Tag: volleyball

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

Choosing the Right Swimsuit or Bikini for Every Occasion

Most women own at least a couple of swimsuits or bikinis. Some of these swimsuits may be old, comfortable favorites, while some may be trendy and new for the summer season. Doubtlessly, some of the swimsuits are more modest; others are sexier and flashier. With all of the choices that most women seem to have in their swimsuit wardrobe, choosing the right swimsuit for every occasion can become quite a daunting task. Swimsuits are designed and intended for a wide variety of purposes and activities, from swimming laps to attracting men at the beach. With all of these different swimsuits to choose from, it can become quite difficult to select the most appropriate swimsuit for the occasion. In the following paragraphs, you will find a brief guide to several of the most common swimsuit-wearing activities or outings, along with a recommended swimsuit style and color for that activity or occasion.

Serious Swimming: Of course, almost every woman knows that a sexy, skimpy bikini is hardly the best choice for swimming laps. No matter how much spandex is contained in that small amount of material, it is not likely to stay put and remain comfortable for serious swimming. However, swimming laps at the local pool or gym does not have to merit your drabbest or most boring swimsuit. For a good fit and look while swimming laps, try a one-piece swimsuit with a polyester blend. A polyester-blend swimsuit should stay put and go the distance with you. Vertical stripes down both sides of the suit can help define the waist and add a little style to your swimsuit. While white is probably not the best color choice for lap swimming (it has a tendency to show through), almost any other color is appropriate for this activity. Feel free to indulge you inner sense of style and fashion when choosing a swimsuit color for serious swimming activities. To test the comfort and fabric flexibility in your swimsuit, be sure to circle the arms and rotate the shoulders in the dressing room.

Beach Volleyball: Beach sports like volleyball or Frisbee require a swimsuit that will stay in place during extreme amounts of bodily movement, similar to lap swimming. However, being on the beach where hundreds of people are likely to view your swimsuit or bikini also requires a sexier, more attractive swimsuit than lap swimming would warrant. In this way, beach volleyball and other beach sports pose a rather challenging problem for swimsuit selection. The best bikini option for beach sports is a halter top with a tie front and back paired with either short boy shorts or brief-style bikini bottoms that sit on the hips. This type of bikini won’t gap or give, whether you are spiking a ball or diving for a dig. It will also retain a sense of beach-style sexiness. As far as color is concerned, the sky is the limit on appropriate colors for beach sports. Try some fun tropical prints or sporty stripes to indulge in summer style.

Country Club Visit: Every so often, an occasion such as a visit to the local country club requires a more sophisticated swimsuit look. A general rule to follow with country club lounging is: if a membership card is required, a chic and classic swimsuit style is also required. While swimsuits no longer need to be prim and proper in order to be appropriate for country club display, they do need to be somewhat more tasteful and modest than the suit you would typically wear on the beach. To achieve a tasteful sexiness at the country club, try a bandeau-style bikini or a one-shouldered maillot. Feel free to try floral prints, cheerful colors, and stripes, but stay away from bright neon or shiny metallic swimsuits. If you feel the need to wear a white swimsuit, make sure it is double or even triple lined to ensure modesty and opaqueness. A country club visit does not need to be an extreme show of propriety, but your swimsuit should be tasteful and classic.

Yacht Party: For a party out on the boss’s yacht, country club rules generally apply. It is likely that you will not be doing much swimming in your swimsuit; so feel free to experiment with the newest trends in swimsuit fashion. You will want to maintain a tasteful look (depending upon the company of the yacht), but you can still indulge in some trendy, new looks. The latest swimsuits designed for lounging include one-pieces with revealing cutouts or plunging necklines. While these swimsuits are not designed for serious swimming, they can get wet. In other words, you should not worry if your ice cubes drip a little. For the yacht, you should generally choose understated colors or a simple black and white bikini combination. This look is fresh and sassy, and wearing the white up top is flattering for the figure. Be sure to remember a cover-up or sarong in case it gets windy out on the boat.

