Hacks for Finding Your Perfect Swimsuit

• Order more than you think you need.
  …to earn free shipping. Make sure exchanges are completely free and returns can be done for minimal cost or to a local store.  I make all local returns in one day once I’ve found “the suit”.
  …to get your “usual” size AND the next size up. Did you know most swimsuits run a  size smaller than regular clothing? Forget about the number on the tag. You’re looking for the best fit.
  …to get all potentially desired patterns/styles in both sizes. You don’t want to simply hope the pattern or style is still available in the size you need; you want to have it in hand
  …to compare different brands or styles against each other with consistency. If you go to one store, try on some suits, then go to another store and try on new suits, it can be tough to assess how they all really compare against one another. The lighting can be good at one place, the mirror worse at another, and so forth. At home, you can compare apples to apples.Ya dig?
• During this time, you can, and should, bring home options from local stores if you see them while you’re out. Throw ‘em in the bag to try them against the online options.
• Search the ENTIRE web to get the best pricing.
  • I love websites like ShopStyle.com to sort through thousands and thousands of items. I can search ‘white retro bikini’ and sort through sizing, price, amount of discount, brands, etc., or type in a particular suit like ‘Nanette Lepore Mayan Rivierra Goddess’ and find the cheapest site from which to purchase it.
  • I also find coupon websites like RetailMeNot.com to often get me at least 10% off. Email subscriptions get you better deals, but you will most likely have or want to unsubscribe at some point. Meh…
  • If you cannot find the pricing or discount you want, check various websites for price adjustment policies. You may have to call them to find out this information, but I have bought something full price only to see the next day or week it went on sale and I hadn’t even received my item yet. I’ve gotten price adjustments from calling clothiers and asking for a price adjustment in these situations. Many brick and mortar stores also honor this for two weeks since purchase date.
  • Sometimes you’ll order something online and realize the store has a better price, but maybe not the right colors/sizes. Call them up and see what they can do for you. Sometimes the store will order something for you at no extra charge, while other times the website will adjust the price. Try it!
• When you’re not trying them on, please keep all the swimsuits, packaging and receipts SAFELY tucked away from pets, children, and spouses that might accidentally lose/destroy/chuck them. You do not want to pay for anything you don’t love. And if you love it, you certainly don’t want it ruined.

5. Try on the suits.

• Avoid decision fatigue by getting up one morning, earlier than your kids and/or work need you to, and take 10 minutes to try on as many suits as you can. Why in the morning? Because you’re at your fittest, least bloated, most energized self at this point in the day. Things also seem more optimistic in the morning. Finally, you haven’t had to make many decisions yet that day, so your brain will not be fatigued with making decisions.
  Please. Do not try on swimsuits at the end of a long, stress inducing day, punctuated by three/four meals. Just don’t! Even if you feel like you can make a decision, you will make the wrong one. Read about decision fatigue here.

• Compare no more than two suits at a time, because the brain can really only make a decision when presented with two options. I learned this at a seminar on neuroscience and selling, but cannot find the referenced ivy league study they gave us to back up my claim. Boo Basically, when you make two categories and compare two things, you can narrow down a lot of options easily and quickly.
  • Example: If you find one cut or style flattering, try on BOTH sizes, even if the first one, or smaller one, fits. Just see what is possible by trying on the other size. Forget about the tag number!
  • If you find your best size, then compare the different patterns you ordered in that size and style. At this point, you have a pattern winner for that particular style and size. Set aside.
  • As you repeat this process for other styles, you will then be able to compare two styles against one another.
    • Example: Your winning patterned one piece tank against the winning solid tankini. You may decide that if they both are equally flattering physically, do you want a pattern or not? If you honestly don’t care about a pattern or not, then you can ask yourself, which one is going to “stay put” better? If they stay put equally well, then determine which one will give you the tan lines that interfere the least with your wardrobe choices. There is always a way to easily decide between two different things by asking the right questions.

If you need exchange anything, call the website retailer BEFORE sending your other items back. They will usually not charge return shipping for exchanges and you can make sure they know which item(s) to send out that day. Otherwise, you’re merely hoping they still have what you actually want by the time your returned items arrive and are processed by their warehouse. No thanks!

Stop by the post office if needed, then hit up the stores. It took me a couple of hours, but it felt so good to see all those hundreds of dollars going BACK onto my credit card. I also felt wonderful knowing that my perfect suit was hanging in my closet! I didn’t settle for a so-so suit.