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a summer swimwear lookbook in collaboration with la redoute
what im wearing: liberty print onepiece, retro white bikini, pink gingham cotton bikini, plain black swimsuit & liberty print mademoiselle bikini
all other pieces featured can be found here via their special swimwear shop
5 swimsuits, 5 coastal spots I love and a sun so bright it gave me a burn. I love swimwear, I never use to have such a love for it – always too self-conscious to wear anything but a simple black bandeau. But somewhere along the road to 26, I found the confidence (and a gym habit) to wear whatever I wanted to the beach, pool and beyond. Now I’m no skinny lady – and I’m not shaming anyone who is, all sizes can fill and flatter a swimsuit in all different ways. But small, I am not. My boobs aren’t huge but they are heavy and they match my hips and thighs that very often don’t squeeze into the size 8 jeans that fit everywhere else. This use to dismay me, but not anymore. I like my body and I like the way it looks in swimwear, not everyday but on a good day – I feel good. And after shooting this lookbook, slinking into swimsuit after bikini – I noticed how very different each style looks on my body. I never really gave this much thought before. From Liberty of London ditzy prints that fit tight and snug, making me appear slimmer. Barely there cotton gingham that seems to round out my bosoms. And then there is the white push up bikini, reflecting light on my skin making my tan look darker. One pieces cling to my curves and widen my hips in a way I quite like. My chest can look entirely different sizes depending on the cup shape of each style. And how high the bottom sits on my hips can lenghthen my legs or shorten them stocky and more muscly. I like personal little revelations such as this one – and I did enjoy how slightly different my body looks in each, enhancing or hiding curves of my body in ways I never knew lycra could. I hope you keep this in mind when shopping for your own swimwear this season. But above all, I hope you choose styles that help you fight the good the fight. The self-love fight, the fight to feel happy in next-to-nothing. The fight that so many women struggle with come summer. And really whichever swimwear you do pack for the beach this year, I promise you will look beautiful because there is nothing prettier than a girl in the sun by the sea. That’s all that really counts, the salt in your hair and the summer shine in your eyes.
these photos were taken for an article i wrote for la redoute on french icon inspired swimwear. i hope you read in full – full of references and style lessons from all the french finest, bardot, birkin, chanel….
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