Backyard Barbecue: For the summer fun of a backyard barbecue, anything goes as far as swimsuit choice. It is likely that you will be surrounded by family and friends, so feel free to indulge in your own personal style with bright colors and fun prints from the latest trends. However, depending upon the guests at your backyard barbecue, you may want to show some restraint in your swimsuit or bikini choice. If there will be children at the party, be sure to wear something tasteful and fun, such as a cute, ruched tankini. It goes without saying that, if you have invited your future in-laws, you may not want to wear your newest thong bikini. Nevertheless, a backyard barbecue or neighborhood get-together is one of the most casual occasions that require a swimsuit. You should use this time to indulge in any swimsuit style you choose.

Beachcombing: If you are planning a visit to the beach to do some serious lounging and relaxing, feel free to bring along your skimpiest swimsuit or bikini. The beach is the perfect location to show off that sexy string or thong bikini you have been dying to wear all winter. To get the pipeline perfect style in terms of color, try pairing boy shorts or briefs and a halter-top in a Hawaiian motif. If you want to add a little more modern funk to your style, try a floral-and-stripe combination in your bikini. Or, if your beach visit requires a little more sophistication, try a one-piece suit in a floral print or a mellow lime color. Regardless of what you bring, be sure to embrace the beach as the prime location for relaxation and style exhibition.

Cruise: If you are headed out on a romantic or fun cruise in the near future, it is likely that you will be packing several swimsuits to bring along. You may want to use a combination of styles and colors from the occasions listed above. There will likely be plenty of opportunities for lounging by the poolside in a skimpy bikini or one-piece swimsuit with cutouts. You may also be able to do some lap swimming in the on-board pool. Also, there may be some opportunities for beach visits in fun Hawaiian print suits. For a cruise, you may just want to bring the entire swimsuit wardrobe along and use your best discretion for choosing among the options for the best swimsuit for each outing. In fact, a cruise just may be the perfect opportunity to practice your newly acquired skills in choosing the most appropriate swimsuit or bikini for every outing.
About the Author Vanessa Lausch is a technical writer for More Swimsuits (http://www.moreswimsuits.com/) an online swimsuit store

Written By: Vanessa Lausch

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Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

Flattering Swimwear for Everyone Yes, Even YOU!

“There are so many styles of swimwear to choose from, especially if you are a women. With more options than ever, all women regardless of size or shape, can feel stylish wearing swimwear at the pool or on the beach this season.”

Summertime is inevitably a season when we all at some time or another bring out the swimwear. Whether it is at the beach, camping or the cottage, the warm weather and tantalizing water encourages a refreshing swim. There are some on the other hand who may not even use their swimwear for the water but who like to sit in the suns rays and give their skin the glow of summer. Whatever use you have for your bikini or swimwear the wonderful assortment of fabrics, styles and accessories will have you out and about enjoying the fine weather.

There are some of us who dont exactly look forward to this time of year when we have to bring out the swimwear and bikinis in hopes that those couple of extra pounds gained over the year wont have us bulging out of the seams. Not to fret though as swimwear today offers great stretch fabrics for easy mobility and plenty of style options that might just minimize or hide any imperfections.

The fabric, body shape, design and color are all factors when choosing the most flattering swimwear for you. When selecting a swimsuit the quality of fabric is important as you want a suit that will stand up to the seasons of wear, sun and saltwater. Nylon, Lycra and Faille are popular fabrics used for swimsuits, they resist fading and hold their stretchiness. Nylon and Lycra used together offer more stretch then standard swimwear along with shaping, control and comfort for the wearer.

The design of the swimsuit is probably the most important factor when women are out shopping for swimwear and bikinis. You will find plenty of suggestions on flattering suits for all sorts of body types. There are suits to create curves where needed, suits to minimize hips, suits to whittle waistlines, others to add shape to specific areas and then there are the standard all purpose suits that may look great on a variety of shapes. Lines and colors are very important in minimizing or accentuating particular parts of the body. Black and darker colors are often used to minimize, while stripes depending on whether they are vertical or horizontal are used for the same minimizing (vertical) or accentuating (horizontal) effects. There are several special sizes of swimsuits available to accommodate women from petite, tall and plus sizes.

