Mar, 20265 MIN READ
What Swimwear Suits My Shape? Flattering Bikinis & Swimsuits
Whether you are planning your holiday wardrobe to soak up some much needed sun, or have a spa break planned with your BFF, it is the perfect excuse to be able to treat yourself to some new swimwear. Finding flattering swimwear can sometimes feel like a mission - constantly trying on multiple styles and sizes. You are probably asking yourself what swimwear suits my shape?
We understand when it comes to finding the right swimwear, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all. No matter your body type, the right bikini or swimsuit can accentuate your best features and help you feel fabulous. From lounging by the pool to enjoying a beach day, our swimwear collection has a range of styles designed to flatter every figure so that you can look good and feel amazing, whether you’re on holiday or at home.
In this guide we will take you through the best styles for your body shape, how different features can balance proportions and help you feel more confident and sexy this Summer.
Find Your Body Shape
For flattering swimwear you will want to understand what type of body shape you are, to then follow our swimwear guide below to discover the best bikini and swimsuit styles that will compliment your silhouette leaving you feeling confident and empowered this Summer.
Discover our quick cheat sheet below to work out your body shape - taking into account shoulder width, height, hips and waist.
- Hourglass: Hips and shoulders are a similar width, with a defined waist (curving in).
- Pear: Your hips seem wider than your shoulders.
- Apple: Usually carry weight around midsection.
- Rectangle: Straighter silhouette.
- Inverted triangle: Your shoulders seem wider than your hips.
- Spoon: Similar to pear but with more hip shelf definition.
- Round/full bust: Fuller ribs and bust area.
- Large Busts - Bust size of DD+.
- Postpartum Bodies: After having a baby recently.
- Tall Ladies & Long Torsos: Typically feature a long torso and long legs.
- Short Bodies & Petite Frames: Typically feature a shorter torso with narrower shoulders.
How to Choose Flattering Swimwear
There are so many bikini and swimsuit styles out there. When choosing a flattering swimsuit or bikini, it's important to focus on what makes you feel your best. Different cuts, patterns, and structures will suit different bodies, styles, and moods. Let's look at the basics...
- Cut: High-cut briefs can help to elongate the legs while deep necklines and strategic seams can create an illusion of curves or highlight your natural silhouette.
- Pattern: Bold prints can draw attention where you want it, while solid colours offer a sleek, streamlined look.
- Structure: Supportive features, like underwired tops or smoothing panels, can smooth, lift, and shape your figure.
- Swimwear that fits like lingerie - All of our underwired bikini tops are sold in bra sizing to ensure a truer fit - the wires are positioned correctly, no gapping and the correct support to your bust, an ideal bikini style for larger bust women.
- Padded Swimwear - For smaller busted women, swimwear with padded cups can instantly add extra lift and boost for those looking to add more volume to their bust.
- Mix & Matching Sizing - At Boux Avenue our bikini tops and bottoms are sold separately to ensure you find your perfect fit as we are not always the same size as we are on top to our bottom.
The Best Features of Flattering Swimwear
Flattering swimwear is all about the little details. Here are a few key features that will help you feel comfy, supported, and confident:
- Adjustable Straps: For a fit that's just right-comfort, lift, and no awkward shifting.
- Ruching: Adds texture and smoothes things out, creating a beautiful, sculpted shape.
- Smoothing Swimsuits: Helps smooth and shape your midsection, giving you a balanced, confident look.
- Underwired Support / Moulded Cups: Provides support and uplift to the bust, accentuating your natural silhouette.
- High Waisted Briefs: Helps to smooth your midsection, adding confidence to those who are looking for stylish and flattering ways to hide their stomach.
- High-cut legs: Helps to give the illusion of longer and leaner legs.
- Wide Straps: Can provide more comfort and support to the bust, whilst balancing out certain shape styles for example - Inverted triangle shapes.
And don't forget to properly care for your swimwear so it stays in top shape for years to come. A little TLC can keep it looking and feeling as amazing as the first time you wore it.
What Bikini Suits My Shape?
Choosing the right bikini to suit your shape is all about finding a style that makes you feel comfortable and confident in your own skin. Here are a few bikini styles to consider, depending on your shape:
- Triangle Bikinis: These are perfect for smaller busts, giving you a relaxed, natural look that works for many body types. And they're super versatile, too!
- Push-Up Tops: Want a little extra lift? Push-up bikini tops give you that added support and shape, making them a great option for those with smaller busts.
- Balconette Shaping: Provides utmost support to the bust, whilst providing a more natural rounded uplifting shape without the need for heavy padding.
- Plunge Necklines: Push the bust inwards, creating a narrow silhouette and beautiful natural cleavage.
- Bandeau Bikini Tops: Offers minimal tan lines. If you are larger bust look for multiway styles that come with detachable straps so when you need extra support for swimming can quickly add the straps back on.
- Tie-side Bottoms: Allow for adjustable fit, without any digging in. You can also play around with the positioning, placing the tie sides higher on the hips to help make your legs look longer.
