FashBlog.com

By Christina VanGinkel

Every spring, our family heads to a Waterpark for a weekend getaway. We pick a location that is within driving distance of our home in North East Wisconsin, make our reservations a few weeks ahead of time, and head out on the day of the trip, ready for some rest, relaxation, and always a big dose of good old-fashioned fun! Every single one of these getaways is only attained though, after weeks of me relentlessly shopping for a swimsuit to wear at the park!
Some might think that after doing this, as many years as we have been doing it, I would have the shopping frenzy that occurs over this single item of clothing, under control. Instead, I think it becomes worse as the years roll by.

When I was younger, I never really paid any attention to the suit I wore, just grabbing whatever happened to be available on the rack in my size. If a suit was available in blue or green, I would go with one of those color choices over say a red or orange, but that was about as far as my preferences ran. Then, after having my first or second child, I recall being a bit choosier about how the suits fit, usually looking for a one piece instead of a two-piece set. I also started looking at the support built in to the chest area of the suits, looking for one with some, over those suits that were, basically, nothing more than a few pieces of fabric strung together.

After my third child, I progressed to only buying a suit that was one piece, with thick straps, built in bra support, low cut sides, and preferable one with a skirted bottom, or else I would wear a pair of shorts over it, in essence hiding my thighs! For a few years, I even recall not wanting to go into any store's department that sold swimsuits, avoiding them all together, as if I did not have a suit to wear, well, then I could not go swimming. Then a few years later, we began these yearly spring trips to the water parks, and my shopping dilemma came back and landed smack on my doorstep.

I have tried to consider why I have such a problem shopping for such a simple piece of attire, but I can come up with no clear answer. I love to swim, and once I find a suit that fits, I have no qualms about wearing it in public; it is just the shopping for it that fills me with such dread. I know what features my body type requires for a comfortable fit, and I know what colors I like. So what could it be that bothers me so much? The price!

As the years progressed, it was easy for me to blame my dislike of shopping for a suit on my changing body type, even though it never bothered me at any other time of the year, and the changes were not all that drastic anyway. It always comes back to the price. Swimsuits can be one of the most expensive items of clothing that you will ever buy! With all of this in mind, I decided to start my shopping for a swimsuit as early as I could, and I have already been doing a bit of browsing. My biggest surprise is that I almost instantly discovered a suit that had a ton to like about it, including a very reasonable suggested retail price of less than fifty dollars. Best yet, I found it online, so I do not even have to head to the store to pick through the racks.

A Land's End Tugless Tank, it is made of a tricot fabric that has a smooth look to it, with less shine, which can be very flattering for someone that is not as thin as a rail. Its tank style is very shape flattering for all body types, even those with a big bust area, and it has built in supports too.

If you are dreading another season of shopping for a swimsuit, shop online for some styles and prices that will leave you feeling much better about the whole affair. Waterpark, here we come!