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Swimsuit Confidence

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The Best Swimsuit Styles for Your Shape

Anita McLachlan - 23rd February 2019

For over 9 years now we've been helping women find THAT swimsuit. In this article we answer a very popular question. What's the Best Swimsuit for My Shape?

For over 9 years now we've been helping women find THAT swimsuit Online and for a couple of years in our Brisbane Studio. In this article we answer a very popular question we've heard over the years. What's the Best Swimsuit for My Shape? So why don't we talk about it here, just like we would when asked online or in studio for a fitting?

If you were to come into our studio for a personalised Fitting, this is what we'd chat about:
1. Your Cup Size - letter and number. We find that 'Busts first' helps us to narrow down the right options when we consider overall body shape.
2. Is there a particular concern you have that this new swimsuit needs to take care of for you? eg: good tummy support, good bust support.
3. Your overall shape - fuller hips, fuller tummy, flat tummy, narrow hips.
4. What will you be doing in these cossies? Are they for water workouts or for relaxing back? Will you be chasing after kids up the beach and active with them in the pool?

The Most Common Shapes: We are all individuals thank goodness! But there are some shapes we fit more of than others. I find the labeling of shapes quite interesting (amusing). See what you think. The trend seems to be moving away from fruit to letters!

1. The Fuller Tummy - can be referred to as Apples or 'O's; with varying bust sizes but the predominant body feature is a fuller tummy.
2. Hippy Chicks - where hips and bums are bigger than what's going on up top often with a (higher), defined waist. Tummies vary from flat to fuller. Referred to as Pears or 'A's.
3. V shapes - where hips are narrow and shoulders wider. Busts vary in size but hips are always narrower. Bums can be flat.
4. The Hourglass girls - have a defined waist with shoulders and hips about the same width; with a flatter tummy or a bit fuller; busts usually proportioned with overall shape. Also called an 'X' shape.
5. Rectangles - not much of a waist and fairly straight through; busts and bellies are fuller together. Referred to as 'H' shapes. Narrower versions are called 'Columns'.

Did you find your shape in any of those 5?

On to Finding THAT Cossie -
Armed with more understanding of your body shape, let's help you find a cossie that will suit it! Below are the #1 selling styles for each of these 5 shapes. And to make life easier, they are pictured below with links to who in our Cossie Confidence Crew wears them too! Not all can be covered (we don't want to be here until next week) but we can give it a good nudge. Okay, here we go!

1. The Fuller Tummy -
The Best Selling Swimsuit: The 3 Tier style in a one piece or a tankini. If you need extra length then the Tankini option is a good one. Team it with a High Waisted Pant for extra tummy support. This style will also cater for a bust cup of C-E so is a good all rounder for this shape. Available in many different prints and plains. Here's how our Crew wear theirs.
Jane - with a fuller bust, Lara - a smaller bust and Tatia - with a proportionally smaller bust too.

Cossie Confidence Crew Members: See more here from Jane, Lara and Tatia.

2. Hippy Chicks -
The Best Selling Swimsuit: It's all about adding visual volume/interest up top to balance out the hips. Think ruching, frills and laces. The Pink Peonies One Piece was a huge hit this summer. Like the Bikini, the frill adds oomph up top.

Cossie Confidence Crew Members: See more from Fiona, Jacqui and Tracey.

3. V Shapes -
The Best Selling Swimsuit: with a V shape the trick is to give the top the room it needs whilst keeping things firm about the hips. Tricky for a one piece. BUT with its gathered cups, the Underwire One Piece that starts at a D and goes up to a G Cup (in the Honeycomb navy and black) are THE best and have been HUGE sellers this year. In prints, like the one Jo wears below, the cup is sized D/E. The Lace Up One Piece Susan wears has been another great style for V's this summer. The tie up Lace front gives more room about the bust. Often V girls have more than one size difference between narrow hips and 'up top'. A tankini 2 piece version of this style is the way to go to get the best fit for top and bottom.

Cossie Confidence Crew Members: See more from Susan and Jo.

4. The Hourglass girls -
The Best Selling Swimsuit: Anything! How 'bout a bikini? Suzie in the Wrap Top style and Retro pant and Maz in the Frill Top version below. The Frill taking line honours as #1 selling Bikini this summer.
The Bandeau is a much loved style too for Hourglass girls, particularly those with a fuller tummy like our Vita in her black one and Liz in a print. If you have a flat tummy with your hourglass shape, then you don't need all that ruching - but if you like it, go for it!

Cossie Confidence Crew Members: Maz, Suzie, Liz and Vita. They are different proportions but essentially similar shapes.

5. Rectangles -
The Best Selling Swimsuit: One word - Panelled. For the girls with this straight through shape it's nice to visually create a waist with panelled sides. The Zip Up one peices like the navy one below, have been best sellers for this shape because of that feature, particularly for a fuller tummy with a rectangle shape like Kate. She's in the Embroidered Roses print here and Evie loves her long sleeve in Black. These are our rectangle girls :)

Cossie Confidence Crew Members: Kate and Evie

Phew! You made it. I hope the mist has parted and it's now clearer what style of swimsuit you should look for when shopping online or in a bricks and mortar store.

Need a little more help? If you're still not really sure, Sequins and Sand offers more personalised help online! Fill out a Find Your Fit form online? Many girls have over the years. It's a very popular service and it's so easy to do. It's a very short questionnaire where you tell us your measurements and a few other bits and pieces and we come back to you with recommended Swimsuit Solutions. Cool huh?

If you are in Brisbane, you can book in for a fitting at our studio in Ashgrove. We are open M, W, Th, F and Sat; 10-3pm and would love to see you!

Thanks girls. That was a bit of a long one but it goes to the heart of what we're here to do for you. I hope you found it helpful. Here's to your shape and finding THAT swimsuit style for a Cossie Confident summer.

Anita xx

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Written By: Anita McLachlan, founder of Sequins and Sand and the Cossie Confidence movement. Connect with Sequins and Sand on Facebook and Instagram.

A massive and very special thank you to all in our Cossie Confidence Crew. 14 beautiful everyday women passionate about helping other women get into a swimsuit to live their best summer yet. Life's too short.

When shopping with Sequins and Sand, the girls appreciate that it's not that easy to get your swimsuit purchase right the first time. That's why they offer no fuss Free Returns on all Aussie orders. Always have. Always will. If you have any questions then Contact them here. They'd be delighted to help.

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