March 27, 2013

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I don’t want to be dramatic, which automatically implies that I am going to be dramatic I realize, but I can say with all honesty that this post brought up a lot of anxiety for me. Many people told me how brave I was when I told them I was trying on suits to show what a suit looks like on an “average” body type, that is, not on a swimsuit model. I honestly didn’t think it was a big deal. Looking in the mirror everyday, at 6 months postpartum, I felt (feel) good overall with my body. I think I’m exactly where I should be for this stage in my postpartum journey. But then I took the initial set of photos, indoors against a flat wall, with a tripod all on my own. And oh boy did I have a freak out session for about an hour. After my husband talked me down, he explained that I had set myself up in the worst possible situation so of course the photos looked bad. On top of that, cameras do not capture an accurate picture of what your eyes see since it shoots in 2D. While I still have a ways to go to get to my prepregnancy figure, the body I saw in those photos was not really an accurate portrayal of what my body looks like in full 4D.

So we reshot them last weekend, outdoors and in better lighting. I will admit though that I’m only going to show you the suits that I loved the most on, and I feel flattered me the most. I really saw no point in posting photos of myself that I didn’t feel good about just for a blog post. So while this post is not entirely inclusive of the good, the bad and the ugly, I hope you understand why I’m purposely including some photos. Shall we begin? Oh and a couple of things before we get started. I primarily chose one pieces because I’m not quite ready to get back in a bikini this season. I did try on some bikinis and a couple I liked that I’ll share, below, but I will not be showing any photos because I just don’t feel comfortable baring that much skin on here. Second, because my main problem area is my pooch, I concentrated on trying on suits that had a ruching detail along the tummy, which helps to hide a bit of the pooch versus a flat suit that usually accentuates the pooch. Oh! And I also stuck with wireless since I’m still nursing! This first suit is the Ruched Bandeau Tank in Vivid Jade from J.Crew. It comes with a detachable thin strap to convert it into a halter style. I loved this suit overall except the leg opening could have come up a bit higher. I thought the ruching in the mid section was not overly done but just enough to hide the problem area a bit and the top felt supportive and secure enough so I wouldn’t worry about it falling down. I would definitely consider keeping this suit. This fuschia pink suit is Merona from Target and is actually my husband’s favorite, and it’s in my top 2 as well. The problem I find with many of the more inexpensive suits is that the elastic on the leg openings is always way too tight and pinches in my flesh, creating this really unflattering divot in my skin. I hate that! This didn’t do that though, and the ruching was very slimming. The top could have been more supportive but I imagine with the halter strap attached it wouldn’t be a problem. I love the twisted knot detail on the bust too, very flattering.I would definitely keep this suit and think I will in fact! I still want to really love this swimsuit and in all theory it is my favorite. The color, the sheen, they silhouette is perfection. It’s the Jersey Lomellina Bandeau Tank in Dark Slate from J. Crew and it is beyond chic. It comes with a removable strap to convert it from a strapless into a halter suit and is just so dang pretty! But looking at these photos and I’m not sure it is the most flattering of suits, especially considering it is the most expensive. The tummy area bothers me and it seems like out of all the suits, it accentuates the pooch the most. Perhaps the sheen of the fabric? At any rate I love it and is superb comfort and quality so if you don’t have a 6 month baby belly you may consider it for yourself! The Midnight Paisley Ruched Femme Tank from J. Crew was lovely on and was quite flattering, but my main problem with it was the bust line was very small and kept riding up, so that the bottom of the cup seam kept landing on me mid-breast. The straps were a bit too thick for my liking, but if you’re more busty this may be advantageous. The print was served as a good “distracting” technique to the major midsection problem areas though. For the record I am now more than ever convinced that tankinis are terribly unflattering and an awful option for us women. The tank rides up constantly, to show just a bit of flesh, usually a bit of loose flesh, leaving the wearer doing a constant hike down dance. I tried on at least 8 tankinis and this is the only one I thought was okay. Art loved it on me but I thought it was a bit much, with the thick halter strap and all, but overall not a bad look. It’s by Merona and is worn back to a simple side tie string bikini bottom from Exhilaration. This last suit was probably my least favorite but just because I didn’t love the padded top, but overall I thought it was still a flattering suit. It’s by Merona for Target and would probably do even better with the detachable halter strap attached to pull the top up a bit. In the photo it is hanging a bit low but the strap would fix that. I tried on a few of these suits with the vintage-esque bottom that covers more of the hip area and I found this one to be the most flattering. It covered just enough but not too much if that makes sense.

So which one is your favorite? And are you still wearing a bikini or do you stick to one pieces now? This summer will be my first year wearing a one piece but I’m ready for it.

A couple of notes on what to watch out for and look for when shopping for a suit.

– Make sure the leg elastic is not too tight or else it will do that pinching thing I mentioned where it squeezes off part of your hip/thigh and makes your thigh look like a sausage. Or at least mine anyhow 😉
– Bigger bottoms is not always better. I have found that the more I try to cover up my bottom half, the bigger it ends up looking. If I stick to higher cuts for one pieces and lower rises on bikinis, my hips and butt look smaller overall.
– If you’re buying a cup size bra or one with some sort of bust definition, make sure it is large enough to cover the whole breast and doesn’t ride up to split it in half, which was a common problem I had with a lot of the suits I’m not showing on.
– Patterns do indeed seem to slim a bit, but go for more large scale prints like the midnight paisley one above, and avoid graphic prints like strips and polka dots. I tried on both and they didn’t do anything for my figure except me feel too old for them.
– Don’t be afraid to go with a different neutral color other than black. I know black is supposed to be the most slimming, but jewel tones in greens, blues and deep pinks have the same effect.

Important Stuff! When Posing For Pictures:
Learn from me and follow these tips. I’m no expert at all(!), but these tricks below took my photos from horrific to not terrible..
– Try not to shoot your entire body. If you look at every single one of the pictures in my Swimsuit Pinterest board, the models are all shot from mid thigh up. I figured this out after I looked horrible the first time when I shot full body!
– Do not stand to the side with one leg in front of the other or bent in front of the other. Stand forward with legs slightly apart, and twisted slightly at the waist.
– Hands should drape over the side of your thigh and/or lightly touch your waist.

Tomorrow I’ll share the suits I HATED (or at least strongly disliked)! Make sure to come back so you know what to avoid 🙂

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