How to Buy Men's Swimsuits

For competitive swimming as well as aquatic fitness activities, such as lap swimming and water aerobics, a good swimsuit will increase your efficiency in the water, keep you feeling comfortable during your activity, and stand up better to the deteriorating effects of chlorinated water than most fashion swimsuits.

  • Determine Your Size
    • Measuring Tips
    • Step-by-Step Measuring Guide
    • Find Your Size
  • Determine How You'll Use Your Suit
    • Racing/Competitve Swimming
    • Aquatic Fitness
  • When to Replace Your Swimsuit

Determine Your Size

To determine your swimsuit size, you'll need to measure yourself using a tape measure.

Measuring Tips

  • Take your measurements while wearing only your underwear
  • Stand in front of a mirror
  • While measuring, make sure that the tape measure is straight, not twisted
  • To get an accurate measurement, the tape measure should be snug, but not pinching or tight

Step-by-Step Measuring Guide

  • Find your natural waistline by bending to one side. While standing straight, measure around your waistline
  • Men should measure just above the hipbone (or about an inch below your natural waistline) to determine the appropriate swimsuit size


Find Your Size

  • If you are between sizes, choose the smaller size in a racing/competition suit and the larger size in an aquatic fitness suit
  • Most men's suits are sized based on waist measurement. Men should choose the size that corresponds with their waist measurements.

Determining Your Suit Size

Men's Swimsuits

Size

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

Waist

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

Determine How You'll Use Your Suit

To select the right suit, first determine the activity for which you'll be wearing the suit most often:

  • Racing/Competitive swimming which includes both practicing and racing at either the school or club level
  • Aquatic Fitness which includes activities such as lap swimming and water aerobics

Racing/Competitive Swimming

  • For both training and competition, competitive swimmers need high-performance suits that maximize speed in the water and improve glide times by reducing drag and increasing water flow.
  • Many swimmers buy separate suits for training and competition. For both training and competition, compression, resulting in a tight fit, is the key.

Sizing

  • For training, buy your normal size, but realize that the fit will be snugger than that of a regular fashion swimsuit
  • For competition, consider buying a suit at least one size smaller than your training suit

Construction

  • Support
    • Swimsuits for both training and competition support through compression
  • Lining
    • Suits for top-level competition are not lined, since reducing drag is a priority. However, many men's suits for training are front-lined.
    • A suit with lining will generally last longer, and hold its shape and color better than an unlined suit

Styling

  • Men's competition and training suits have moderately cut leg openings, drawcords in the interior of the waistband, and side seams of about 3-inches
  • For men wanting more coverage, training suits with lower leg openings and side seams up to seven-inches are available, but they are not the norm for training or competition

Fabrication

  • Although there are many hybrid fabrics for racing/competitive swimming available, most swimsuits for this sport are done in blends of nylon/spandex. (Lycra is a specific brand of spandex made by DuPont and is found in many swimsuits.)
  • Improvements in fiber engineering have resulted in swimsuit materials that are more resistant to chlorine than ever. Suits for racing/competitive swimming typically use these more durable versions of nylon and spandex.

Aquatic Fitness

  • For lap swimming and water aerobics, you will need a suit that provides comfort and freedom of movement, plus coverage and support
  • Men will find training suits designed for the competitive swimmer to be most appropriate for lap swimming for fitness
  • Fit should be snug but not tight. A good fitting suit will stay in place during vigorous movement, but not pinch, bind or ride up in the seat.

When to Replace Your Swimsuit

  • Despite the advances in fiber technology, chlorine will eventually deteriorate swimsuit fabrics. When your suit begins to bag or feels looser than when it was new, it is time to replace your suit.

How to Select a Little Girl's Swimsuit

By eHow Fashion, Style & Personal Care Editor

It may seem like it wouldn't take much thought to select a swimsuit for a little girl. However, there are several factors that come into play for little girls and their swimsuits. They need to be comfortable, maintenance-free and provide adequate coverage. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Check for comfort and fit. When selecting a swimsuit for your little girl, it's important to try the suit on her. Let her move in it in the dressing room. If it's restrictive in the dressing room, it's not going to be comfortable on the beach. In the same sense, if the straps are continually dropping off of her shoulders, the suit is not going to be comfortable, either.

