Fashion

How To Choose The Best Swimsuit For Your Body Type?

By Meghana U Raju|August 7, 2025
How To Choose The Best Swimsuit For Your Body Type?

It’s officially the summer season, and it's that time of the year to show off your curves, tan, wear your favorite suits, and spend your time in the water. But the best part about this season is in choosing swimsuits flattering your body type, cos only 3% of women truly feel confident in their swimsuits. This is cos they aren’t wearing swimsuits that match their vibes, style, and energy perfectly.

So, you may be wondering, “What swimsuit is best for my body type?” Well, no one answer fits this question. Cos the best swimsuits for your body type are those that hug you perfectly and allow you to show up looking your best. So come on, let’s find out how to choose the best flattering bathing suits for all body types.

Choosing the Best Swimsuits For Body Type

1. Hourglass 

How do you know you have an hourglass shape? Are your bust and hips nearly the same size? Do you have a clearly defined waist? Are your proportions well balanced? If the answer is yes to all of these, then, lucky for you, you have an hourglass shape. The good thing about this shape is that it is easy to choose swimsuits flattering to body type, cos most swimsuits are designed for this shape.

All you need to do is choose suits that have structure and help highlight your curves. I’m talking about haltner neck tops, bandeau tops, and high-waisted bikini bottoms. Make sure the swim tops you choose come with underwire or molded cups so they can provide support and shape to your busts.

You’ll also need to add one-piece swimsuits to your wardrobe. They can be wrap styles, plunging necklines, or styles that show off your waistline, as long as you can rock it, then it’s good. But whichever swimsuit you choose, stay away from swimsuits that are overloaded at the top or bottom half. The idea with this body type is to keep things balanced and not overloaded.

2. Pear-Shape 

Before you start asking “What swimsuits are best for my body type?”, look at your body. Are your hips the biggest part of your body? Are your shoulders, bust, and waist a bit slimmer? If the answer is yes, then you may be pear-shaped. The best part about choosing flattering bathing suits for this body type is that, since you already have curves, it becomes way easier to create a visual balance.

The best swimsuits for this body type are those that come with ruffles, bold prints, and embellishments on the swim tops. I mean bandeau tops with detailing, halter necks, and padded or push-up styles. This kind of top makes your upper part of the body look a bit bigger, which is good for balance. But for your bottoms, the idea is to keep things simple and basic. You can even check our guide on the best swimsuits for pear shaped body type.

For this body type, you’ll need mid-rise or classic bikini bottoms, a high leg cut bottom, and even a skirted bottom that is simple but covers. One-piece swimsuits with plunging necklines, off-shoulder cuts, and asymmetric straps are also good bathing suits for this body type. The key here is to avoid tie-side or ruched style bottoms that add to your hips and any super busy pattern or fabric that makes your hips look bigger. So keep your bottoms simple and go crazy with your tops.

3. Apple-Shape 

If you have a full bust, round tummy, wide hips, plenty of curves, and a less defined waist, then you know your body type is apple-shaped. But what swimsuits are flattering for an apple-shaped body type? Since this is your body type, then that’s all you’re interested in knowing, so come closer. The best swimsuits for body type - apple shape, are those that create more definition in the waist and show off either the top or bottom of your body. 

You’ll need one-piece swimsuits with ruched panels, cinched waist wrap styles, and plunging necklines that won’t hide your body, but will help highlight it better. If you prefer wearing a two-piece, no problem, there are several you can choose from. You can choose underwired or structured swim tops and high-waisted bikini bottoms. This way, you get more support, structure, and coverage.

The main idea with choosing the best swimsuits for this body type is to stick to styles that have no detailing around the waistline. It can be busy everywhere else but there. So avoid monokinis and other swimsuits that show off the waist or have cutouts in the midsection. Instead, focus on tankinis and other swimsuits that keep you looking clean, stylish, sculpted, and balanced.

4. Inverted Triangle Shape

If you have broad shoulders, small busts, and small hips, then you’ll need to find flattering bathing suits for body type - inverted triangle. These swimsuits, like the ones you’ll find on our guide of best swimsuits for inverted triangle body shape, are those that will soften your upper body and balance it properly with your lower body.

Swimsuits like triangle tops are a yes, cos they show more skin and kind of soften you up. But for other top styles, choose those with thin straps, small pads, and underwires. This way you’ll look more feminine without drawing too much attention to your up, cos where you need attention is in your bottom.

That’s why you’ll need eye-catching bottoms with side ties, ruffles, fringe, tassels, and truly, anything that will draw attention. If you love one pieces, then go for the one shoulder swimsuits, the deep v neck suits, and the monokinis with hip cutouts. No matter what you do, avoid swim tops that draw attention; this way, you’ll always look amazing at the beach.

5. Best Bathing Suit for Body Type - Athletic Shape

If so far, you haven’t found your body type or swimsuits flattering to your body type, and you’re toned, straight, or an athlete, then you’ll need swimsuits that will fit the athletic or rectangular body type. This means you need swimsuits that will help create curves, soften up your body, and make you look more feminine.

So, the best swimsuits for this body type are swimsuits that create a defined waist, fuller busts, and fuller hips. I mean swimsuits like triangle bikini tops, a balconette top, or tops with paddings, push-ups, tassels, ruffles, and flirty prints. Then for the bottoms, you’ll need ones that come with side ties, belts, ruffles, edges, and bold patterns, cos they help create volume to your hips.

The best part about this body type is that it is so versatile. So, you can mix and match, or play around with cutouts, and more daring swimsuit styles. You could also rock one pieces with deep necks and monokinis with more daring cutouts.  But never should you wear simple or basic straight swimsuits, cos the best swimsuits for an athletic body type are those that make you feel bold and beautiful.

Conclusion

Finding out what swimsuits are best for your body type is only possible if you understand your body type. This will help you choose swimsuits that will show off your best feature, be stylish, comfortable, and make you feel good.

In this guide, we’ve explained the best swimsuits for each body type and which swimsuits you should avoid. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all rule to this, but choosing the best swimsuits for your body type means you celebrate your body, you embrace your curves, and you want to be stylish while doing this. So, go on, have the best of fun this summer at the beach, pool, yacht, or resort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Swimsuit styles that are best for belly fat include:

Belted swimsuits are great for creating a slimming effect by highlighting the waist. Wrap-style tops also help by drawing attention to the midsection and enhancing an hourglass shape.

When choosing a swimsuit:

To look slimmer in a bathing suit, wear dark colors like black or navy blue. For a stylish touch, go for swimsuits with strategic cut-outs or patterns that enhance curves while maintaining a sleek look.

One-piece swimsuits with ruching or vertical stripes can help elongate the body and slim the appearance of legs. Choose tops with plunging necklines or halter styles to draw attention upward and balance proportions.

Meghana U Raju
Meghana U RajuAugust 7, 2025

Meghana U Raju is a fashion marketer and writer who loves sharing style stories, spotlighting new brands, and creating content that truly connects with fashion lovers.

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