Which is why I've avoided purchasing one for nearly 12 years.
The OTHER reason I've been avoiding the whole scene is cost....
Have you checked the price tag on these babies, lately? For a one piece, try $95.00-$110.00. Yes. For TWO pieces, such as a tankini (we'll tackle that invention later in the post) you have to buy the top separate from the bottom. Brilliant marketing strategy that they wrap up in the message of "You as a consumer have more size choices, more customizability!" We pay more. Each piece will run you +$50.00.
And there's considerably less fabric than there used to be.
You know, too, how well I like spending time in dressing rooms at the mall. I'd rather go to the dentist, (I'm NOT joking!) than to try on swim suits.
Finally, this year, after an encouraging email from a friend that said, "You might want to go over to Land's End and look at their swimming suits. I hear there's a sale! Here's the link." I decided it was time to get new bathing apparel. (To her defense, she knows I've been talking about this impending occasion for three years. And to her credit, she hasn't laughed at me in the suits I HAVE been wearing. But it was time for an intervention, bless her heart.)
I'm in the tricky age group of "Not-a-20-something-anymore-but-not-ready-for-my-mom's-style" of suit. Here's where the tankini comes in. For the uninformed, a tankini is basically a tank top style, with a separate bottom. It wants to grow up to be a bikini someday, but it has self-esteem issues. Perfect. After two kids, I can embrace that type of thinking.
I also look at cover-ups. Which are floaty sorts of tops that cover you to your knees while you're wearing whatever swim suit you finally screw the courage up to put on. Some catalogs bill them as sort of sexy. They are not. They are about 3 yards of cotton gauze in a boxy shape. After consideration (translation: check the price) I decide that if I'm going to buy a suit, darn it, I'm just going to have to be brave. And find a t-shirt.
I looked at every possible style, shape enhancing, color, cut, strap width, torso length, free shipping tankini available. It took a month. (I'm serious. You can't rush these things.) I bookmarked. I compared. I exercised. And after all that agony, I finally closed my eyes and ordered one.
The suit came yesterday.
Deep breath...
And it fit just fine.
The problem is....all the body parts that AREN'T covered by Lycra/nylon/plastic boning.
I think we should go back to this:
7 comments:
I feel your pain. I am at the point where I have a cute suit but I have to wear shorts with it. And no, the shorts NEVER come off. The cover up goes on over that. With all these layers, whats the point of the suit?! HA!
But, I bet you look much better in it than you think! :)
Good for you! I can't even imagine when I'll feel like this body could look somewhat normal in a swimsuit again. I liked that when I was at the "Fwog Pond" last summer, I could wear shorts and walk around with Reegan in the whole thing :)
Thanks for the comments on my blog! I'd say we both ended up with some pretty darling children.
I've embraced the little skirt/tankini combo in recent years. And if you get one in a solid color, you can mix and match tops. Also, if you shop at Target it's only about $18.00 per piece. But you have to drive 800 miles to Target, so...maybe not such a good deal. Hmmm.
Oh, Marina and Erin! You can use the "I just had a baby" thing until the youngest is potty trained. If you have a diaper bag, you are excused from swimsuit shape. (Isn't that the best little rule?! Spread the word...)
And Alice, Target's only....250 miles away. Nearly next door! But I never get there and when I do, all that's left are (and these should be outlawed) string bikinis, size XS. They would nicely cover the cellulite on my knees, but what to do with the rest of it?
So I order and pray. Buying swimsuits also brings you closer to God. This is no coincidence, I'm sure.
Good for you Mary! Swimsuit shopping is not for the faint-of-heart! My problem is that I refuse to go into the dressing room to try them on. So I find the first swimsuit that looks to be about my size, rip it off the hanger, pay for it, then head home. Result .... a lot of bathing suits hanging in my closet that don't fit or don't look good. On the up-side ... a few more purchases and I can start mixing and matching! Maybe I'll come up with something I might actually wear!
I'm with Marina, nothing better than a great pair of board shorts!
Well, I want to see the thing on you. That has to be the next post, ya' hear! I am swimming at ladies night, and just to avoid the pain you just endured I am wearing my OLD aerobic suit. After all it is just the ladies who meet at 5:00 to swim in the local pool and they don't care. Have fun in your new suit.
I have spent more time in Sears' dressing rooms than I have in my own closet. It's horrible. About half way through my pile of Lands End suits, I start to get panicky, wondering if I'll EVER find one that fits. Have you tried the 'scoop neck' top? That's the one that works for me. :)
Once you figure out 'your' suit, here's what you do: Don't buy it yet. Check the Sears (do you have one?) rack mid August. You'll be pleasantly surprised! But if yours isn't there, don't dispair. Check the 'overstocks' periodically over the winter. The prices go down, down, down! I got two this winter and spent less than $20 a piece! (That's four pieces, of course. Because I've also subscribed to the 'tankini' marketing campaign... It DOES make your trip to the bathroom shorter!) Sign up for their emails (I send these to my junk email account) and watch for free shipping. Walla! A suit that fits, covers, and doesn't break the bank. :)
There, there... don't you feel better? :)
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