DEBORAH CROMBIE: When I’ve turned in my book (soon, soon, I promise!) my daughter wants to take me for a day at a multi-pool spa place. Apparently there are all sorts of different mineral pools at different temperatures in which you can lounge to your heart’s content. And there are food and drinks and other fun spa things. It's called World Springs and doesn't it look fab?? Check it out, seriously. I'm very excited.
But my very first thought was I’LL HAVE TO GET A NEW SWIMSUIT.
And that is a big ugh because I don’t think there is anything worse than shopping for a bathing suit–unless it’s shopping for jeans. (Guys, you may be exempt from this particular trauma–unless you are torn between boxer trunks and, dare I say, the Speedo?)
Does anyone else still say bathing suit, by the way? I have a suit, and I’m pretty sure it still fits. What I don’t know is whether the fabric will have disintegrated since the last time I wore it… Obviously, I need to get in a pool more often.
Does everyone do their swimsuit shopping online these days? My email inbox is stuffed with swimsuit ads from Land’s End and LL Bean, but the suit I have, a cute Marimeko print with a matching cover-up, I bought at Target. I quail, however, at the thought of trying on suits in the cubicle of a store dressing room.
Reds, especially the swimmers among you, what is your favorite place to shop for a suit, and what style do you prefer?
LUCY BURDETTE: I’m waiting eagerly for good advice on this topic, because my suit is also disintegrating. The question is where to find a suit that doesn’t expose bulges that I swear weren’t there last year? My sister in law wears a bikini and she’s older than I am–not a chance for me!
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I still call it a bathing suit, Debs! I have three. One is for when I’m swimming for exercise at the Y; it’s a standard one-piece, very boring but it stays on and stays up, which is an important quality if you have bosoms. Which I do. The second one is my Official New England Old Lady suit, a sort of short empire dress with the rest of the tank underneath. I famously wore this at the nude beach in Hawai’i, and was quite comfortable doing so. The dress is VERY forgiving of anyone’s figure flaws.
Finally, I have the “oh, no, everything else needs to be washed” suit. We’ll see if the elastic has hung on for one more season when I bring down the summer clothes from the attic.
I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever have to buy a new suit. Probably order twenty online and try them on in the privacy (and more forgiving light) in my bedroom. Thank goodness for free returns.
JENN McKINLAY: We have a swimming pool that I live in during the AZ summer months. Every spring, I usually buy two bikinis (I’m too tall for a one piece - rides up constantly - very uncomfortable!) at Target and by the end of summer they are worn out. I try not to overthink it!
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yes, I love Land's End. There's a really cute tankini that seems to work. High cut pants, separate top, flattering. (I guess...) I still I also have a high-necked (yes) scuba looking suit which is kinda cool. But with all my heart, if I never had to wear a bathing suit again I would be happy.
And I can tell you, sisters, I will NEVER got to a store and try on bathing suits ever again. I mean, I am not a masochist.
DEBS: Hank, this is one place where online shopping was a boon to woman kind. And Jenn definitely has the right attitude! Writing this blog post got me in gear, too. When a Land's End ad popped up in my email first thing this morning, I picked out a suit for half price. Hope it fits because it was non-refundable! I went for a two-piece tankini because if there's anything worse than trying on swimsuits, it's trying to get in and out of a wet one-piece. It's similar to the one in the photo above, but I couldn't copy Land's End's ad photo.
Now I will be prepared to celebrate book-finishing in the mineral pools!
How about it, dear readers? Are you swimming this summer, and what are you swimming in?
Hope you have a wonderful time at World Springs, Debs . . . .
ReplyDeleteI don't swim, so I don't have [and don't plan to get] a bathing suit . . . .
Groan. Yes, Land's End has great suits. Last year I bought a pair of swim shorts and a top, but I don't like the way they look. I have a one piece that isn't worn out, and I usually just don't care what people think. I do love the beach and swimming when the Atlantic isn't too frigid, so a suit is a must.
ReplyDeleteThe spa place sounds wonderful - like Costa Rica!
I have purchased all my suits, which I have never called a bathing suit, from Land’s End for many years now. The frequency of ordering has increased now that I live in Florida and I go to water aerobics twice a week. That indoor chlorinated pool is hard on the fabric even the suits that say chlorine resistant. Most of my suits are tankini tops and shorts bottoms. Two pieces are so much easier for going to the bathroom!
ReplyDeleteI did just order a one piece from the Land’s End sale for water aerobics. It is high in the front and has keyhole back with clasp at the neck. I hope I will like it. My Thursday teacher spots the new suit wearers during the warm-up and has them jump up and turn around to show them off. She is 85 years old and fit as a fiddle. She calls them bathing suits.
I don't swim and bathing suits look ridiculous on me. Because of that, back in the day, i preferred skinny dipping; if I still swam it would be called pudgy dipping today
ReplyDeleteJerry, I think most of us are pudgy dipping compared to our younger days. I sure am.
DeleteI don't swim and last time I wore a bathing suit it was a two-piece short set.
