1. The Inverted Triangle. This shape is marked by narrow hips and wider shoulders and calls for a suit that minimizes the bust.
2. The Triangle: This is what’s commonly referred to as the pear-shape. The wider hips go great with suits that accentuate the bust. Suits that are darker on the bottom and pull in the midsection are ideal.
3. The Square: Otherwise known as athletic, this body shape is low on curves and lean from top to bottom. This figure is best served by suits that bring the eye towards the waist, such as monokinis.
4. The Hourglass: This is considered the ideal body type, so be bold and buy whatever suit pleases your fancy. With this figure, there’s no look you can’t rock.
5. The Oval: Often called the apple-shape, this type of figure is characterized by a larger bust and a wider waist. Darker colored suits are recommended, where the emphasis is on the hips rather than on the bust or waistline.
Protruding Tummy
Look for bathing suits with tummy-control panels. These come in both one – and two-piece styles. Steer towards high-waisted bottoms. If you prefer a lower rise on the bottom, then go for a tankini with a control panel on top to achieve the look of a flatter, more toned midsection.
KEY FEATURE: Strong elastic that will keep you pulled in and looking fierce.
Wide Hips
Boy shorts and bikinis with fuller-cut bottoms that reference the 50s were practically created with you in mind. Lucky for you, they just hap-pen to be all the rage nowadays. One-piece suits with contrasting panels on the sides (or cut-outs) also help narrow and lengthen.
KEY FEATURE: Vertical stripes in either light or dark shades will give a slimmer look to the hips.
Narrow Hips
Boyish figures can create instant curves with a low-rise string bikini. Tie large bows at the hips and you’ll create a sense of width that’s in perfect propor-tion to the waist. If you’re after a more bootylicious look, bikini bottoms with horizontal stripes will not steer you wrong.
KEY FEATURE: High-cut bottoms will bring atten-tion to your waist and give you the appearance of wider hips. A minimally cut bottom will also give the sense of a fuller rear end.
Wide Shoulders
If you are looking to tone down your broad shoulders, then think diagonal. Diagonal stripes and straps create the optical illusion of cutting the shoulders in half, leaving you looking less brawny and more athletic. You can also get this look when you tie a sarong around your neck like a halter.
FEATURES TO AVOID: Wide set straps, small arm holes and any sort of em-bellishment around the shoulders.
Narrow Shoulders
Going for a two-piece? Choose one where the top is brighter than the bottom or has a bolder pattern to detract attention away from your hips and make your shoulders look more promi-nent. Wide-set straps will also give a sense of breadth to the shoulders.
FEATURES TO AVOID: A plunging neckline.
Large Bust
Diagonal lines across the bust have a minimizing effect. Your ideal bikini has a dark, solid col-ored top and a light-colored pat-tern on the bottom. Choose suits with structured, well-construct-ed tops that have sufficient bon-ing and feature straps wide and sturdy enough to provide opti-mum support.
FEATURES TO AVOID: Anything that does not support the bust, such as tops made of insufficiently binding fabric, thin straps and cups without boning. Tying a sarong around your top or your neck is also a no-no — keep it on your hips.
Small Bust
A twisted bandeau top with a bit of a sweetheart neckline gives the impression of a fuller bust. Pleats, tiers, embellishments, bold prints and bright colors around the top can make you look more endowed, especially if the rest of the suit is in a dark, solid color.
FEATURES TO AVOID: Tankinis as well as dark or vertically striped bikini tops.
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