swimsuits

I've made passing remarks before, but I thought I'd write an official "I love Lands' End Swimsuits" post.

This is it. You're here.

I'm amy, and I love Lands' End swimwear.

In 2008 I discovered that LE sells swimwear where you can order your cup size (D, DD, DDD - on the left side of the screen scroll down to "Bra Cup") and then you order your regular size. WHAT THE WHAT? You mean I can order a suit that will fit my breasts and my body?

YES.
SOLD.
They had me then and there.

I've always been a swimsuit wearer. I'm not one of those girls who says, "mmmm, I think I'd rather stay in my clothes on the shore." As you know, I spend as much time as possible at the lake in the summer. I refuse to not spend that time in my swimsuit. I only wear one-piece suits or tankini's. No bikini's for me...I do have a four-piece swimsuit [I only wear three of the pieces: the bikini top, the tankini cami cover, and the brief bottoms]. One day while I was home alone in KS and it was 100+ degrees outside I decided to float in the pool in just two skimpy pieces. My poor sun-virginal tummy was FRIED. And I mean fried to the point of waking me up in the middle of the night. It was not pretty. tsk. tsk. tsk. We'll just keep my tummy covered from here on out, thankyouverymuch.

Things I love about LE swimwear:
1. the weight of the fabric - these are the first swimsuits I've owned where I feel like everything is held together, ya know? I'm not going to be popping out unexpectedly because all my goods are locked and loaded.
2. the fit - with the tankini's I own, the tops are long enough to hit my body just past my hip and they have several bottoms so I can choose how much coverage I want or don't want. I wear the bottoms that come up to my belly button -- it's pretty hot. heh.
3. the return policy - I can order LE products and return them to Sears. I don't have to deal with going to the post office and figuring out how to send something back. Since I have a Sending Disorder Syndrome [seriously things can sit around in my house for months before I send them] this is a HUGE gold star for me.
4. the sale section - you had me at hello. You had me at hello.

Things I have grown to appreciate:
1. sometimes the patterns are a little...matronly. [OK, I kind of love/hate this. I'm a fan of pattern, so I attempt to rock some grandma chic patterns. Lands' End has a foundation of classic clothing. Their target audience is not the trendiest, hippest shoppers. I am neither trendy nor hip, yo. Yo? YO.]
2. the back of most of the suits are covered which is another element that can feel a little matronly. This really bothered me for awhile, why not have an open back? some criss-crosses? I'm over it now. This is one of the elements that makes the suit feel secure to me.

Things I don't love:
1. every once in a while the suits will have a baggy bottom. WHY? Who wants a droopy butt swimsuit? Those get returned.


I just ordered this suit yesterday:

I've been eyeballing it for a few months, and I hope it fits! In an ideal world I would have both the budget and they would manufacture all swimsuits with the cup size--clothing size connection. It is not a perfect world, so sometimes I've got to do a little trial and error while I peruse the sale section and live on my student-loan budget.

These ones have also caught my fancy:

I totally love this. See what I mean about the slightly matronly, but she's rocking it look? I'd wear that fo' sho. 

POLKA DOTS. I have similar bottoms in black.

If you've ever gotten an LE Swim catalog you know they build several collections with coordinating patterns and colors. You buy the tops and bottoms separately to get exactly what you want. I actually think the catalog is a much better way of seeing the options. The website can be a little overwhelming if you haven't navigated it before. SO MANY TOPS. SO MANY BOTTOMS. Do they match? Can I wear this with that? Will this fit? Will that fit? I shall take this moment to remind you of the return policy.

These Swim Cami's are similar to what I have with my four-piece suit. Its a loose swimsuit fabric that goes over a bikini top. They have several styles/patterns available. Trust me, you need a top under them since they don't have ANY support, but they're really nice for extra coverage.

Right now they're running a 30% off of everything. EVER-EE-THING. Even the stuff that's already reduced. That's why I ordered the new suit.

(-:

**Lands' End doesn't know who I am nor are they giving me anything for that matter. I just really like their stuff [swim wear, cardigans, and coats FTW] and I know, I KNOW, the struggle to find a good swimsuit! I'm just a little blogger sharing what works for me.**