Which swimsuit? Bikini vs one piece vs tankini? Which will you be wearing?

columbine(erin)

Nope, I have never been on team bikini. I just get a cute tankini from Lands End and wear it with shorts and call it good.

11 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

One pieces don't fit me generally - my waist is too long. I had a tankini once that was GREAT, although the top wasn't very long, but I think it got left in a hotel somewhere? It disappeared, and my body has changed since then. Now since I don't swim much I wear a black exercise wear spandex mini skirt with built in shorts underneath, and various exercise spandex tanks with built in shelf bras - mostly black. Pretty full coverage of belly, hides hips, keeps everything covered even when doing headstands

Being a very pale person who is not that into bold prints I got tired of trying to shop swimwear even for separates (no I don't want fluorescents or hibiscus flowers) and instead I just wear super strong gym spandex stuff in solid colors, with maybe a contrasting racing stripe or something. Bonus is I can pick a top that is flattering with my bust and shoulders, and also stays in place.

ETA: I think Land's End does similar bottoms, but I like the underlayer of the skirt to be boy-shorts rather than panties.

11 years ago

gryffin

Veteran

Columbine - white tummies of the world unite!! I hae to check out Lands End suits. I know a lot of people swear by them. So nice to have a new suit. Nothing more fun for summer!!

11 years ago

gryffin

Veteran

Rabbit - that's a great idea. But how does the exercise gear stand up to the chlorine? Do you have a brand that you like? I've never seen those skirts with built in shorts - clearly I am out of the loop. What makes them. I think you have an awesome job on finding something practical and comfortable!! Kudos!! I only by black swimwear too, so I am just loving this idea!! Really inspired Rabbit!!

11 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Another here not on Team Bikini. I look better in a one-piece, I think they're more fashion forward, I just prefer them all around.

Of course, I only have bikinis at the moment. The sun set on my last one-piece.

11 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

Gryffin - here's something similar at Land's End, with a bikini bottom underneath the skirt:

http://www.landsend.com/produc...../id_191497

http://www.landsend.com/produc...../id_261145

they have several other varieties. Mine is by Champion - not intended to be swimwear, but gym clothes. I think they hold up fine, but I've mostly been swimming in oceans or lakes not pools. Also I use them as workout gear most of the time, and also to canoe in when I think I might want to jump out of the boat. I think for frequent swims in pools it might be safer to go with swimwear? dunno.

11 years ago

Diana

Veteran

I'm on team bikini by default because it's the only way to get a suit that fits me. My top is smaller than my bottom so most one-pieces either sag on top or give me wedgies/reverse muffin top. I am also short waisted so they are often too long as well. With tankinis, they all seem to want to ride/roll up my hips and stop at my waist, which has the effect of revealing ONLY my nasty white underbelly in the form of a spare tire. Again this is probably because my hips are a size bigger than everything else and start high up so the bottom hem of the tankini is not really wide enough. With a bikini, showing MORE skin is way more attractive on me because it doesn't form bulges.

I'd love a tankini that does not roll up but so far I haven't found one.

11 years ago

gryffin

Veteran

Rachylou - sorry to hear about the demise of your last one piece. I think it's great if you are open to all styles. It give your much more choice and it seems like there are more nice two piece options! May you find another great one piece soon!!
Rabbit - thank you so much for the links. I do like champions athletic wear, I think it's flattering a good quality. I can't wait to check them out. I like the idea of a skirt suit. Does anyone remember "scooter skirts" I had one in elementary school (I know I'm really dating myself!!) - basically a minidress with matching pants underneath. God, I thought that was just the coolest thing ever!! Off to shop!!
Diana - clearly a bikini is a really good solution for you. That's difficult when you wear different sizes top and bottom. Thank god for separates. There are a lot of really cool rashguard suits coming out this yeare. They don't seem as fitted as the traditional tankini. I wonder how something like that would fit you. They are really adorable and very sleek.

11 years ago

columbine(erin)

Veteran

I was just going to post that same Lands End swim mini. Anyway. I sized up on a Lands End tankini (usually I need to size down, they are generous in sizing.) I am very happy with it. No muffin top.

11 years ago

MRL

Veteran

Not on team bikini here. I wore bikinis when I was younger, but not for several years now. I need a new suit and would love to find a nice tankini, but will most likely buy a one piece. I like the fit of the suits at Lands End.

11 years ago

nancylee

Veteran

I was a little surprised at the bikini count, too! That said, I recently bought myself my first bikini in nearly 30 years. At 52, I've passed the point of worrying about having a perfect body and just want to have fun. (Ok, the whole truth is I wear my one-pieces on family vacations, and my bikini on private vacations with my husband.)

