Suit for curvy/short girls?

[redredwine]

In an attempt to do my first tri next year, I'm starting swim lessons with a friend who does tri coaching. I need a swimsuit I can actually swim in, lol. 

I went to the Sports Authortiy yesterday and tried on suits...AWFUL!! Even in the largest sizes, my thighs felt/looked like they were wrapped in sausage casing squeezing out and often the back was so low my crack showed, lol. I found a Nike suit I liked but it was too long so the straps were a bit gappy. 
It was awful.


I'm normally a size 10 (so in bathing suits I've figured out this is like a size 16, lol), 5'2" and I have a large chest. I have a tiny waist but large bottom/thighs...

Where does one shop for suits with these kind of proportions? 

[mrs.jacinthe]

You're buying too big. You want to go smaller than your normal size, not larger. I wear a 16/18 right now (ETA: and I am about 5'3"), and I wear a size 36 suit (it's basically a bra band size), which if you trust the size chart, is a size 10. To wit, a fit like a sausage casing is desirable. Basically, you want to be able to put on the suit and jump up and down without the girls jiggling. If you want to avoid thigh squish, try picking something with a higher leg opening. Also, try different cuts - thinner/thicker straps, more/less butt coverage, etc.

Personally, as a hippy girl, I like sporti suits. Speedo is also ok. Do you have a local competitive swim shop? I'd recommend going there and trying on a bunch of different brands until you find one that works for you.

[redredwine]

Nov 25, 2015 13:08:59 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

You're buying too big. You want to go smaller than your normal size, not larger. I wear a 16/18 right now (ETA: and I am about 5'3"), and I wear a size 36 suit (it's basically a bra band size), which if you trust the size chart, is a size 10. To wit, a fit like a sausage casing is desirable. Basically, you want to be able to put on the suit and jump up and down without the girls jiggling. If you want to avoid thigh squish, try picking something with a higher leg opening. Also, try different cuts - thinner/thicker straps, more/less butt coverage, etc.

Personally, as a hippy girl, I like sporti suits. Speedo is also ok. Do you have a local competitive swim shop? I'd recommend going there and trying on a bunch of different brands until you find one that works for you.

Huh, who knew!? I kept thinking that the bigger I got, the more comfortable it would be in my thighs. 

I have a local swim shop I'll check out!
Thank you!

[mrs.jacinthe]

Nov 25, 2015 13:46:13 GMT -5 redredwine said:

Nov 25, 2015 13:08:59 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

You're buying too big. You want to go smaller than your normal size, not larger. I wear a 16/18 right now (ETA: and I am about 5'3"), and I wear a size 36 suit (it's basically a bra band size), which if you trust the size chart, is a size 10. To wit, a fit like a sausage casing is desirable. Basically, you want to be able to put on the suit and jump up and down without the girls jiggling. If you want to avoid thigh squish, try picking something with a higher leg opening. Also, try different cuts - thinner/thicker straps, more/less butt coverage, etc.

Personally, as a hippy girl, I like sporti suits. Speedo is also ok. Do you have a local competitive swim shop? I'd recommend going there and trying on a bunch of different brands until you find one that works for you.

Huh, who knew!? I kept thinking that the bigger I got, the more comfortable it would be in my thighs. 

I have a local swim shop I'll check out!
Thank you!

None of my suits even touch my thighs. They sit high on the hip, almost to the waist. So high, in fact, that in summer, you can see the leg hole tan line ABOVE the top of my underwear. (TMI?)

[redredwine]

I went to a local store and the woman working there was short and curvy, lol! She was really helpful and I found a suit that feels comfortable, supportive, but not like an elephant in leggings, lol.

[mrs.jacinthe]

I'm so glad! Anytime you can get into a local store is best - just like a LRS, they know their stuff (and have a lot more of it) better than the big stores.