How to choose a swimsuit according to your body shape

The holidays are now approaching, or rather, for many they have already arrived! For those who go to the beach I thought I would create this guide on how to choose a swimsuit based on your body shape, or Body Shape .

First of all, a clarification: body shape, or physical morphology, is independent of weight and size ; therefore, there can be pear-shaped bodies size 40 but also 46/48 and over, the same applies to all the other typologies that we will see shortly.

But now let’s immediately see the advice for swimsuits that enhance every body type:

• PEAR-SHAPED OR TRIANGLE BODY : this is the most common physical morphology in Italy and in general in the Mediterranean basin, it is characterized by narrower shoulders and waist, and the widest part of the body is represented by the hips. A typical example is Jennifer Lopez. For this type of swimsuits, the ones that re-proportion the upper part with the lower part of the body, that is: patterns, dilating colors, ruches, flounces and applications on the bra, while for the bottoms, solid colors or dark colors.

• APPLE BODY, OR INVERTED TRIANGLE : it is the opposite of the pear, in fact it has a wider upper part (shoulders, breasts, chest) than the lower part, which often has thin and slender legs, and sometimes even a slightly flat bottom. If you want an example of an apple body, think of Maria Grazia Cucinotta. Even in this body shape, the upper part must be balanced with the legs. The best swimsuit for the apple is a one-piece, especially crossed and draped, or with a diagonal American-style closure. For bikinis, the bra should have medium-wide straps to maintain the proportions, while the bottoms are better if they have a medium-low waist.

• HOURGLASS BODY: this is the most envied and desired morphology of all, it has shoulders and hips of the same size, and a very narrow waist, just to recall the shape of the hourglass. It is a rather curvy body, and is associated with the 90/60/90 stereotype, referring to the measurements of the shoulders, waist and hips. If you are familiar with Sophia Loren or Gina Lollobrigida, you have found an hourglass! The costumes indicated for the hourglass are definitely the bikini, with a bra that supports well a usually shapely breast, high-cut or Brazilian briefs, high-waisted culottes and Pin Up style corsets. Also the one-piece models that shape the figure well.

• RECTANGLE BODY : the rectangle is the typical physical morphology of those who have shoulders and hips in line, and a slightly narrower waist but not particularly defined (as happens with the hourglass). It is called rectangle because the figure appears androgynous and with few curves, think of the actress Keira Knightley. There are many swimsuits that enhance the rectangle, from the bikini to diagonal cuts like the trikini, a beautiful model that only looks good on her. It is better to choose a bikini with applications such as ruches, flounces, patterns, and bright colors that are dilating.

• OVAL BODY : the oval, also called diamond, is characterized by shoulders in line with the hips, and a waist that is not very defined and present. The abdomen represents the most critical part, in fact, of this morphology; it can be curvier and softer (the singer Adele some time ago), but also thinner (Selena Gomez for example). The ideal costumes for the oval body are definitely the one-piece, especially if with strategic drapes, because it verticalizes the figure, or in bikinis prefer the slip with a skirt that camouflages the area, or even the slip draped on the abdomen.

You are probably wondering what your body type is: you can stand in front of a mirror in your underwear or swimsuit, and see which parts of your body are wider, using the guide above. Sometimes it can happen that you are a mix between two distinct body types , as happens in the analysis of the face.

If you don’t have wider parts than others, it could be that you are a rectangle, hourglass or oval, that is, the morphologies that have more homogeneity between the upper and lower part of the body.