne called it, of too much fuss and padding. I worry that I’m teetering on the edge of that fashion mistake so many of us recognized—talking ourselves into something that isn’t quite right—with the padded ones.
It’s too bad the dark green one is showing up as black, no matter how I fiddle with the photo. It really is a handsome suit. Then again, it’s already out of the running because of the price. Jackie Onassis has not invited me to visit her in Skorpios and I will not be spending part of every afternoon for the next few years watching my little one at the community pool, so I can’t justify paying that much.
The consensus between the SA and me was that the teal suit and the blue floral were the best. I’m not sure what to make of the low resonance of the floral one here. Part of me wants to shrug it off as that suit not photographing well, but if I do that, then there isn’t much point asking for your assistance. [ETA: Firecracker did like it, and Rachylou and laPed; that’s not “nobody”!] N, Angie, Helena, Nikki, LaPed, and Rachylou all agree on the teal one (#20).
What I have gathered from this so far:
I can wear a “real” bikini—but want to keep it real as far as behind-the-scenes wires and padding.
Suits with buttons or ties to make the bottoms smaller on the side look better when I use that thing to make the sides smaller—but it isn’t just the skinny side that matters. The very dark green suit also looks good, and it has a wide side. The difference is that it comes up further on my torso, so the leg opening is still at an angle. I want that leg-lengthening effect.
Triangle tops and halters work well for me; I’m not concerned about the weight on my neck, because I don’t have much umm, weight. But I appreciate Jules’ warning. I see the point about the teal suit drawing attention to my face, am not sure if that’s the placement of the straps, the color connecting with my eyes, or something else.
I wish I’d tried true bandeaus.
The other tops—I don’t know what to call them—with straps that go over my shoulders in a conventional way are fine too. I didn’t pick up anything in particular about what placement of the straps is best, other than that the yellow suit has movable straps that can cross in the back or be straight; crossed would help it stay up. Darn that money thing!
I don’t know what to do with those lessons, if I should pick one of these suits or if I should take the lessons and go to H&M or Target as Synne and Kkards suggested. The cpw of those suits would make more sense....
