With warm weather approaching, our Instagrams are starting to get taken over by the classic summer closeups: bronze makeup looks, “hot dogs or legs” captions, and pool floats and brunches.
Latinista Editor In Chief, Dee Rivera shares her top tips in choosing the best swimsuit for your body type this Summer!
Pear-shape, hourglass, inverted trapezoid — we can’t even keep track of the ways Latinistas and women are categorizing womens’ bodies. It’s confusing, when you’re looking for the perfect swimsuit this season and feel like “Ugh I can’t wear this bottom because I’m apple-shaped! I can’t wear this top because my chest is too big/too small or too long.”
Here is my guide and advice for swimsuit shopping for real women.
Small Chest: Finding a suit that flatters your bust can be hard. The best bet for a Latinista with a smaller chest is to go for a top with ruffles to give the illusion of a bustier chest. Also a suit with padding can help to give you a little somthin’ somethin’ extra.
HUGE Chest: For the Latinista with big girls, string bikinis are not the way to go ladies. Instead, cup sizes and underwire will offer you the support you need so your boobs won’t be all over the place when you take a dip. Another tip is look for thicker bathing suit straps and double-stitched bands for the most flattering results.
Broad Shoulders: If you want to keep from looking like a football player, there are a few things you can do to balance out your upper body. Go for a solid colored suit with printed panels along the side. This will help create the look of an hourglass figure and even out a boxy upper body. Also, an asymmetrical neckline helps give you an illusion of a smaller upper body.
Flat Booty: Frills and ruching come in handy when you lack some meat on the bones as they give the illusion of a bigger behind. Go for bottoms in bright colors and loud prints. Also, showing a little cheek is preferable to full-coverage bottoms.
Minimale Animale Treachery Bikini Bottom, $104; Billabong Sol Searcher Hawaii Cheeky Bottom, $35
Big Butt: If you have a backside which most Latinistas do, string bikinis and high-cut swimsuits can often be uncomfortable and a bit too revealing. Unless you are dancing on a pole. Who wants a wedgie in the summer? So beyond avoiding Brazilian and other skimpy cut swimsuits, you should look for designs with solid bottoms and printed tops — which will help balance out your big booty.
Carmen Marc Valvo One-Piece, $129; Zinke Andi Floral-Top One-Piece Swimsuit, $127
Love Handles: We don’t have any love for our Love Handles. But fighting the bulge is easier than you think. You’d be surprised that a high-waisted bottom works wonders — just make sure it extends above your belly button to prevent a muffin top.
Short Legs: Latinistas can be petite sometimes. If you want to elongate shorter legs, go for suits with high cuts in the leg (a la Jennifer Lopez). Since you are showing more skin, it will make your gams appear longer. And for the brave, go for a thong for optimal lengthening potential.
Cellulite: Whatever size you come in– cellulite doesn’t discriminate. And trying to cover it with those tiny skirted suits is not going to work. Look for swimdresses and tankinis with longer hemlines, but that still pack plenty of sass.
I hope this guide helps with all the drama that goes with finding the perfect swimsuit and helps you embrace all the beautiful imperfections that make you, you!
Enjoy your Summer
Dee
@styleguruwithdee