How to Choose the Best Swimsuit for Your Body Type!
- Isabella Boston
- Jul 1
- 6 min read
Updated: 22 hours ago
Introduction
Choosing your best swimsuit isn't about the latest fashion trends. It's about finding the right style that enhances the best features of your body type.
With the right bathing suit, you can highlight your favorite assets, balance your unique proportions, and give your body comfort and support.
So, instead of hiding your shape, the right cut creates visual symmetry and provides you with a tailored fit, allowing you to step out in confidence!
How to Choose the Best Swimsuit According to The Five Body Types
Number One: The Triangle/Pear Body Type!
Women with a pear or triangle body type usually have a thinner upper body and larger hips and thighs. The goal here is to appear more balanced and proportionate, so you should select swimsuits that add more volume to your upper half.
Styling Tips:
Pair a bright, detailed top (like ruffles, stripes, or padding) with a darker, solid-colored bottom to ground your look and minimize the appearance of your lower half. This will balance your wider hips and thighs, while creating volume in your shoulders. Opt for color blocking when wearing a one-piece swimsuit.
Choose an asymmetrical neckline to draw the eye upwards.
High-cut bottoms in a dark color will lengthen your bottom half.
A halter-neck swimsuit looks amazing on you!
Number Two: The Inverted Triangle/Atletic Body Type!
Inverted triangle body types typically have broad shoulders and/or a bust that narrows down to the hips. They usually have a flat bottom with little to no waist definition.
People with this body type also project a sporty, athletic physique, showcasing great-looking arms and legs! (Which is a huge plus for you!)
The goal for dressing your body type is to balance your broader shoulders, chest, and back with your narrower lower body to create a balanced silhouette. Focus on the lower body.
Styling Tips
To accentuate your narrow bottom, try wearing a swimsuit with a print pattern. This will balance out your silhouette. Avoid strapless swimsuits because they will draw attention to your broad shoulders, causing a "football player" appearance. Some other tips to consider are:
Wear printed bottoms paired with solid-colored tops to enhance your hips while drawing attention away from your broad shoulders.
To soften your shoulders, opt for V-necks or sweetheart necklines to help break up the width of the chest and draw the eye vertically.
Asymmetrical & one-shoulder tops break up the horizontal line of your shoulders, instantly minimizing their width.
To secure and lift: Avoid string ties and choose underwire tops, balcony cuts, or wide adjustable straps to provide necessary support.
Number Three: The Round/Oval Body Type!
The round, oval, or apple body types tend to carry their weight mainly in their midsections. They also have a shorter, undefined waist, slim legs, and flatter bottoms.
Your shapely and large bust is one of your most noticeable features, so keep this area enhanced without overwhelming it. Your shoulder line is broad and prominent; it's also relatively wider than your hips, which also makes the definition of your upper body way more dominant.
The goal here is to draw attention away from your midsection. To accomplish this, look for one-piece swimsuits that accentuate your lower body. Ruching or layering around the waist can help to define your chest and hip area, giving you a more balanced appearance.
Thicker straps and molded cups with underwire will help support and shape your bust, showcasing your best features.
Styling Tips:
Ruched or Draped Designs: Strategically gathered fabric across the tummy offers comfortable tummy control and visually disguises the midsection without squeezing it.
Wrap or Surplice One-Piece: These styles cross over the chest and midsection, creating a diagonal line that breaks up roundness and highlights the waist.
Blouson Tankinis: A blouson (loose-fitting) top gathered at the waist, paired with a mid-rise bottom, offers a relaxed drape over the midsection.
V-Necks & Sweetheart Necklines will draw attention upward toward your cleavage or collarbone, balancing your proportions.
A one-piece swimsuit with tummy control can become your best friend.
The primary thing you want to shop for is a bathing suit that balances out your upper body with your lower half.
Number Four: The Hourglass Body Type!
Hourglass body types are curvy with a fuller chest, slimmer waist, and hips equal in width to the shoulders. If you have this figure, you can pretty much wear any swimsuit you choose.
Your well-defined waist is an asset that you should accentuate!
Styling Tips:
Bold colors and prints will play up your curves without overpowering your frame.
