I wanted to review a couple of swimsuits and bikinis that I had ordered in my quest for the perfect one. They are all from last year's collection, so on one hand it took me a bit of searching to find pieces in my size, but on the other they were heavily discounted.
So, I needed a new swimsuit. My criteria was: flattering for a smaller bust and my midsection, and colours that are flattering for an Autumn type (not easy, since typical swimsuit colours are cool). And of course: in my bra size. Bra sized swimwear is the most comfortable, supportive and flattering. The style of the bikini cup was not so important to me.
Let me present three candidates: the Panache Savannah one piece, the Panache Savannah bikini set, and the Cleo Lucille bikini.
The underwires are hidden, they are sewn into the inner layer. The outer layer does not lie quite snug on the ribcage (where the band is), so optically a small busted girl loses a bit of bust size (by optically gaining a few cm under the breasts). There is some rusching in the front which is flattering, however in my piece the rusching puckered a bit at the bottom, but it looked like it can be easily fixed.
The lift and shape of the cups is quite nice. The cups as well as the bottom part are on the modest side when it comes to coverage -- you don't flash any cleavage, but it doesn't look like your great-aunt's bathing suit either. The cups are moulded, not padded.
I really love the convertible straps: I find the halter-neck shape to be very flattering, and strapless looks sexy. The print brings the attention up towards the face, which is flattering for all body shapes except the top-heavy.
However I had one problem with the suits: the moulded cups have a dent in them. I heard that you can get rid of this by steaming (holding the cup over steam, and kind if forming them with your hands). The reason I didn't do this and ended up returning the piece was that I prefer higher-cut bottoms, also I ended going for a two-piece.
Let me present three candidates: the Panache Savannah one piece, the Panache Savannah bikini set, and the Cleo Lucille bikini.
Panache Savannah Padded Bandeau One Piece Swimsuit
The swimsuit is very pretty: the colours are quite vibrant, which makes me happy since I had been afraid that it would look dull in real life. The suit has a bra-style band hidden at the back, which means you get a lot of support and you can regulate the tightness and even alter the band a bit.The underwires are hidden, they are sewn into the inner layer. The outer layer does not lie quite snug on the ribcage (where the band is), so optically a small busted girl loses a bit of bust size (by optically gaining a few cm under the breasts). There is some rusching in the front which is flattering, however in my piece the rusching puckered a bit at the bottom, but it looked like it can be easily fixed.
The lift and shape of the cups is quite nice. The cups as well as the bottom part are on the modest side when it comes to coverage -- you don't flash any cleavage, but it doesn't look like your great-aunt's bathing suit either. The cups are moulded, not padded.
I really love the convertible straps: I find the halter-neck shape to be very flattering, and strapless looks sexy. The print brings the attention up towards the face, which is flattering for all body shapes except the top-heavy.
However I had one problem with the suits: the moulded cups have a dent in them. I heard that you can get rid of this by steaming (holding the cup over steam, and kind if forming them with your hands). The reason I didn't do this and ended up returning the piece was that I prefer higher-cut bottoms, also I ended going for a two-piece.
Savannah two-piece:
The print does not look as spectacular on the bikini top as it does on the one-piece. I think I'm missing the pretty border that is below the bust on the one-piece. The fit and lift of this bikini top was nothing spectacular, but also nothing to complain about. I'd say that the cup size, underwire width and band size were pretty much standard.
Panache Savannah Folded Brief
I really love the fold-over bottom! You can pull it up towards the navel, or fold it all the way down, depending what kind of coverage you want. Another great thing about the fold-over style is that the waistband doesn't cut in at the top, so no muffin-top whatsoever. I'd say that the bottoms run a tad big, I took a 38/M and they were slightly loose, even though this is my trouser size at the moment.
Panache Cleo Lucille
This bra has pretty shallow cups. I would definitely size up for myself, and if you have full-on-top breasts you might want to consider going up two cup sizes. For you shallow breasts ladies this bikini top might work really well! The band starts at 28 and is nicely snug. The closure is a plastic snap-thing. The cups are medium coverage.This piece is supposed to be the pink version, even though the stripes are almost red. the red version has stripes that are, well, pure red. If you like the nautical style, you'll like the Lucille. It is really nicely designed, and also looks very sturdy.
I was tempted to keep it but the briefs are low cut (I even didn't bother ordering them), so I'd have to look for something fold-over in the exact same shade of blue. And that's a bit of work.
In the next instalment I'll talk about the Panache Veronica one-piece, the bikini set, and the Freya Soda.
Do you think it's crazy to shop for swimsuits in the winter? Do you have a favourite swimsuit? If not, what would your ideal swimsuit be like?
