Swimsuit shopping

[katydid1971]

Last minute we have decided to spend the 4th with in laws and I need a swimsuit to sit around their community pool. The last time I bought a swimsuit was 8 years ago for our honeymoon. Two pregnancies later I don't fit into it any longer. I went to the mall with two year old DS and tried on a few suits very quickly to keep him from running away. When I left I was about to cry. I went to land's end website but I look nothing like the people on their website. I'm not a perfect size 6 (more like a 16). I don't want to get a granny suit with the little skirt but the regular kind look so bad. Argg!!! I know ds won't go into the water if I don't but I have NOTHING to wear in the pool!!!!! Maybe I can get lyposuction done this weekend?!?!?! I HATE SWIMSUIT SEASON!!!!!!!
Sarah

***Update***
I bought a suit at JCPenney. It is a tankini with a swim skirt. I don't love the color but with a coupon it was only $30. It will work for this year and next year I will take your advice and order something from lands end. Hopefully I will have lost a little of this weight by then. Thanks again for your help and encouragement.
Sarah

[MamaMolly]

I hear you on this one! I can offer 2 suggestions: I got this year's suit (and considering the cost it will be next year's and the next...around $100 but DH did tell me it was ok beforehand and I never spend on my clothes so what the heck? ) at LL bean. It is a 2 piece tankini with a skirted bottom. I really love it, it is well made and should hold up. I like the 2 piece cause it is sooo much easier to use the restroom in one, and the skirt is my, ummmm, public service due to the flabbiness of my upper thighs.

The other suggestion I have comes from a friend of mine who used to be a swimsuit model. She suggests buying one size up, it just looks better. So while I am in a 14 pants and dress, I bought a 16.

I tried on about 10 suits, just whizzed through the store and grabbed all the 14 and 16 ones that I liked, then had a marathon try on and bought the one that fit best. Darned if my buddy wasn't right and while the 14 looked ok, the 16 was much better.

HTH and Good luck!!!!

[fortato]

One word...

Miraclesuit.--They are amazing at tucking and hiding flaws..

I bought mine a few years ago and it manages to make me look presesntable.

I'm sure you look great. And know what- I bet there will be a bazillion other women at the pool who think the same thing about themselves.

(((Hugs))

[Drag0nflygirl]

Take a deep breath. We all feel your pain. I was in the exact same boat, right down to the last suit being purchased for my honeymoon. Then we decided to go to Florida in March.
I had good luck with Longitude suits - but I ended up going with Lands End. Per my mom's advice if you order the long torso they seem to fit better - less tugging at the rear and squashing at the front. I built one of those "virtual me" things on their site, and that did help a bit. I ended up ordering 4 different suits. The best part is I got to try them on at home, then return the ones I don't want to Sears. No dealing with the post office, just bring 'em back. If none of them fit, you aren't out anything. Plus they ship fast! You can go to Sears and they have a few of the styles out, but I didn't find any "triangle" shapes. I guess they just can't do the whole line in the stores. Good luck - and hit Kohls for a cute swim cover-up or scarfy-thing to tie around your waist if it will make your more comfortable.

Nancy

[shilo]

are you an apple or a pear? i was soooo in this boat last year before we left for maui. i did end up having the best luck with the lands end suits at sears and online. there were many threads about LE suits in the lounge last year - several of us had the best luck with them - if you're looking for style/sizing ideas, try an advanced search. pp's are right, you can try on about a third of their suits in person at sears, or you can order online, have them shipped direct to you, try on in your own home and then return direct to sears to avoid shipping costs back.

if you happen to be a pear like me, try their 'beach living' separates or one of their 3 piece tankini sets that come with the little cover-up skirt you can wear over the bottoms when you're not in the pool. i had the best luck with their tankini top with the built in underwire bra last year, but i'm still a D cup after nursing, so YMMV. i feel like a walking ad for their suits, but i swear, it was such a relief to find a suit i was comfortable in. it still looks good this year, albeit a little looser now. and i love their little cover-up skirts. they are very sporty, much more like a tennis skirt, not the traditional granny suit with the flutter skirt look at all IMO. oh, and they also make a tankini with shorts too, which might be worth trying.

hth, lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[lizajane]

i am a size 6, just turned 32 yesterday and i LOVE the swimming skirts. i think they are adorable and very in style. i keep trying to find one to buy for myself because i think they are a very cool accessory. so don't think that skirts will make you look old. they are hip! really!!

my sis is a size 20, currently a 9 month pregnant size 20, and she wears a tank suit and keeps a sarong around her waist unless in the pool. it looks elegant and classy, while still very pool appropriate. it isn't "old lady" or any indication of "trying to hide" anything. she just looks like she is fashionable. i think the looks is fantastic and she looks great in it.

[SummerBaby]

I'm also a 16 and I love the Lands End suits. I have one regular tankini and one tankini top with the swin shorts. They are both really flattering. First, the tankini tops aren't skin tight so they are more flattering. I don't like the skirts either, but the shorts are great. IMO they don't look "granny" at all and they cover my worst area- inner/back thighs. I feel so much less self-conscious with them on. They just look like shorts, but you can go in the water with them if you want. They are kind of expensive, but worth it!

Val
DD 2.5 years old
another summer baby coming in 2007!

[bubbaray]

I love LE's tankinis! They ROCK. Never thought I'd find a swimsuit online, but they are the best. Order a couple of sizes and return what you don't want to your nearest Sears for free.

HTH

Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[MelissaTC]

I LOVE the brand, It Figures!. They make suits specifically to aid with your "problem" areas. I carry my weight in my middle and I love their tummy thinner suits. You need to size up by one size. You can find them at www.itfigures.com , Macys, and QVC carries them too. Some of the styles are more "mature" but some are super cute. And Lands End makes a great all over control suit that is SO worth the money. Good luck! I hate swimsuit season too, always have, even when I was a size 6.

[gatorsmom]

We all understand the feeling of wanting to run out of the dressing room and cry. I second the advice of Dragonfly girl- order a whole bunch of different kinds of suits from Lands' End, wait til the kids are asleep, pour yourself a glass of wine (that's my suggestion) and stand in front of your most flattering mirror at home and try them on. None of them will make you feel like a model, just try to find the one you feel best in. I really like the Land's End tankinis with swimskirts because I feel like I"m running around in a little sundress. You can chase kids in and out of the water and you'll never need your coverup! The tankinis with shorts are a favorite too. They are attractive and look sporty. And they air-dry quickly.

Whatever suits don't fit, just return them to Sears so you don't have to pay the return shipping.

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005
and surprise! twins due 11/07!

[elizabethkott]

>order a whole bunch of different kinds of suits from Lands'
>End, wait til the kids are asleep, pour yourself a glass of
>wine (that's my suggestion) and stand in front of your most
>flattering mirror at home and try them on.

This is EXCELLENT advice.
Especially the part about the wine.
I would add one caveat:
Forget the glass. Just get a sippy straw.
Hey, mama, whatever works!!!
:)