Wrap styles will perfectly highlight your waist.
High-waisted bikinis: Bottoms that sit at your natural waist highlight your curves while offering comfortable midsection coverage.
Side-Cut Monokinis: Cut-out details will naturally trace your curves, bringing focus to the narrowest part of your waist.
Belted Swimsuits: A belted one-piece swimsuit will perfectly define your waist and keep your balanced proportions symmetrical.
A fit-and-flare will showcase your waist, flowing effortlessly from your hips.
Plunging Necklines: A V-neck elongates your torso and accentuates your bust, drawing attention to your narrow waistline.
And, Number Five: The Rectangle/Banana Body Type!
The rectangle body type, sometimes called the banana body type, shares some similarities with the inverted triangle body type. The main difference lies in the proportions of the shoulders and hips.
People with an inverted triangle body shape typically have noticeably broader shoulders and narrower hips, whereas rectangular body types have shoulders and hips that are nearly the same width. This creates a straight, balanced silhouette with minimal waist definition - much like the straight edge of a ruler.
One of the good things about this body type is that you gain and lose weight evenly all over your body. In addition, your arms and legs are naturally toned and slender!
The goal here is to create the illusion of a defined waist and hips with curves. To accomplish this, choose bolder swimsuit styles to add curves and accentuate a slim waist.
Features like ruffles, plunging necklines, and fabric ruching can also help to enhance your curves and highlight your best figure.
Styling Tips
Use lines to create curves and emphasize your favorite parts of your body. Think about color.
Monokinis & Side Cut-Outs: The open sides will instantly contour and enhance your midsection, defining your waistline.
Plunging V-Necklines: V-necks and halter tops elongate the torso and draw the eye vertically, creating the illusion of a more proportionate upper body and curvier bust.
Ruffled Details: Ruffles, bows, and gatherings along the neckline or hips add dimension and volume to the area above and below your waist.
Belted Swimsuits: A swimsuit with a built-in belt or contrasting color block at the waist acts as a focal point that cinches the silhouette.
Closing Thoughts
Finding your perfect swimsuit isn't about following the latest fashion rules - it's about selecting a style that makes you feel comfortable, confident, and beautiful.
Understanding your body type can help you identify the cuts and styles that naturally complement your shape, but your personal style should always come first.
Use these guidelines as a starting point, experiment with different designs, and wear what makes you feel your best.
The right swimsuit is ultimately the one that helps you walk along the seashore or lounge casually near the pool, feeling confident, empowered, and authentically you!
Sources & Citations
Flatter your figure with the right swimsuit – Miraclesuit. (n.d.-c). https://www.miraclesuit.com/blogs/brand-story/flatter-your-figure-with-the-right-swimsuit
Inverted Triangle Body Shape: A Comprehensive Guide. The concept of a wardrobe. (n.d.). https://theconceptwardrobe.com/build-a-wardrobe/inverted-triangle-body-shape#:~:text=Tops-,Necklines,break%20up%20the%20chest%20vertically.
How to choose prom dresses for the hourglass body type. Fashion for Your Body Type. (2024, March 21). https://bodytypefashion.com/prom-hourglass/
Drazen. (2024, August 6). The five most flattering dresses for your body shape. Love Your Dress. https://www.loveyourdress.ca/dress-blog/the-most-flattering-dresses-for-your-body-shape/
About the Author
Isabella “Bella” Boston is an etiquette consultant, style theorist, and the visionary creator behind Bella’s Attic Studio Series. Dedicated to reviving the lost arts of poise, intentional living, and classic refinement, she provides modern individuals with timeless frameworks for self-presentation.
Her writing platform, Bella’s Attic Studio®, was featured as an industry fashion voice on the Vienne Milano Brand Timeline for editorial insights on luxury hosiery styling.
With a firm belief that true sophistication is accessible to every generation, Isabella combines traditional protocol with practical lifestyle curation.
When she is not writing or consulting, she curates her own minimalist wardrobe and studies fashion history.
Aside from having a passion for fashion & writing, Isabella is a book lover, a human rights advocate, a language enthusiast, and, most importantly, a woman of God in Christ Jesus!