Figure Flattering Swimwear for Hourglass Shapes
If you have a well-defined waist with balanced proportions between your bust and hips, you're likely an hourglass shape. For this body type, the goal is to accentuate your curves and highlight your natural silhouette.
Quick style options that best suit Hourglass shape:
- Cut Out Swimsuits: Accentuates your silhouette - with the side cutout details following the shape of your natural curves.
- Plunge Swimsuits & Bikinis: The deep 'V' silhouette highlights your bust, whilst drawing the eye downwards and along your natural curves.
- Underwired Bikinis: Provides support and natural uplift to the bust. Further highlighting the natural curves of an hourglass silhouette.
- High Waisted Bikini Sets: Usually offer full coverage and sit on your waist drawing attention to the natural curve of your figure.
- Tide side bikini briefs: Offers medium coverage, the tie sides can be placed high on the hips - accentuating natural curves and elongating the legs.
The Best Swimwear for Pear Shapes
The feminine pear shape is defined by wider hips, a fuller bum, a cinched-in waist, and narrow shoulders. For this shape you can either highlight your curvier lower body or opt for styles that balances your smaller upper body with your lower body; with Boux Avenue selling their bikini tops and bottoms separately you can ensure you will find your perfect fit. The key is to go with a style that you feel most comfortable in.
- Thinner Straps - With the top half being narrower, thinner straps will help to balance your shape, whereas wide straps will imbalance your shape.
- Plunge or padded tops: This will help to accentuate your bust and balance proportions.
- High-cut bikini bottoms: Elongates and gives the illusion of leaner legs - creating length can help balance out the lower body.
- Thong Style Bikini Bottoms: If you want to go bold, show off your naturally fuller bum with daring thong style bikini bottoms.
Flattering Bikinis and Swimsuits for Rectangle Body Types
If your bust, waist, and hips are similar in width, you likely have a more straight, athletic figure, also known as a rectangular body shape. To add dimension and create the illusion of curves, opt for swimwear that enhances your shape and emphasises your legs.
- Ruching: Along the sides of a swimsuit can help give the illusion of curves, whilst around the bust will help to add volume and dimension.
- Cut-outs: Side cut outs on swimsuits can help accentuate the natural curves on a hourglass silhouette but they can also give the illusion of curves on a straighter figure with the natural curve shaping.
- Push Up Bikinis & Swimsuits: Adds more volume to the chest, creating curves - with some of Boux Avenue styles making your bust look up to 2 cup sizes bigger.
- Frills/ruffles: Adds volume whether this is on the top around the chest area or bikini bottoms creating more volume around the hips.
- Tie-side bikini bottoms: Can be placed high up on your hips to emphasise your legs further.
The Best Swimwear for Apple Shapes
Apple-shaped bodies are often characterised by a fuller midsection with narrower hips and legs. The goal is to highlight the beautiful curves around the bust and legs while creating a balanced silhouette.
- Ruched swimsuits: Breaks up the visual surface area of the midsection. With ruched detailing along the side seams this pulls the eye inward and upward, creating the effect of a narrow waistline.
- Plunge necklines: The deep plunging neckline draws the eye downwards, helping to elongate the torso and creating the illusion of a taller frame.
- High-waisted bikini briefs: Provides more coverage with them sitting on the narrowest part of the waist, allowing a more smooth and continuous line over the stomach.
- Underwired bikinis and swimsuits: Naturally lifts up the bust to create more volume on the upper body and balance out the silhouette.
The Best Swimwear for Inverted Triangle Shapes
The Inverted Triangle Body Shape is often characterised by the shoulders and bust being wider than the hips. To balance out the silhouette opt for styles that will help narrow the top half of the body.
- Balconette shapes: Provides support to the bust offering a natural lift without any extra padding.
- Wide straps: Creates a visual balance helping the shoulders to look narrower.
- Bottoms with side ties and ruffles: Helps to balance out the narrow hips by adding volume.
- High-waisted bottoms: Again adds volume to the bottom half to help balance out the silhouette.
The Best Swimwear & Bikinis for a Spoon Shaped Body
Spoon-shaped bodies typically feature a fuller lower body with wider hips and a smaller waist. To create balance and enhance your natural curves, opt for swimwear that draws attention upward while providing coverage and shaping around the hips and thighs.
- Balconette tops: Provides support to the bust offering a natural uplift.
- Bandeau tops: The horizontal line of a bandeau top gives the illusion of a broader chest and shoulders creating a more proportional silhouette.
- High-waisted bikini bottoms: Provides more coverage around the hips and stomach.
- High-cut legs: With the bikini bottoms sitting higher on the hips this creates a continuous vertical line for longer looking legs and helps the hips look more sculpted.
- Tie Side Briefs: Provide a bespoke fit allowing you to position and control how tight to tie the bikini bottoms for a more streamlined fit without any digging in.
Flattering Bikinis & Swimsuits for Round Body Types
Round body types typically feature extra width at the ribs and added volume around the bust. The key to flattering this shape is to choose swimwear that offers support, smooths the midsection and elongates.
- Underwired swimwear - Provides the needed support and lift to the bust.
