New swimwear styles promise to help hide the flaws

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By Cristina Rouvalis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Maybe buying a bathing suit isn't such an ordeal for boomer bombshells such as Christie Brinkley, Goldie Hawn and Sharon Stone.

Then there are the rest of us, women who know something about the forces of gravity, women who can't get rid of the cottage-cheese wobble of cellulite and who can't stare into the blindingly bright store mirror without anguishing about all our flaws, real and imagined.

Yeah, bathing suit shopping does a number on women's self-esteem.

"It's definitely a chore," says Kelley Rouse, 39, of Homestead.

There is no place to hide from our figure hang-ups.

Or is there?

Bathing suit makers are promising to make bathing-suit shopping less stressful with new advanced tummy-sucking, Lycra-hugging, cellulite-hiding technology and designs.

"It doesn't feel like a girdle," says Jackie Schutty, company spokeswoman. "It's very free." The catalog and Web site also lets women shop by "anxiety zone'' -- whether it be slimming your stomach or enhancing your bust.

Competitor LL Bean touts its Shape Solver, "a superstrong blend of Lycra/nylon elastane" with three times the stretch of control of standard swimwear fabric.

And this isn't, the company says, just a garden-variety tummy panel.

"Many suits will speak to control and figure flattering," says Gretchen Petrone, product line manager at LL Bean. "What is different from our Shape Solver is that the fabrication has all-over body control. Some suits just have a tummy-control panel. But it has one-shape solver lining. It just sucks you in because of the density of the fabric."

No, it doesn't hurt, says Ms. Petrone. "It can take a little effort to get in it." But then, she says, it is perfectly comfortable.

Even Victoria's Secret, string bikini headquarters, sells the Miracle Suit, for those who do not have the bods of its thin curvaceous models.

"It offers control-top support," says Sara Tervo, a company spokeswoman. "It is like control-top pantyhose. It makes women feel comfortable and supported and contoured."

Not everyone thinks these newfangled fabrics will make the difference between hiding under your towel and lounging comfortably at pool's edge.

"They do work to an extent in smoothing things out, but you have what you have," says Laura McDowell, fashion spokeswoman for T.J. Maxx.

Another option is to get a skirted suit, a thigh-hiding trend this year.

But don't think of this as the big floral, knee-hugging skirted suits of years past.

"It doesn't look like what your grandmother wore 20 years ago," says Ms. McDowell. "We think of the aqua blue or the big black floral. But this is sophisticated style, chocolate brown or black with minimum detailing and piping."

Also hot are "skorts," short skirts you wear swimming, sometimes over a bikini. So you can get the tan of a bikini top with a little extra coverage over your legs.

"You used to put the skirt on as a cover-up," says Heather Hannan, spokeswoman for Macy's. "Now it's part of the swimsuit. It's an updated version. The skirts are shorter. Back in the day, skirts almost went down to the knees. These are really cute and give coverage over the thighs, which is the biggest problem area for so many women."

Other swimsuits look like little casual outfits, such as Lands' End Women's Beach Living Solid SwimMini. Mix-and-match outfits are big. "The idea is that the customer can wear it to the beach and go to pick up the kids and go to the store," says Ms. Schutty.

Black and brown suits can slenderize. Lands' End has unveiled a "Little Black Dress" collection of black suits.

With all these options, it's easy to pick the right figure-flattering suit, right?

Nah, says Ms. Rouse, who says it is always a challenge because if the top fits, it is too small for the hips. She usually tries to buy a tankini or boxer-cut shorts suits.

But she does not think the figure flaws listed on clothing maker Web sites cover the myriad body types. Too many swim suits are made for skinny models.

Her friend, Climmie Lewis, 27, of the North Side, agrees. She looks at swimsuit models and thinks, "Who looks like this? Who is built like this?"

In fact, the mere thought of shopping for a bathing suit is so unpleasant to Donna Ritchie of Ross that she uses the one she got 10 years ago and to only swim in her sister's pool -- and only when her family is there. She thinks beautiful young models unfairly make too many women feel terrible about their bodies.

The woman in her 50s avoids bathing suit racks at all costs.

"I go jewelry shopping," she says with a laugh.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06115/684758-314.stm

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