If you have an hourglass shape, you are curvy overall, with a defined waist. Your hips and shoulders are similar width with a medium to large bust. arms of average size. Your legs are full at the thighs and rear, while your lower legs are slim and shapely.

GOAL:

The goal for hourglass body types is to accentuate the waist and lower legs, elongate the silhouette,

STYLE:

all styles suit you

FABRICS:

All fabric combinations

If you have an hourglass shape, you are curvy overall, with a defined waist. Your hips and shoulders are similar width with a medium to large bust. arms of average size. Your legs are full at the thighs and rear, while your lower legs are slim and shapely.

GOAL:

The goal for hourglass body types is to accentuate the waist and lower legs, elongate the silhouette,

STYLE:

all styles suit you

FABRICS:

All fabric combinations

If your bust, waist and hips are similar size, then you have an oval, or apple, shape. This shape is also characterized by a small bust, slim arms and legs, an undefined waist, and square hips. Most of the weight is carried in the middle and upper torso. The legs are slender and arms are thin. The bust is larger than the hips and the buttocks are flat.

GOAL

The goals for women with an oval (apple) body type is to keep the focus away from the mid section, lengthen the upper torso and neck, and accentuate thighs, hips and legs.

STYLE

Tankini's that are a little longer and don't stop at the waist.  No embellishments at the waist.  For fuller figures we suggest higher waist bottoms.  Halter styles look great

FABRICS

Try and stay away from any type of colored bands at the waist. 

Women with an inverted triangle shape have a full bust, waist and upper back. They are less full in the hips, and have a flat rear. They also have a pronounced tummy and midriff, and slim arms and legs. They have a top heavy appearance, with broad shoulders and a full bust. The bust is larger than the hips. The hips, thighs, buttocks and lower legs are smaller in proportion to the upper half.

GOAL:

The goals for women with an inverted triangle body type are to balance the upper and lower torso, slenderize shoulders and bust, and accentuate thighs, hips and legs.

STYLE

Look for swimsuits that provide support with an underwire bra

A wide, square neck can narrow wide shoulders,

FABRICS:

Darker colors on top

Your full bust-line and full hip-line are about the same width and you have little waist definition

Your legs and arms will typically be proportionally slender.  You have a small to medium bust.  You most likely have a balanced body or long legged vertical body shape.  You may also have a flat bottom

GOAL

To add curves by: Defining your shoulders Or, if you are slender, by defining your waist

STYLE

Those of us with rectangle body shapes face some interesting challenges, but we can do a lot by focusing on long lean looks.  Two piece suits with Low style bottoms

FABRICS

Find your color and stick with it from neck to seat. Use prints cleverly to create the illusion of indentation and shape at the waistline.

Although a solid black swimsuit is slimming when you're not pregnant, it does little to distract the eye away from your growing abdomen when you are. Try on a print maternity swimsuit and you may find the pattern draws eyes away from your abdomen and towards your upper body and face. A print halter swimsuit top with a flared bodice paired with a simple tie bottoms can be very flattering. makes you feel good.

Consider whether you want to hide your pregnancy. If you don't mind showing off your pregnancy a bit, you can choose from a variety of styles that will show off your expanding abdomen such as an empire tank or a keyhole style swimsuit. If you're a bit more modest, you can opt for a style with a flouncy bodice such as a baby doll style with a tie back. A flouncy skirt can look stylish while making you feel a bit less self conscious about your expanding abdomen.

Are you going to be swimming? If you plan on swimming laps in the pool for exercise, a tank style is probably your best choice. If you'll be spending most of your time in a beach chair or walking along the shoreline, you can choose a less practical and more stylish type of maternity swimsuit

Give your expanding breasts extra support. As your breasts expand in size, you're going to need adequate support. The best option may be a shelf bra with underlying elastic or addition of an underwire. If you're smaller breasted, a bandeau style or halter top with soft cups or even a strapless style may work best although a strapless style may be impractical if you plan on swimming laps in the pool.

Prepare for your growing abdomen. As your abdomen continues to grow in size, you may not want to invest in another swimsuit. To avoid this, choose a suit with tie closures as opposed to clasps. As your abdomen distends, you can simply adjust the ties to accommodate your expanding girth. This can be a big time and money saver

A general rule for good swimsuit flattery is to use darker colors on areas you would like to slim and understate and lighter and brighter colors on areas you would like to highlight (this rule also applies to general fashion). While a black swimsuit will likely do the trick for slimming your body, you may be able to do even better by using swimsuit colors wisely. For example, if you would like to de-emphasize your hips, try pairing dark red, blue, or black bikini bottoms with a light-colored bikini top. The light color will draw attention and eyes toward your bust and away from your hips. Another good slimming trick is to look for a tankini in a generally bright color with darker insets on the sides. The insets will make your figure look thinner and more toned.

When looking at prints, pay attention to the color, size, and placement of the print. Prints on a darker background are more slimming. In addition, prints with allover swirls will stop the eye from focusing on any one area of the body.

In general, opaque, matte style fabrics will slim the body the most, while shiny fabrics will make the body seem larger. If you do like the idea of shine in a swimsuit but not the enlarging effects, look for a shiny bikini in a muted or otherwise dark color. You can also add the shine to the contrasting trim.  All of Zenaswimwear's solid Fabrics are made with a matte finish lycra

Details on a bikini, such as bows, trims , Ruching, gathers, and ties will all grab attention. Use them wisely on an area of the body you would like to draw attention to and gain the benefit of drawing attention away from less desirable characteristics.

An oft-misunderstood rule of swimsuit coverage is the fact that less is often more. Looking for more coverage in a swimsuit is not always the best way to deal with figure flaws. Using huge amounts of fabric to cover a large derriere may actually draw unwanted attention to that very section of the body. For example, women with wide hips often assume that the skirted swimsuit is the best style option for them. However, the skirt quite often ends at the widest part of the hips or thighs, serving only to make the area appear larger. A much better bet is to choose bikini bottoms with high cut legs that will elongate the legs and slim the hips and thighs. As long as a swimsuit fits comfortably and highlights desirable characteristics, bare is almost always more beautiful