by Cicely Richard

Created on: February 24, 2009

As the weather begins warming up, many women want to strip away the heavy coats and warm ups in favor of warm-weather fashion and accessories. For most of us, wearing a bathing suit is part of our spring and summer wardrobe as we plan to head to the pool or the beach. However, as women, many of us cringe at the idea of finding a bathing suit that fits our particular body type.

Whether we work out on a daily basis or haven't hit the gym in years, we hate the idea of squeezing into a suit and exposing ourselves to the world. Fashion designers are trying to address this issue of sizing bathing suits in order to get the perfect fit. Of course, there are a few things we need to do before purchasing a bathing suit.

Before women enter the bathing suit section of a store or visit an online store to shop for a new suit, they need to know every inch of their bodies. The first step is to stand in front of a mirror in your underwear or naked to do a full-body search. As frustrating as this may seem, look at yourself and pick out your assets and which part of your body a bathing suit may need to help conceal. For example, a woman with hips may determine that she needs a suit to cover or minimize this area. This should be a step for all body types, thin or full figured.

Once the full-body search has been conducted, get a measuring tape and record your numbers. This step is important if you plan to order a bathing suit online because many of them sell suits according to measurement and not according to traditional sizes. Women should measure their bust lines, abdominals, butts, and hips in order to get the perfect fit. Knowing these measurements are helpful, too, because a woman can even buy their bathing suit as separates if they are smaller on top and larger on the bottom or vice versa.

After you know assets, things you like to improve and your measurements, women should decide what colors work for them and their bodies. At one time, full-figured women thought that they could only wear black bathing suits, but now they can wear clothing in a variety of colors because they are made with cinching fabric. Women who are thin may want bathing suits that maximize their breast or their buttocks. Bathing suits now work for any size and body type.

There is no reason for a woman to have to conceal her body because she doesn't feel comfortable in a bathing suit. In order to find a bathing suit that is the perfect fit, they need to take an honest look at their bodies and know their measurements. They also need to be able to know what colors work best on their bodies. Once everything has been determined, they can find a bathing suit to look stunning on the beach or by the pool.

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