Don't be tempted by unflattering swimwear trends
Feature
Following swimwear trends regardless of your body shape can lead to some major fashion mistakes that zap your confidence. Like clothing and lingerie, it is vital that you dress for your shape.
Whatever your shape, there are swimwear styles that can make the most of your best bits and minimise your bad bits. Stick to these guidelines and follow fashion with colours and accessories.
Hourglass: Kelly Brook is a typical hourglass shape. Brook was recently seen wearing a bold retro print, boxer-style brief teemed with a bikini top with good support. If you have an hourglass figure, which is becoming increasingly unusual, make the most of your curves. Being top and bottom heavy means that bold prints can look great and accentuate your figure.
Big bust: Caprice, designer of her own lingerie and swimwear, knows how to flatter her cleavage. For Caprice, halternecks are a good choice as long as they cover the sides of the breasts. While soft triangle tops are usually a no no, an underwired triangle bikini can provide enough support. If you take a DD+ cup size, look for specialist brands like Freya and Lepel, available from figleaves.com.
Pear shape: Okay, you are not blessed with an easy body shape for the beach but you can create a more balanced look. For you, separates are key. If you choose a plain brief with a patterned bikini top, you will help draw the eye upwards away from your bottom. Concentrate on creating your bust as the focal point.
Charlotte Church is a typical pear shape and she recently proved that you can look great in flattering boy shorts, despite what many people may think. Stick to boy shorts in a dark solid colour and wear with a bolder patterned top, like Panache Essential Separates deep short, £17. Larger briefs can provide any extra coverage too. Steer clear of high leg briefs with minimal side coverage if your hips aren’t in good shape.
Small bust: Bikini choices should be all about increasing your confidence on the beach. If you live in padded bras under your clothes, stick to the same principle with your bikini tops and choose padded styles that add volume and cleavage. You may not think soft triangle tops would work well but they will, and you can buy ones with slight padding for an extra boost. Choose bold horizontal stripes or large prints, like Sofia by ViX Gigi halter bikini - top £39 and brief £55.
Kate Moss recently sported a mismatched bikini, which can be a good trick if you want to provide a little more emphasis to your bust.
Big tummy: If you want to avoid having to spend your entire holiday holding your stomach in, avoid hipsters and go for high-waisted bikini briefs. If you have stretchmarks and a bit of a wobbly belly, tankinis offer more coverage than bikinis, but look best if the top and bottom halves meet. For more control and shape, spend a bit more money by investing in a good control one-piece. The Miraclesuit (£100) is a strapless one-piece that flattens the stomach.
Figleaves offers swimwear to suit all body shapes. All these bikini styles are available online (www.figleaves.com).
Picture caption: If you, like Kelly Brook, have an hourglass figure, make the most of your curves.
MyVillage 25th July
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