Episode Details

Finding a swimsuit you feel good in can be daunting. This episode, we’re sharing insider tips on choosing designs, fabrics, and brands that you’ll actually love. Wirecutter style writer Zoe Vanderweide walks us through the finer points of finding high-quality swimwear that fits and flatters.

Zoe shares the construction details to look for that will emphasize (or de-emphasize) different body parts, the brands that are making some of the best suits right now, and how to care for your suits so that they’ll last longer. 

This episode covers: 

• Why some brands are better at size inclusivity: Many brands design for a size 6 "fit model"– the model used to try on a pattern and make adjustments. The brand generally then sizes the pattern up or down to make different sizes, which often doesn’t translate into the best fit for larger bodies. Brands who use plus-size fit models tend to make suits that are more flattering for plus-size bodies.
• Fabric and texture tips: Thicker, compressive fabrics will help hold you in more. Textured fabrics, such as ribbed or crinkle fabric, provide a "blurring" effect that can hide lumps and bumps you don’t want to emphasize. But both can take longer to dry.
• How to care for your spendy suits: Hanging a wet suit stretches the fibers. Instead, roll it in a towel to remove moisture, then lay it flat in a shady, well-ventilated spot.
• The suits our testers loved and why: We walk through the brands that Zoe features in her review, why they’re great, and which will work best for different body types.

Products we recommend: 

• A plunging cross-back one-piece swimsuit: Left on Friday Weekender Suit
• A waist-cinching one-piece swimsuit: Left on Friday Sunday Suit
• A well-priced classic one-piece swimsuit: Quince Italian Cami One-Piece Swimsuit
• A splurge-worthy knotted bikini top: Mikoh Kaloko 2 Top
• A splurge-worthy hipster bikini bottom: Mikoh Cruz Bay 2 Bottom
• An ultra-stretchy crinkle suit: Youswim Aplomb One-Piece
• A chic, compressive rash-guard one-piece: Hunza G Tyra UPF 50+ Swim
• A glamourous one-piece swimsuit with a keyhole neckline: L’Agence Belle Keyhole One-Piece
• An uplifting underwire bikini top: Monday Swimwear Sorrento Top
• A no-dig high-waisted bikini bottom: Monday Swimwear Sorrento Bottom

Additional reading:

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