ReplyDeleteDebs, have a great day at the springs. It sounds divine! Your daughter always has the best ideas!
ReplyDeleteLand's End and LL BEAN are both great sources for bathing suits, from "very modest" to "not very modest at all." If I am going to really swim, I prefer a lined tank suit. If I am going to lounge around, it probably will be in a tankini, but those tops are never comfortable, the construction of the which being much like a midevil torture device. I definitely look sleeker in a one piece, but arthritis in my hands makes it very difficult to pull up a wet suit.
This is an annual challenge for me too! First off, tankinis are my favorite. Modest and practical. I kayak regularly (in a lake) and we also have a pool so I need a few suits to make my life easier in that way. Like Jenn, I to not overthink it but I do like a fun print and comfort is my number-one priority. I have tankinis from Lands End, Garnet Hill, and Title Nine. The key for me has been to order one size up from my normal size or even their size chart recommendations. So much more comfortable and easier to get on/off they’re usually made with compression material that is so tight that I can afford to go up a size (or sometimes 2 sizes) and the suits fit like normal. I also have 2 one-piece suits from Summersalt. They’re really pretty and comfortable. Enjoy your trip to the mineral springs. It sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI buy all my suits from Lands End because they have “tugless “ tanks and other suits that aren’t cut too skimpy. And I have ordered several to try on at home and then sent most back. From Mignonne in Arkansas
ReplyDeleteYuck, bathing suits, swimsuits, torture Lycra, whatever you want to call them. It's just depressing, all the way around, especially trying them on.
ReplyDeleteI have never been a strong or confident swimmer, and even less so as the years go by, and I hate cold water. I did enjoy water aerobics; that actually sounds appealing, especially at the closest gym, where their water activities pool is heated. The last time I went I put on the suit I'd been wearing for class and it literally detonated from the chlorine.
Jenn, there are several swimsuit brands with swimsuits for tall women or those with long torsos. Lands End used to carry them, I think they still do. But if you can get away with a bikini, more power to you!
World Springs sounds like heaven! How on earth would you choose which pool to spend time in? What a fascinating place--I would have to save all my money and spend a week there, getting prunier and prunier.
DeleteBut notice there are only fit, sculpted models in the photos. That's not intimidating at all.
I forgot to mention my love of swim shorts too! I’ve been wearing them more often-either the boy-short style or actual shorts that have a liner-like a running shirt but made for water sports (like kayaking). Lands End and Title Nine sell these.
ReplyDeleteThe last time that I bought a BATHING Suit, it seemed fine in the store, I think, but at home is made of some absorbable like a sponge fabric and not only weighs a ton as the day goes on but is impossible to get off. It makes going in the water even less fun. (We have a lake that is at the bottom of a long hill, that you have to go down, and even worse have to come back up. My legs don’t like either. Then I don’t like swimming as well, and Jack refuses to rake the eel-grass away – so skip the swimming!) What would be my suit of choice is a two piece with a smaller bottom, and a floppy (read maternity-type) top. No boob-protectors – they get soggy and fill with water as well.
ReplyDeleteSo, if I am required to make the trek, and go in the water – a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. On, off, in the washer and dryer.
For some reason Sports Illustrated has never called – I wonder why.
If anyone is wondering about our lobster weekend – 42 people coming starting this afternoon until Monday afternoon – too many meals. There is still a high sea, completely foggy and blowing an almighty gale – so 55 lobsters are getting iffy. I think it will be Cherrios and cream (I am springing for Honey Nut and whipping cream) for all – that should feed even the vegetarians, so might be a bonus. (I have prime rib which was for Sunday on stand-by in case they don’t get out tomorrow morning.) I also bought a spare turkey…
I haven't been swimming much and my timing on swimsuit (or bathing suit) buying was pretty abysmal. Before the pandemic, I was a member of the East Portland Community Center and used their pool and hot tub regularly, along with taking pilates classes. In December 2019, I decided I needed a new, more serious swimsuit that would inspire me to swim laps. For Christmas, my sis gave me a gift certificate to a cute little swimwear boutique called Popina (in my neighborhood, precious little shop). Early 2020, I bought a new black long-torso one piece which I really like.. I've barely used it. I think I swam in it once before lockdown and have used it twice on trips to St. Louis. Like many other brick and mortar stores, Popina is gone, replaced by an emergency veterinary clinic.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I second the recommendations for Land's End. I love my old tankini, which has held up pretty well for many years.
I used to do lap swim early every morning at the Y and for awhile I did open ocean swims (until I was tired of putting on a wet suit and cold water) and I had many bathing suits I accumulated over the years. They were TYR brand. I haven't been swimming since Covid. A lot of younger people are wearing rash guards instead of swim suit tops now and it helps avoid too much sun without having to wear a lot of sunscreen.
ReplyDeleteYes, I love that you can cover up a bit, I don’t need to have any more freckles from the sun!
DeleteJenn, maybe check out TYR suits online - they have some nice one piece models that fit 6' tall women. They are very comfortable too.
ReplyDelete