Best Slimming Swimsuits for Plus Size Women: Any Body Shape

If you’re a plus size woman, chances are, your goal is to camouflage your problem areas especially the tummy. To accomplish this and find the best slimming swimsuits for plus size women, you need to look at a swimsuit’s shape, pattern, print, and color. But how exactly do you do that? This guide will show you how.

If you’ve shopped online, then you know that a swimsuit that looks good on a plus size model doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll look good on you too.

But in this post is a list of designs that look good on any plus size body type (apple or round, rectangle, pear, diamond, hourglass, inverted triangle). You can never go wrong with these designs. They all camouflage the tummy, slim you down, and shape you like an hourglass. Consider this as your go-to guide next time you’re in doubt.

Peplum tankinis

The very design of peplum top is, by its nature, flattering on any body shape no matter the size. It hugs the waist completely, creating the illusion of a slim waist, then it flares at the bottom section, exaggerating and boosting the hips. This then creates contrast between the waist and the hips, thus slimming down your waist but boosting your hips.

And I know what you’re thinking: Aren’t tankinis outdated? Not if it’s peplum, nope. Of all tankini designs, peplum is the most timeless piece you can possibly wear. Read any decade-old fashion magazines and you’ll see that the concept of peplum was already being applied then, in dresses, tops, blazers, and now, swimsuits.

What’s more: It’s not only for swimming. You can literally wear it in any type of occasion. If you’re a minimalist, owning one peplum swimsuit top is like owning a dozen outfits. You can dress it down with jeans or denim shorts (casual attire), or dress up with slacks or skirts (formal attire). It’s so versatile and flattering that it would be such a shame not to have one.

Diagonal patterns

If your biggest problem area is your belly, consider it solved with spliced designed swimsuits. It’s particularly slimming because it distracts the eyes from focusing too much on your belly fat but more on the overlapping pattern of the design, thus reducing the bulk of your belly and even your arm fats.

One piece with tummy control panel

One piece with tummy control panel installed in it can comfortably tuck in your stomach area and prevent the “fat spilling” effect which usually happens when your entire midsection is covered. It also shapes your entire midsection giving it more of an hourglass shape by curving at the waist. Think of tummy control panel as a corset, only for swimming—so it’s way lighter and more comfortable.

• Read: Plus Size Bathing Suits with Tummy Control: Top Picks

Plunging neckline

For the same reason that spliced patterns slim down a plus size body, V-neck cut swimsuits are greato at camouflaging problem areas like tummy and arms. They force the eyes to focus on the center, away from the bulk of the arms and tummy. The deeper the plunge, the slimmer the effect.

If you have large breasts though (D cup and above), finding a deep plunge V-neck that offers good support and lift at the same time might prove to be hard. Therefore, be careful of how deep of a plunge you buy. On the other hand, if you’re a small-chested woman, you can go as deep as you want as long as you’re comfortable with it.

Hourglass patterns and cutouts

The simplest technique to make your waist appear slimmer is to wear swimsuits that mimic an hourglass pattern. Aside from peplum, you can do this through lines.

This one piece, for example, features two simple overlapping diagonal lines. What you get is the illusion of a curvier and slimmer waist and defined hips.

Cutouts that mimic a slim waist are just perfect in slimming down the overall figure of a plus size. You can go as waist-bare as you like or you can go for a mesh cutout for a more modest loo. Like this:

Two factors of this design being slimming: first, the cutout on both sides of the waists; second, the narrow and deep V-neck plunge at the chest.

If you hate exposing your tummy skin, opt for swimsuits that play with patterns to highlight your waist instead

A-line swimdresses

If you hate the restrictive quality of a one piece on your lower body, then an A-line swim dress is a great option. It hugs the waist to emphasize and flares at the bottom to create contrast—quite similar effect that peplum creates, only in a dress. Overall, it flatters any type of figure.

High waisted bikinis

If you’re bored of wearing one piece every time, give high waisted bikinis a try. It’s excellent in supporting and shaping the tummy allowing you to expose some skin and not feel restricted and uncomfortably covered. It’s a tad bit sexier than most one piece but it sure still look classy and supported. Just how you like it.

Plain black

This might be the oldest trick in the book but the fact remains that it always works. It’s also the easiest one to remember. If all else fails, and you can’t recall any of the guidelines, know that a plain, black swimsuit will always be there to make you look slim and elegant.

What designs to avoid

Avoid falling for ill-fitting designs when shopping online. The following designs create the exact opposite effect of slimming for plus size ladies.

Horizontal lines

Horizontal lines—as opposed to diagonal, vertical, and curvy—visually magnifies the width of the body, making it an official no-no for plus size ladies who wants to slim down their swimsuit figures.

There are rare instances, however, when horizontal lines might look flattering on a plus size figure. For example, a combination of vertical lines at the upper body and horizontal lines at the hips will look flattering because of the contrast. The vertical slims down the waist, while the horizontal widens the waist.

The rest of the times, it does require a trained eye to distinguish. So to be on the safer side and avoid wasting money, it’s probably wiser to avoid horizontal lines altogether.

White and other lighter colors

White has the opposite effect of black. It can make you appear bigger than you are. But if you’re dying to incorporate white to your swimsuit, you still can get away with cutouts on the waist, deep V-neck, or vertical, diagonal, and curvy lines and patterns.

What about prints?

Contrary to popular belief, most plus size women can actually wear prints and rock them. However, not all prints look good on all body type.

If you’re a plus size hourglass, like the model above, consider yourself lucky as you can rock any type of prints since your figure is proportionately balanced (shoulders the same width as your hips).

Plus size rectangle ladies can also wear any prints but need to make sure that their swimsuit is also emphasizing the waist—like waist cutouts and peplum—to soften the straightness of the body.

If you’re a plus size pear shape lady though, where your upper body is narrow and your lower is wide, only wear patterns at the top and keep it solid at the bottom to keep the balance.

If your upper body and shoulders are wider than your lower body and hips, you’re a plus size inverted triangle. This means you can wear patterns as your bottom but not as a top. The pattern will enhance your hips which is something you need in order to balance your figure. You don’t need it at the top, though.

Plus size apple ladies who want to look slimmer might wanna avoid prints altogether since it’ll only accentuate the heaviness in their midsection. Although there are exceptions to that:

Both one piece at the left aren’t just random prints; they have their own distinct pattern. And these patterns mimic a slim waist. Furthermore, the peplum top at the right side does have a random pattern. However, its diagonal fabric cut and its peplum shape compensate for that.

In short, apple ladies can still wear patterns provided that those patterns are slimming. Or, if it’s a random pattern, the cut and shape of the design should compensate it in order for a piece to be wearable by a woman with apple body.

How this guide will improve your shopping experience

Peruse this guide and say goodbye to ill-fitting swimsuits that stay unused forever. These guidelines might be a tad overwhelming for a beginner but if you’re tired of shopping for ill-fitting bathing suits, saving this guide will surely pay off big time in the long run. It’s just no fun waiting for an order you took ages to choose online, only to look like a sack of potato in it.

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