Step2

Determine the fabric-type and read the care instructions. If a suit is going to require hand washing or special treatment, then it's not going to be a very practical suit for the summer. White or light-colored suits get dirty easier when going to the beach. Darker colored suits endure stains better. However, darker suits tend to fade out more in the sun. A suit devoid of lots of accessories or trim will wash better, too.

Step3

Ensure proper coverage of the suit. If the suit is continually slipping or falling in the chest or bottom areas, it's not going to provide adequate coverage. Additionally, if your child is extra sensitive to the sun, a one-piece suit will be better than a two-piece suit. Some suits come with "extras" such as a cover-up or a sarong. These suits are always good because they provide extra coverage.

Step4

Check the lining. Every little girl's swimsuit should include a lining in the crotch area. Little girls are just as susceptible to yeast infections as adults and need a good lining in the bottoms of their swimsuits, too.


Sunday, 10 January 2010

Popular Swimsuit Articles

Topless Bikini Contest

Topless bikini contests are not for the faint-of-heart. Are you daring, sexy, fit and confidnt? If you are, you're in luck! Topless bikini contests take courage because you'll be strutting your stuff in front of the crowd without much on at all.

While the audience that you'll be parading in front of will probably be very appreciative, you should try to look your best just in case pictures ever surface of your topless bikini experience.

What to Expect in a Topless Bikini Contest

Swimsuit contests can be extremely stressful, but topless contests are even more so! If you are the daring type, you might love the attention once you get up on the stage, but preparing for the event can be rather scary.

When you're preparing to go topless in front of a large group of people, prepare your "canvas" by exfoliating carefully, plucking stray hairs or waxing, and then getting a light and golden spray tan. Hop in front of the mirror to check out your best angles, and remember that you can't look down once you get out there. If you have accommodating friends, try your topless strut in front of them first, and show off your bikini bottom options so they can help you choose the pair that makes you look most proportional.

Buy Your Bikini Bottom

A string style can work wonders!

Remember that your bikini bottom is really important when you're competing in a topless bikini contest! You'll probably notice that people are looking above your waistline, but the shape of your bikini bottoms can maximize your curves when you need it. They can also minimize larger hips to make you look more like an hourglass figure, or bare those gluts for a sure-fire way to win. Now it's time to explore places to shop for bikinis!

  • Victoria's Secret sells bikini bottoms separately, and you can choose swimsuit bottoms that flatter your particular shape. Get a thong if you have a peachy bottom or hipster cut bottoms if you are the athletic type. Ruffled bikini bottoms work well if you are feminine and curvy, or try sleek, moderate-cut briefs if you know that nobody will be able to tear their gaze away from your upper half.
  • Shop at Yumdrop for flashy bikini bottoms that you'll adore. Available in sizes S-M-L, you can get sequined swim bottoms in petite cuts to bare more of your hips and bottom. You can also pair these particular separates with a lot of your solid-colored swimwear tops when you're not competing in a topless bikini contest.
  • Visit Figleaves for side-tie swimsuit bottoms that can maximize your hips if you happen to be top-heavy. Instant hourglass shaping will be yours if you try this method, especially if you stick to patterned bottoms in a bright color palette. If you like what you buy, be sure to get the matching top to wear later!
Try a tanga style.
  • Go to Net-a-Porter to buy designer swimwear if you have a more forgiving budget. You can find pricey yet beautiful swimwear with a more European or Brazilian cut (possibly a thong). Bare that bod — isn't that why you're competing in the first place?
  • If you're the celebrity-loving type, you should shop at Singer 22. You can find swimwear exhibited on celebrities in paparazzi and tabloid pictures, and then buy it for yourself. What's better than wearing a swimsuit bottom that Tara Reid wore and looking so much better? Not much! Go for it.
  • Go to Topshop for trendy swimsuits. Even though you'll only wear half for your contest, having a pair of swimsuit bottoms that give a nod to runway looks will get you noticed by the few females in the crowd, and may help to win over the majority of judges.
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