- Ruching and vertical seam details - Adds shape by creating the effect of curves and a narrow waistline.
- High Waisted Bottoms - Helps to create a more streamline look by smoothing the midsection.
- Plunging Necklines - Helps to draw the eye up and down rather than side to side, helping the upper body appear longer and leaner.
Most Flattering Swimsuits for Large Busts
For those with a larger bust, finding swimwear that offers both style and support is important. After all, whether you're staying active or lounging by the pool on holiday, you'll want swimsuits and bikinis that provide lift and shape while also ensuring you feel secure and comfortable all day long.
Our DD+ Swimwear is perfect for those seeking a stylish yet supportive fit. From underwired bikinis to swimsuits designed in bra sizes, we've got you covered. For a true-to-size fit, our bikini tops and bottoms are sold separately, so you can mix and match to find the perfect fit for both your top and bottom halves.
- Underwire: Provides lift and support to the bust.
- Unpadded styles: Avoid padded styles as there is no need to add extra volume to your bust.
- Wide straps: Extra support and lift to the bust.
- Clasp backs: A more secure fastening, allowing you to feel more confident to be more active in your swimwear.
Flattering Swimwear for Postpartum Bodies
If you are heading on holiday not long after having a baby and wanting to find the perfect bathing suit for your postpartum figure, here are some tips to help flatter your already incredible body and leave you feeling glowing this holiday season.
- High-waisted bikini bottoms: A more streamlined finish to your figure - adding some extra confidence for those who aren't as comfortable with showing their postpartum stomachs.
- Ribbed fabric: Allows for flexibility and stretch to accommodate bodies changing shape throughout the day. The vertical ridges of a ribbed fabric also provide a subtle, built-in structure. Giving the illusion of a gentle "micro-compression" effect.
- Supportive underwire: With your recent changing cup sizes, your current swimwear may not fit your new bust size, which is why underwired bikinis sold in bra sizing can help you find your perfect fit and provide support to your bust.
- Adjustable ties/straps: For a more comfortable fit and uplift to the bust.
Swimwear for Tall Ladies & Long Torsos
Tall figure types typically feature a long torso and long legs. The key to flattering this shape is to choose swimwear that accentuates your naturally long legs, with swimsuits that comfortably fit your long torso.
- Adjustable straps: For a more customised fit and help avoid straps digging in.
- Tie backs: You can adjust the position of the tie back fastening along your ribcage/back for a more comfortable fit.
- Less rigid swimsuit designs: Fabrics with more stretch to accommodate a longer torso, for example ribbed fabric.
- High cut legs: To accentuate your natural length and highlight your legs.
- Different sizing options: With bikini tops and bottoms sold separately you can create a more customized fit for your figure.
Flattering Swimwear for Short Bodies & Petite Frames
Petite frames typically feature a shorter torso, along with narrower shoulders. The key to flattering this figure is to choose swimwear that will give the illusion of longer legs, adjustability for a custom fit and no frills that can overwhelm the frame by actually shortening certain areas of the body further.
- High-cut bikini bottoms: Gives the illusion of longer legs, therefore creating a longer silhouette.
- Plunge swimsuits and bikinis: Create a longer vertical line through the body, giving the illusion of a longer silhouette.
- Minimal ruffles/frills: To ensure the petite frame is not overwhelmed.
- Adjustable straps: To ensure a customised and comfortable fit and to avoid straps falling off shoulders.
- Tie Side Bikini Bottoms: Allows flexibility on where to position on the hips for a truer fit.
Quick Swimwear Style Cheat Sheet
| Body Type | Flattering Styles |
|---|---|
| Hourglass | Plunge, tie side bikini briefs, high waisted briefs, cut out swimsuits. |
| Pear | Thinner straps, plunging necklines, thong style bikini bottoms, high-cut bikini bottoms. |
| Rectangle | Cut-outs, ruffles, push-up bikinis and swimsuits, ruching details. |
| Apple | Ruching, plunging necklines, underwired, high-waisted bikini bottoms. |
| Inverted Triangle | Balconette shapes, wide straps, volume on bottoms e.g. side ties or ruffles. |
| Spoon | Balconette tops, bandeau tops, high-waisted bottoms, tie-side bikini bottoms. |
| Round/Fuller Bust | Underwired support, ruching details, high-waisted bikini bottoms. |
| Tall | Tie backs, high-cut legs, adjustable straps. |
| Short | High-cut legs, plunge necklines, adjustable straps. |
Now you are a master in the best style swimwear pieces to suit your body shape, and make your holiday wardrobe buying a seamless experience. At Boux Avenue we are experts in fit and with our swimwear sold in lingerie sizing and clothing sizes, along with mix and match separates you are guaranteed to find the perfect fit for you, leaving you feeling more confident to hit the pool or beach in your new fabulous swimwear.
Here at Boux Avenue we are all about embracing our glorious bodies in every shape and size - with supportive swimwear available in our DD+ range, that not only lifts and holds, but also looks super glamorous and stylish you are going to feel empowered and ready for anything. Because when you feel amazing, you truly do look amazing too.