I'm a huge fan of La Blanca brand swimsuits for both one-pieces and bikinis. They seem to have just the right amount of structure vs. fashion. Nordstrom carries a good selection of them. As an hourglass who trends apple-y in the midsection when I gain weight, I've given up on tankinis. I used to like them in my younger days, but lately they often pull apart to reveal my midsection in a most unflattering way!

You might want to check out the Garnet Hill website for some nice one-piece suits. I've been admiring them lately, and the reviews seem to be good.

11 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I'm pushing 50 and I'm sure many would argue I have no business subjecting the world to my bikini body, but when I go on beach vacation in a place where bikinis are the norm (somewhere like Hawaii or Cabo), I feel way more comfortable wearing a bikini. In a one-piece I feel frumpy and like I stand out because I'm trying to hide my body.

But at home, I wear one-pieces. I have some for lap swimming and some that are a bit more fashionable for when friends visit and swim in our pool.

Tankinis are awful on me. I'm short-torsoed so they just look wrong. Too much fabric, or they ride up as Diana was describing.

11 years ago

gryffin

Veteran

columbine - I just go back from LE. I bought the swimmini and two rashguard tops (very cute and spf 50). The reviews said TTS, so I'm hoping I bought right size but I'm hoping they will have stock for a bit since we are not in the season yet so I can exchange if they are not good. I also bought a patterned skirt bottom in b/w since I have black rash guard tops. I'm hoping they will work out. They'd be cute and functional for summer. What do you you wear under rashguards? I am a little pancake and I can go without except cold and wet gets a little dicey although it's a big hit with my husband it would not due for public outtings.
MRL - get thee to LE immediately. Big sale going on and there cuteness factor and variety if very high. Maybe the gods are smiling on swimsuit shoppers today!!

11 years ago

gryffin

Veteran

Nancylee - kudos to you for getting a bikini!! If I felt good in one I would go for it. But I just don't. I will be a turtle in my shell but I think it is so awesome you've broken out of yours!! enjoy your bikini!! Thanks for the tips. I would not have thought of Garnet Hill for suits. I will check them out and I've never heard or tried on La Blanca (turtle has been hiding in shell obviously for a long, long time!!) Great thoughts and many thanks!
Janet - I have really fair skin. When I was in europe people would actually stop and point (okay they were charring to the color of louis vuitton luggage and basal and squamous cells in waiting). So I'm still going to stay under wraps, but I think it's awesome if you are comfortable swapping it up. I do think one pieces are best for serious swimming. You are brave if you do rough waves in a two piece, I think I would die of fear it would get swept out to sea and therefore I would have to go out with it!!

11 years ago

Runcarla

Veteran

Team bikini! I never wore them when I was young, started in my 40's! I do have two one piece suits, but they are gear--Speedo. I wear them when I train swimming with my Masters swim group.

I have 2 bikinis that I mix and match. My favourite is the Becca Virtue bikini below that I've had for about 4 or 5 years. And a Point Zero bikini with a black bottom and a black top with white polka dots. Halter tops are definitely my go-to style due to my bust being wide set. I take the pads out, can't stand them!

They get worn on vacations, and I always throw one in my suitcase when I travel. You never know when there might be a pool or jacuzzi at the hotel!

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11 years ago

gryffin

Veteran

Runcarla - that is a beautiful suit and you look amazing in it!! Go team bikini!! I can see why it's a favorite. I agree, is there anything better than a hotel with a well tended jacuzzi!! Especially those rooftop beauties! Nothing more relaxing than a hot soak under the stars!! Dreaming of summer!

11 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Keeping in mind I haven't been in a swimsuit since the last time we stayed in a cabin with a jacuzzi with friends two years ago - back in the day I always looked for tankinis because I have a long torso and am pear shaped, so a two piece is more likely to fit. I definitely wouldn't wear a typical bikini, though - never owned one.

11 years ago

gryffin

Veteran

Laura - fit is always the key. Two pieces just give you more options, very sensible. My BFF from college lives in florida and she has a long torso and swears by tankinis. I think she has a couple from Lands End amongst others. Gosh, I love jacuzzis!! It's worth finding a suit just for them!! Cabin with jacuzzi sounds really awesome!

11 years ago

Echo

Veteran

After having children, the skin on my tummy looks all crepe-papery. Add to that that no matter how much fat is NOT underneath that skin, the skin will always be soft and a little looser than it should be. No one needs to see that sort of thing, so a one-piece is the most flattering option.

That doesn't mean they're easy to shop for! They aren't, and bikinis fit because one can buy different sizes on top and bottom. But YLF teaches that finding what you need isn't always easy, so I am not going to wear a bikini when it isn't flattering for me just because I can easily find one that fits. I have to find suits made for long torsos because I am long-waisted, and most suits that say they are made for long torsos AREN'T. It takes forever to find a decent suit, but even if I can only find one every two years, it's worth it to me.

