Women Styling Tips

Ladies Swimwear Guide: Best Bikinis For Different Body Types

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Last Updated on May 31, 2023 by Morah Rose

Picking the wrong swimsuit can make you overly conscious about your look in a bikini, depending on your body type.

Therefore, when buying a bikini/bathing suit it is important to consider your body type beforehand to help you know what to look for in a swimsuit. 

Additionally, this will help you know what looks good and make you feel comfortable and confident in your own body.

If you are looking for the best bikini for your body type, you will find this article very helpful.

The following are the 4 common body types in women:
Rectangle shape.
Apple/circle body shape.
Inverted triangle shape.
Triangle shape.
Hourglass shape.

Related:

Men’s Swimwear Guide: How To Look Good At The Beach For Guys.

How To Know Your Swimsuit Size (Shopping Tips With Pictures).

How to know your body type

The best way to know your body type is through measurements. This way, you will know the bikini that looks good on you.

Follow the steps below to know your body type:

  • Measure around the top of your shoulders.
  • Measure around the fullest/widest part of your bust.
  • Measure your natural waist ( around the belly button).
  • Measure around the fullest part of your hips.

N/B: Try not to hold the measurements too tight.

After doing the measurements:

  1. Are your shoulder and bust measurements larger than your hip measurement?

( i.e 2 inches or more for the shoulders and 4 or more inches for the bust)

Yes?- You are an inverted triangle body shape.

  1. Is your hip measurements bigger than your bust by 4 or more inches and shoulders by 2 or more inches?

Yes? – You are a triangle body shape.

  1. Do you have the largest measurement around your waist area compared to the hips, shoulders, and bust area? 

Yes? – You are a circle/apple body shape.

IMAGE

  1. Is your hip, shoulder, bust, and waist have close measurements with less waist definition?

Yes? – You are a rectangle body shape.

  1. Do you have almost similar measurements for the bust, shoulders, and hips, with a clearly defined waist?

Note: this doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have a tummy.

Yes? – You are an hourglass body shape.

See also:

Best Way To Measure Bra Size For Sagging Breasts.

Sports Bra VS Regular Bra: Which One Should You Wear?

You may also like:

How To Dress To Minimize A Large Bust.

How To Choose The Right Bra Style For Different Breast Shapes.

Hacks For Swimming On Your Period.

What bikini/swimsuit is best for a rectangle body type?

Some of the best bikini or bathing suits that look great on ladies with these types of bodies are:

  1. One-piece suit with bare sides or with some beautiful design patterns on the sides (around the waistline area).

These designs help give an illusion of a defined waistline, considering that rectangle-shaped women don’t usually have a defined waistline.

  1. A plunging neckline or v-neckline swimsuit will look great on rectangular-shaped ladies.

That’s because it helps bring out their best body features.

  1. A longer tankini top will also look great on you, especially if you don’t feel comfortable with the weight around your waist section.

Check out our detailed article on how to wear a bikini with a tummy.

  1. Wear a swimsuit that has some asymmetry. It helps bring out a slim waistline illusion.

See the image below.

Swimsuits to avoid when you have a rectangular shape

A belted swimsuit. Though it helps accentuate your waist, it may also be a bad choice for rectangular-shaped ladies who have more weight around the waist area.

That’s because you will end up drawing more attention to that area, and that is the opposite of what you want.

What bikini/swimsuit is best for an apple body type?

The following are tips for choosing a good bikini for an apple-shaped body:

  1. Focus on your best body parts (assets) through color blocking. 

For example, I’d recommend wearing a brighter bikini top that draws attention around your bust and neutral colors such as black for the bikini bottom.

This is great especially if you love your bust and feel like it’s your best asset.

A brighter top that draws attention around the chest area will make people focus more on that but block them from other parts of your body that you feel insecure about.

  1. If you want to wear a one-piece swimsuit, I recommend going for a plunging v-neck swimsuit.

It shows off your assets instead of covering them up.

  1. Wear a high-waisted bikini bottom that goes up to the belly button, but not a low-waisted one.

This will be great if you are looking for comfort and good coverage around the belly area.

See also: How To Find The Best Jeans For Your Body Type.

Swimsuits to avoid for apple-shaped ladies

  1. Most one-piece swimsuits are not a great choice for an apple body shape because they don’t provide a defined waistline. Therefore, they might not give you the best look.
  1. Avoid belted one-piece swimsuit because it tends to draw attention to the mid-section (You don’t want that). However, if the belt is the same color as the swimsuit then that’s okay because that will not draw so much attention to the midsection of your body.

See also: How To Dress Like An Italian Woman In Summer.

What bikini/swimsuit is best for an hourglass body shape?

The following are tips for choosing a good bikini for an hourglass body shape:

  1. Go for a swimsuit/bikini that provides your boobs with ample support. I recommend getting wide straps underwire tops.
  1. If you decide to go for a one-piece swimsuit I recommend getting one that has some details like flowers on the waist area, waistbands, or belts to highlight your waist.

This helps show off your well-defined waistline.

What bikini is best for an inverted triangle body shape?

The following are tips for choosing a good bikini for an inverted triangle body shape:

  1. I’d recommend going for horizontal line bottoms and something plain on the top.

This will help balance out your upper and lower body because the horizontal lines give an illusion of wider hips.

Remember, an inverted triangle body has wider shoulders compared to the hips.

  1. If you don’t like a bikini bottom with horizontal lines, then I recommend wearing bikini bottoms that have some interesting details on the sides such as wide side ties, ruffles, or flounce.

This will help add on some width and hence balance the wide shoulders. It also gives an illusion of wider hips.

  1. If you are going for a one-piece swimsuit I’d recommend you focus on the neckline design. 

For example, the best swimsuits are those with asymmetric shoulders (cuts across the body). A halter neck style is also a good option.

  1. If you prefer a 2 piece swimsuit, X-style bikini tops are great for this body type.

What is the best bikini for a triangle body shape?

The following are tips for choosing a good bikini for a triangle body shape:

  • Go for swimsuits/bikini tops with horizontal lines at the top.

This makes your shoulder and hips look balanced (if that’s the look you are trying to achieve.)

Other bikini tips, depending on your needs

Bikini tips for women who want to highlight their bust

I’d recommend wearing bikini tops that have an eye-catching pattern like ruffles or a bikini that has big flowers with a toned-down bottom (neutral color).

Tips for pear shape women who want to highlight their bum

Wear a bikini bottom with design elements on the sides or a bikini bottom that has patterns or flowers with a plain bikini top. 

Tips for women who are pear-shaped with broader shoulders 

Wear bikini bottoms that have ties on the side. It adds volume to the side and balances out the width of the upper body.

Tips for women who are insecure about their belly

Wearing a high-waisted bikini bottom, and tankini top will do the trick. However, be sure to read our article on how to hide your belly when wearing a bikini.

Tips for women who want to look taller in a bikini

Wearing vertical-line swimsuits will make you look taller and lean.

Comfortable bikini bottoms for a big butt

I recommend the following:

  1. Go for bikini bottoms that tie on the sides. This is because they can be more forgiving since you can just loosen them up where needed.

You can also get a bigger size and tie it up to where you feel comfortable if you are looking for more coverage.

I’d also recommend buying separate sizes for bottoms and tops.

  1. You may also go for a swim skirt or pareo if you are looking for more coverage.

Best swimsuit bottoms for hip dips

I recommend ruffle swim bottoms because they tend to be more flattering and they don’t hug too tight like the regular bikini-style bottoms.

Final Word

Instead of being so focused on hiding your body insecurities, you should learn to focus more on the parts that you love most (your beautiful assets). 

All the best!