I hate swimwear features

Its always around this time of year that all the fashion magazines bring out en masse the guide to swimwear.  Lots of beautiful out there fashion, fabulous to look at but yet totally impractical. I will agree that magazines do give great advice on what to wear for your body shape, but then they show you a bikini or swimsuit that is completely impractical for either your lifestyle, budget, confidence levels or type of area you are going to wear it. (I mean who cares what you wear in Bali where no-one knows you compared to what you wear at the pool at Bondi or to the beach in Brighton).


Case in point, below are a few shots from the latest Instyle in Australia, one of my favourite magazines. Many magazines will tell you that if you are pear shaped or want to hide your stomach after kids that sometimes its best to cover up the tummy and butt region with something like this:

Yes they are beautiful, but are you really going to put this on before heading down the beach after work on a 47c day in Melbourne? I have a pear shaped body, my lower half has always and will always be bigger than the top. (No matter how often I hit the gym). I have a small waist that I like to show off to distract from what's going on beneath the belly button which I have never been a fan of. I find that bathing suits like this only make it look like you are trying to cover it up and draw attention to that area. I have tried on every single style of swimsuit and I still swear by one style.

The  best bikini style in my opinion has always and will always be the string bikini, with a string bottom half as optional. The string bikini top half always makes your boobs look fantastic whether you are a DD or an AA. Pair it with a pair of hipster briefs to elongate your middle and distract from the below, or if you are a bit slimmer a matching string bottom half. If you have a few bulges that you don't like wrap a sarong around the bits that you don't feel as confident with and throw on your sunnies, thongs and a hat and off you go. Or mix and match with a patterned or brightly coloured top and a black plain brief, or swap if you are more confident with you lower body. 

Obviously if you are lucky enough to be super slim you can get away with anything, but even slim girls have body issues! At the end of the day you need to feel confident in whatever you wear to the beach. The best advice I found this month came from Madison magazine where they actually used a plus size model! I copied a bit of it below!

"A black one-piece is the swimwear equivalent of an LBD. Classic, flattering and never out of style, it can turn even the most serious aquaphobe into a bathing beauty. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be bland, either. Look for unusual necklines and ruching to update the look, while moulded cups are a must for support. Out of the water, embrace all things tribal by pairing with vibrantly printed kaftans, earth-toned shoes and matching accessories. It adds an element of glamour, and it carries you perfectly from beach to bar. Launch our gallery to see our pick of the best black one-pieces…"

And just to show you how brave I am feeling - here is a pick of me in one of my 10 string bikinis!