11 years ago

gryffin

Veteran

Echo - that's very smart of you. The worst thing is being self conscious and uncomfortable in a suit. Patience and picky is key. I had a number of favorite suits but I could not replace them, simply nothing I liked that fit. Now they are gone, totally tattered. It's tough. I just ordered the ones from Lands end and am keeping fingers crossed. Otherwise black rashguard over not so great black tank. Good luck!! I hope you find something wonderful!!

11 years ago

Sarah A

Veteran

If outside, bikini with a rashguard and usually boardshorts. I feel like a hypocrite telling my kids to cover up in their sun protective clothing if I am not doing the same. For lap swim, I am a new convert to the Polyester based lap suits (mine are Finals, but other speedo like brands have them too) Polyester and polyester/spandex suits seem to hold up way better in chlorine than nylon/spandex so Rabbit's plan for gym wear to swim seems like it would work well to me. Check the labels and if poly go for it!

11 years ago

Dottie

Active Member

Runcarla, is that Ocean Club West in Turks and Caicos?? We've vacationed there many times!

11 years ago

Jules

Veteran

I'm pretty much stuck with a skirted tankini, but I do get how a bikini can be easiest to fit and the most flattering option. When I was younger and didn't have the marks of childbearing on my tummy, my saddlebags made the high-cut one pieces of the 90s completely impossible. I was better off with a low slung hipster bikini. When board shorts and then boycuts became popular those were awesome for me. I really loved wearing a bikini top and board shorts.
I can see maybe looking for a modest but sexy one-piece if I get a bit happier with my body by summer 2015, but I'm sticking with a very modest skirted tankini from LE for now. Wish I had gone with an underwire top however, I do find them way more comfortable and often most flattering too, even though I am only a D.
When observing people on the beach I do often think a one-piece is actually harder to pull off than a bikini. And if anyone was analyzing me in my tankini they might think something else would be better - but they don't know what's underneath or my comfort level with it. I prefer more coverage for all my clothes so it's pretty consistent.

11 years ago

Runcarla

Veteran

Dottie! It is the smaller one, across from the golf course. Best mid-winter getaway EVER!

11 years ago

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

One of the memories of my childhood is my 70+ year granny wearing bikini to the beach. She was not slim and did not have bikini body at all but her argument was that she is not going to have a wet rag hanging on her midsection, thank you so much! ...it is 20 years this March since she passed away and I still miss her!.
Oh, we were talking about swimsuits, not my granny, right? I am on a Team Tankini. One piece suit is hard for me to fit as I am tall and they are usually too short. I would wear bikini in a heartbeat but my tummy is so ravaged by my last pregnancy (23 years ago) that I am not comfortable to expose it at all

11 years ago

whirlwindgirl

Active Member

Tankini all the way here. I need different sizes on top and bottom so they fit better. And I'm chasing small children when I am at the pool, so I need coverage--in addition to looking better with more coverage.

I have tried rash guards in the past as I make my kids wear them for sun protection and feel a bit hypocritical not wearing them myself, but I haven't found one that looks decent on me. I compromise by throwing on a shirt to cover my shoulders and arms when I am out of the water.

11 years ago

Parsley

Veteran

I'm firmly on team one piece, and have been for years. (I did wear bikinis when I was a teenager)
I just look better in one piece suits, and find them more practical for active swimming and diving. Tankinis don't seem to work for me at all, and you'll never find me in a skirted suit - I prefer high cut legs.
My most recent purchase is this one:
http://vip.zappos.com/la-blanc.....d_sims_p_a
It's quite flattering on my straight, relatively waistless figure, and should work well for serious swimming and still look reasonably pretty.

Otherwise, at the beach you'll find me wearing my Coolibar sun-protective clothing. It's not glamorous, but I'm super fair and have a family history of melanoma.

http://www.coolibar.com/home.j.....7AodMSwATg

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11 years ago

Anonymous

I only wear two-pieces despite my less-than-amazing midsection. First, it's easier to fit and, since I'm short, I don't have to worry about excess length. Second, I just find two-pieces easier to deal with when I'm wearing them for any length of time. Especially when I'm, um, consuming liquids of either the hydrating kind or other kinds. And I'm usually doing one or both if I'm wearing a bathing suit.

In terms of style, I like to go kind of retro with a halter top and a fuller-coverage bottom. It's pretty much the best way to make sense of my figure in swimwear.

11 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

Aubergine - very good point--when wet, can you remove it easily to pee? - tankinis and bikinis win.

11 years ago

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