If you need a suit in a hurry, don’t discount department stores. As I discovered on Monday, we’re not always limited to specialty boutiques or online ordering.
Find #1: Next by Athena
Yesterday I mentioned how nice it would be for the Shoshanna rash guard to have princess seams and a front zipper. Then I found this zipped one-piece from Next!
Following last year’s failed experiment of trying to wear my Elomi swim bra under tankinis from other brands, this suit could definitely cover a swim bra, although the seams would probably show through. This suit has absolutely no padding or support, and I’m wearing my ordinary size 34G Fantasie 4520 under a size Small swimsuit. The zipper is about ready to explode, so if I wore this in real life, I’d want to put some sort of lock in place. A medium would have been perfect, but there was none, so I tried the turquoise and navy in size Large next.
You can find this suit on several websites, although it was on sale for just $45 at Lord & Taylor. Don’t you love this striped version? It was NOT at Lord & Taylor, but it’s available through Zappos for $65.
I’m also curious about their wrap tankini for a D up. Sizes 34D and 36D are available at 6PM for $47. Since we know soooo many women wear 34D and 36D before discovering their true size, I’m pretty sure this top could accommodate higher cups. If anything, it looks wearable for simply hanging out at home if it isn’t supportive enough for swimming in public.
Find #2: Coco Reef
This 36DD tankini from Coco Reef actually fit very well and was on sale for $55.
Coco Reef is one of several bra-sized brands owned by Swimwear Anywhere. The others are Beach House (which I reported on last year with my swim bra experiment), Coco Rave (targets a younger market and has an adorable longline bikini top), Gabor, and Roxanne. Swimwear Anywhere may only have been around since 1998, but Roxanne has been around for much longer–I owned a 36C suit from them in high school and loved it! If you run into any of these brands, it’s worth giving them a try. (For an idea of how this company (mis)understands bra fit and why their suits can fit larger cup sizes, check out their recent ads for fit models.)
One last note–I wasn’t a fan of the profile that the molded cup style gave me, and I felt very squished into it. I did like the tie back feature, however.
Find #3: Nautica Zip Front Tankini
Take this one with a giant grain of salt, but I couldn’t resist trying it on.
First in size 12, which was too loose, thereby depriving me of any benefit of compression support!
Next in size 8. I had to hoist my boobs up to where I wanted them, but they stayed in place after that.
This top would get an F by bra-fit standards because it doesn’t really encompass all of my side tissue and the lift is negligible, but it’s so cute!
You can see the pathetic little cup space below. PLEASE, full-bust companies, give us something cute like this that fits and supports!!!! I’ll take it in a tankini top, lounge top, and workout top version please!!!! By the way, the fabric for this top was fabulous–almost like neoprene.
What successes have you had recently with department store swimwear?
