Anyone bought a Lands End swimsuit?

[lmintzer]

I'm looking for something that will fit well (for chasing kids) but is still stylish.

Some of their tankini suits look nice.

Any thoughts?

Any coupon codes for them, lol?

[AdoptChina]

I have 3 of their tankinis...I didnt like the fit of the one piece ones I tried on, but really like the tankinis.

[neeter]

i had a tankini last year and it was cute! it hasn't faded or anything after a season of regular use. i need to try it this year to see how it fits.

as for sizing, i am usually a 4P, and i got a 6.

[lmintzer]

Thanks! Any particular recs from the current catalog? How do their sizes run? I'm typically a size 6 in clothes, so I figure on buying an 8 in a suit (I've always sized up in swimsuits).

[psophia17]

My body doesn't fit into tankinis very well, but I love LE one pieces, and have owned tons of LE clothes in my life.

IME, they run true to size across the board, and between that, the customer service, the price, and the quality, you can't go wrong.

[mudder17]

I LOVE their maternity tankini. It fits right now when I'm still small (although the bottom is a bit loose, but it won't fall off and it's under the skirt, so it's fine). I think most of their tankini's look quite nice. It looks like they have quite a few in their overstocks page, so you should be able to find something there. You can get 5% cashback through fatwallet and 3% cashback through ebates. I have accounts at both, so I tend to go back and forth through fatwallet and ebates. :)


Eileen

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33732.gif for Leah
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33734.gif 27 months...
http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[american_mama]

Lisa, I feel like the current expert on Lands Ends swimuits. I just bought like 13 suits from them last week, picked one, and will return the rest through Sears. It was a crazy amount of money on suits, but I'm only keeping one. I went on a beach vacation last week and my other suit (11 years old) was falling apart, so I needed a new one but had no time or ability to do anything other than mail order.

COMMENTS
Lands End has different suits on their website than in the swimsuit catalog that came with my order. I'd look on the website as the main source and look at a printed catalog just for additional photos. There are tankini suits in almost all the categories, especially Mix and Match Separates. Some suits on the website are backordered. Finally, I did manage to look at JCPenney in real life, and they had some suits that fit well, were flattering, and cost about half as much as the Lands End suits. Still, I chose a Lands End suit.

FIT
I followed the sizing info. on the Lands End website, bought a size 12, and almost all the suits fit well. I am 5'3", about 140 pounds, wear a size 12 pant now (if I ever bought new pants), wear maybe a 36C bra, and am in general heavier below the waist. My sister, who is taller and about 10 pounds lighter than me, also thought most of the suits were very comfortable. I ordered a 14 in the tankini faille fabric bottoms, which was comfy. The notable exceptions to good fitting suits was the daisy dot tank item 16652-7AL7, which fit very small, was too high cut, and was not supportive enough. The Beach Living swim shorts in Supplex fabric with built-in panty ran a little big. The bikini bottoms in faille fabric were too bare for me, but the #2 cut bottoms was just right. The cover up skirt in the three piece dot tankini item 07288-5AL2 was a little too tight across my thighs.

COMFORT
Both my sister and I thought the faille fabric tankini was the most comfortable but a little plain. The fabric is soft on the inside and not binding. The suit I kept was Pacific Oasis Slender tank in blue floral, item 09796-0AL6, which I think makes me look busty and curvy. I think Lands End Slender Suits have more spandex than most swimsuit fabrics, so it sucks you in more all over but does not feel like a girdle. The Riviera Tummy Control Tank with x back item 09801-0AL5 was quite low cut and not very supportive, so you'd probably be adjusting the straps up all the time. I also didn't even realize it had something special for tummy control.

You can also help narrow the choices on the Lands End website if there is anything you can exclude. After trying them on, I've decided I don't like the feel of halter tops (too much digging around my neck and not enough support), prefer tankinis to be in the same fabric top and bottom, don't like underwire, etc. I also wish I had tried more than one swim skirt since with kids, I do more impromptu swimming without having previously shaved (TMI). A swim skirt or short takes care of that problem.

I'm happy to answer more questions about fit, fabric, etc. since I still have all 13 suits in the house. In addition to the two tankinis I mentioned above, I also bought Beach Living Lingerie Tankini Top item #02053-7AL7 in vivid cherry and solid twist tankini item 09793-0AL5, which was somehow bland IRL. Also, if you need them, Lands End has some nice coverups and beach/pool sandals that I wish I had ordered at the same time.

[MichelleRC]

I have a few and love them! The tankinis are great and stay put. I also got a cute one-piece last year that had thin straps and little white dots. Very flattering.

Go for it!

[marit]

I got one at Sears two years ago. I thought about ordering on line, but am really glad I ended up shopping IRL. What I've ended up with is something I would have never ordered on line, but it just was thew most flattering considering my size at the time. And what I really thought would fit me well, didn't look good at all. Go to Sears!

Good luck,

[lmintzer]

Wow, Karen! Thanks for the fantastic review. I may order a few suits, too (though not 13, lol). I have a few tankini separates picked out, but it's so hard to say what styles will fit/look good.

Maybe I'll e-mail you directly about a few I'm thinking about.

Thanks!

Marit, we do have Sears (about 20 mins. from here), but they are so lacking in Land's End stuff. I have no idea why. The Sears near where I used to live (in Chicago) had tons. I would love to try the suits on first. At least I can return at Sears. Now if only I had a coupon! Sometimes, they have $20 off $75 or more. I haven't seen anything like that lately.

Eileen, I do have an Ebates account. I've never heard of fat wallet. Is it the same kind of thing?

Lisa

[JulieL]

I don't think you can use coupons for any LE items - I'm pretty sure I've tried ;)

I have just ordered 3 tankini's from the outlet online and liked one. It has an underwire, which is quite helpful for those girls! I'm a long torso, strange for a girl who's 5'1 isn't it? Anyway LE has the only tankini's that fit and don't show my belly, I really don't like showing off my thousand and one stretch marks on my belly!

GL with your purchase!

[morgan47]

Great info! Did you happen to try the Summerized Floral Tankini (07286-8AL9)? Or the 2-color Stripe Tankini (07290-AL3)?

Thanks!

[StantonHyde]

I got one jogging suit "tankini" from LE and the other from LL Bean. THe LL BEan one fit better for me. BUt LE has a much better selection. I have tried many of their suits and really like them.

[american_mama]

No, I didn't try either of those. It's a great price on the striped tankini.

[tiapam]

I have never had much luck with their swimsuits. A few Sears stores now have LE "shops" inside. Here is a coupon in case you are near enough:

http://f.chtah.com/i/27/217789800/052406LandsEndhostedHTML.html?sid=ie1_BEdAR5Af28RH L

-Pam

DD - One year old!

[alicia67]

I have a couple. I think they fit TTS. In fact I can still squeeze into them (size 8's) even though I am now a yucky size 12. Good quality and the long torso is a great feature if you happen to be cursed with short legs like me.