Friday, March 11

swimsuit season

Ok. So it's only March. 
Buuuut, I've been looking for a bathing suit. 
Last year I got this super cute one from Delia's, purple and polka dotted. But, I was really disappointed in the quality. I had it one summer and I found that it's already starting to fall apart a little. Now, mind you, I live in my bathing suit in the summer. No joke. I only take it off for work. Sometimes. So, that might be the reason. 

For me to buy a bathing suit there has to be some "givens". 
1. That it's fairly modest. Now, I do not wear one-pieces. I hate them with a burning passion. They're completely uncomfortable. I do not wear bikini's. I wear tankini's. They're super comfy, and (I hope) super flattering. Now, I will admit that the tankini's I wear show a bit of tummy. But, I don't find this inappropriate. 
2. It has to be good quality. I put a lot of wear and tear on my bathing suits (like I said, I literally wear them all summer long). They have to hold up at least one full summer, and preferably two. 

3. It has to be stylish. I know that L.L. Bean has great quality, pretty, and modest bathing suits. BUT, I do not like the style. I want to look like a teenager, not a mom (or rather in my case a 12 year old). 
4. It has to be affordable. Now, if I have to pay $50 for a good quality bathing suit, I will. But not much more than that. 

So that said I've been searching for quite a few days for one I really like. I've been to about a trillion websites.  And I'll do a little review on each one.

JCPenney:
The pros: Plenty of tankinis. They're pretty good quality, as I've had one from there before and it lasted me two summers. Definitely some cute ones. And extremely affordable, especially if you get one during their sales. I literally bought the top at full price and the bottoms for 99 cents. It was great.
The cons: They all look the same. So after you've had one, you've had them all. There are never any new shapes or anything. It's really obnoxious. 

Hot Topic:
The pros: Definitely stylish. There are some adorable bikinis on there. Even some Hello Kitty ones. I waaant. They are also extremely cheap. 
The cons: There are absolutely NO tankinis. It's like, what the heck, why not? I'm also not so sure about the quality. A lot of Hot Topics stuff is pretty good quality, but I'm really not sure it'd last me two summers, or even one full one for that matter. 

Billabong:
The pros: I know they're good quality suits. I've had a one piece from them before, and it's super sturdy. Also, definitely stylish. They're all super cute, and I want most of them. The price isn't too bad. Especially cause I know it's good quality. If I found one I really loved from there, I'd pay the price.
The cons: Once again there are no tankinis. Bummer. 

Aeropostale:
The pros: I'd say the quality should be fairly decent, seeing as all the clothes I have from Aeropostale hold up pretty darn well. My guess is that a suit from there would last me around one summer. All the suits are super duper cute. The colors are adorable. I love, love, love the brightness. They are also afforable.
The cons: Take a wild guess? No. Tank. Inis. 

Kohls: 
The pros: There are definitely a good amount of modest ones to choose from. Also definitely good prices. 
The cons: From what I've had of clothing from Kohls, none of their stuff lasts too long. Mind you, I'm rough on clothes. So the quality is iffy. Now. For the style. I'm not a huge fan of how most of their's look. The colors are too... cutesy I guess. That's probably the wrong word. Also, too many of their bathing suits of "boy short" bottoms. I don't know about you, but those are freaking annoying. I hate the stupid seam, they give me freaking wedgies. I hate them. 

Pacsun:
The pros: Definitely good quality. I love how Pacsun has all the great brands under one roof. It's like heaven. They are also all definitely stylish. The price is... decent. For the quality it's worth it, buuut I'd rather not spend $40 on just a top. But, if there was sale.... (I'm a total cheapskate). 
The cons: AGAIN! No tankinis. It's soo disappointing to me, especially when I see an uber cute bikini. I always think in my head "Why couldn't you have made a tankini JUST like that??" 

Roxy:
The pros: There are a fair number of tankinis on there. I was pleasantly surprised. I also like how they're not all the same. The quality is obviously good. I mean, that's what Roxy makes. Swim stuff. Obviously stylish. Super cute, bright, happy colors. I'd also say it's fairly affordable, because of the quality. I found some tankinis for $50 for both the top and bottoms. 

Saying all of this... I shall show you my favorite pick of all. It's from Roxy and it's totally cute. 
The coolest part about this suit is that you can also change it so that it's a halter. But I sorta like the way it is in the picture.
What color do you like better? The pink, or the yellow? I'm really not sure. I'm sorta leaning towards the pink, but I also love the yellow.

So? What's your swimsuit criteria? 
What's your favorite place to get a suit? 

4 comments:

  1. Try http://www.landsend.com/

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  2. SO hard to find swimsuits. I agree! I like downeastbasics.com and shadeclothing.com. Not sure if they are out yet but they ALWAYS have tankinis. Good luck!!

    Cardigans and Cookie Dough

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  3. Thanks so much for those!
    They're all super duper cute. (:

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  4. @Anonymous
    That's where I buy mine too! They have great sales and great quality... not trendy and super stylish but they have some classy ones.

    ReplyDelete

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