Bikinis alone come in several popular designs that may include; tankinis which are similar to a tank top (with matching bottom, there are different variations of the tankini from short (above the navel) to tops that touch the bottom piece; bandeau tops are designed as a strip usually with no straps; halter tops are just as the name implies similar to a halter with possibly a string that goes around the neck connecting the bodice; lastly there are bra-tops (similar to bra designs) and triangle tops (triangle designs). The bikini that works best will vary from person to person, you want a top that offers support if needed, it is always best to try on a few different tops and see what works best.

Womens swimsuits offer features such as; soft-cup bras which give full support, built-in shelf bras with underwire, sarongs that add gentle shaping to midsection, gentle tummy wraps that accentuates shape, side shirring adding gentle shaping, and overlapping tops with bottoms for gentle coverage. There are also swimsuits available in swim dress designs which offer additional coverage of hips if needed for some, and bandeau style one pieces with no straps.

Women really are at an advantage when it comes to selecting swimwear designs, as the number of womens designs far exceeds the number of mens designs. Womens swimsuits come in one-piece designs, swim dress designs, sarong swimsuits, tankini suits and several bikini designs. Whereas mens suits are available mostly in the standard racing style, swim trunk and swim short designs.

The list of swimwear accessories is as great as the swimsuits to be had. The accessories are an important part of your beach or lake excursion, and can include; straw hats, crochet hats, sun hats, short chemises, pareo (cover up skirt), cover ups, capris, thongs, sunglasses, tote bags, mesh bags and most importantly beach towels.

Childrens swimwear offers some excellent options for those little ones just learning to swim. There are great thermal wear suits available, which keep children nice and warm, the innovative suits are made from a specially treated heat reflective neoprene material. Thermal wear suits and special sun protective swimwear also offer UV protection from the sun. There are special water shoes for children that protect their small feet and help to prevent slips. Then of course there is the wide variety of designs and fabrics available to choose from. Designs for girls come in one and two piece while the boys suits most often come in the short and trunk designs.

Other considerations to keep the children busy at the beach or lake are lifejackets, arm floats, flotation devices, goggles and beach toys. There are great swim vests and special swimming tubes specially made for children to gradually ease into swimming. The list of pool toys is endless with floating basketball nets, dive toys, swimming fins and volleyball games to name a few.

The sun protection clothing and sun protective swimwear that is being manufactured is innovative and an excellent choice especially for children. Some of the sun protective clothing and swimwear claims to block 98 per cent of UV rays with a UPF of 50 plus. What this means is that only one fiftieth of UV radiation falling on the surface of the garment will pass through. Wearing this clothing is added protection against the suns harmful rays.

When going to the beach, pool or when participating in any outdoor activity it is important to wear a sunscreen of at least thirty. Nothing spoils a day in the sun like the pain of sunburn. That is why being prepared for your outing is important, bring along the necessary hats, sunglasses and cover-ups to ensure both comfort and protection. This is true especially for children, its probably best to avoid mid afternoon intense sun if possible. However if you cannot avoid being in the sun, be sure to bring along a beach umbrella to provide shade and again hats and sunscreens for children are absolutely necessary.

With so many wonderful swimwear options to choose from your beach, pool, lake or camping experience can be both pleasurable and fashionable. Take the time and find a swimsuit that you feel comfortable in and one that compliments your particular figure. With the right swimwear choices you will be ready for all your travel and vacation needs with a suit that lasts for a few seasons. Valerie Giles owns and operates Bikinis and Swimsuits, a swimsuit and resort wear site showcasing bikinis, swimwear and resort wear. Find the perfect swimsuit for every occasion and every figure type. http://www.bikinis-and-swimsuits.com The accompanying article is copyrighted. It may be reproduced only if the hyperlinks here are left intact.

Written By: Valerie Giles

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