Summertime 101
Summertime, when living is easy and everyone wants to plan for a holiday. For some, the beach and sand and surf are the ingredients for a marvelous time, while others are thinking poolside and a good book with a tall cool drink mean true luxury, and still more think wild rides and lots of sightseeing make for a great trip. The fact is that no matter what makes up your ideal summer, there are some basics you need to remember for looking your best – wherever you go.
Let’s take a look at some of the summer’s most popular “problem areas” and see if we can advice folks to do things the Right way. The areas we’re going to look at are Bathing suits and Sun Tans.
Whenever you think of pools and beaches you think swimming choices, which
means swimsuits. For some women, choosing a swimsuit is about as much
fun as going to the dentist for a root canal, except most women don’t
fear anyone in the dentist’s office will point and laugh at them.
Poolside and the Beach – The Bathing Suit Dilemma
Most
women have something about their bodies that they are uncomfortable
with, and fortunately there are styles available to help almost any
woman feel better about her swimwear choices.
Broad Hips/Pear Shaped body
– Women with broad hips or a pear shape should look for a two-piece
with a halter-style top and scoop-waist bottoms. The halter top will
offer more support to the breasts, while the curved waistline of the
bottoms will distract the eye from focusing on the width of the hips .
As an alternative, pear shaped women can choose a solid-color one piece
suit in a dark shade and add a light-color blouse bunched and tied into
a knot between the belly button and the breasts, creating a balancing
bulk in the upper torso.
Narrow, Boyish Hips or Overdeveloped Top
– While many women complain of their hips being too big, some women
have an opposite problem: they have upper halves that far outweigh
their lowers. The hips can be made to appear wider and more balanced by
selecting a swimsuit with extra detailing along the bottoms. This could
be swags of braiding outlining the hipline, or the selection of a suit
that includes a gathered skirt. Both of these elements will add a
needed horizontal focus to the look and balance the upper and lower
proportions.
With an over-developed bosom, there is the added
impetus to take some of the focus away from the upper half of the body.
This can be accomplished by making sure to choose tops that are
substantial enough to support the larger bosoms. A midriff-style top or
even a full-cup halter in a darker color than the bottoms will help to
conceal and balance an over-abundant top half.
Heavy Thighs
– Women who have heavier thighs often think that they need to cover
them up with sarongs and skirting, but in fact, a one-piece suit with
high-cut leg holes will help to create the illusion of longer thighs
and draw attention to the narrowness of the waist.
The Tummy
– Some women want to mask a softer tummy. This may be because they are
a little pudgy, or have recently given birth or have just let their
bodies get out of shape. This is often the single biggest reason some
women won’t wear a swimsuit. However, by selecting a swimsuit lined
with a control-panel or one with ruching along the seams to create
shirring and gathers along the midsection, you can mask the appearance
of the tummy area and feel confident that no one will be noticing that
your six-pack looks more like a 2-liter.
With all this
advice, there are some women who won’t be willing to take the risk of
wearing a swimsuit. My advice is to follow your comfort zone. If you
don’t want to bare any more than necessary, you can still look smart at
the poolside in pair of pressed linen shorts and a light blouse.