This Is The Single Most Flattering Swimsuit For Women With Bellies
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This Is The Single Most Flattering Swimsuit For Women With Bellies
WHAT: Summersalt The Sidestroke*
WHY: In many ways, we’re less self-conscious in our 40s than we were in our 20s. But there’s something about a swimsuit that turns us back into the newly developed teenager who kept our towel wound tightly around our midsection til the last second we slinked into the pool.
We know we’re not supposed to have hang ups about our bodies anymore. But the older we get, the more our bellies seem to make an appearance at their own damn whim. Some of us have always gained our weight there. Some of us just had babies. And some of us just had club sandwiches and icy Arnold Palmers by the pool because we’re on vacation and what’s the actual point of all this if we’re going to skimp on every meal to feel halfway decent in a swimsuit?
And that brings us to why we’re here: feeling decent in a swimsuit. My friends and fellow apple shapes, we have found THE ONE. It’s a one-piece that sculpts and stretches and holds us in beautifully. But it doesn’t feel like suctioning shape-wear, and it doesn’t look like our nana’s garish swimdress. It’s chic. And it’s called the Sidestroke by Summersalt.
This sounds like sponsored content. But it’s not. Our managing editor, Carolyn, was sent two swimsuits from Summersalt to try, and she promptly reported back that she’d “never felt better in a one-piece.” She also had her sister-in-law try them on, as she’d been looking for comfy, flattering suits ever since she had her second baby. And her reaction was the same.
All of this naturally led to … a photoshoot! Her sister-in-law was sweet enough to serve as our model for what we’ve now all agreed is THE one-piece we’ve all been looking for most of our post-20s lives.
Yes, we realize we have her posing amongst literal shrubbery, but we wanted you to see the suit in all its glory in complete, natural light. And our model was a very good sport in showing it’s the sort of suit you can patter about in without fear of slipping or having to adjust.
So why is it so much better than so many other digging, puckering, ill-fitting swimsuits? Well, here’s what we came up with:
It’s made with the kind of compression that makes you feel held in and smoothed but not at all suctioned. You can breathe and eat bread freely in this suit and exist in sheer comfort.
It supports our boobs. Even in white we feel both covered up and kept in place. We’re not sure how the material does this, but it’s a feeling we’d liken to a sports bra.
It covers our butt without coming off like a sad diaper. Too narrow a bottom makes us miserable but too wide a bottom can make our butts look flatter and more pancaked. This one is jusssst right.
The diagonal seaming and soft lines across our stomach make us look longer and leaner whilst concealing every lump and bump and fold along the way.
The one-shoulder is so elegant and in the realm of sexy, which is something we lose with so many one-pieces with real support and coverage.
All of this means we can even wear it in white and feel our absolute finest:
It also makes for a very cute summer top. With a midi skirt or denim shorts … easy peasy:
One quick reminder, which you already know, is that having a belly pooch is not necessarily a size thing. After around age 35, women are more prone to hold weight in their midsections (thank you, hormones), and that can mean thicker waistlines, not just for us apples but for pear-shapes and athletic builds and ladies who’ve always been straight as a pin. And with all of that going on, it’s really just nice to feel “held in” without ever having the urge to suck in.
It’s also why we appreciate that this suit sizes from 0 to 24 and comes in long torso. It’s truly made for every shape of woman, but for us apples, it’s truly a godsend.
Price: $125
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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