If you’re like most of us, shopping for women’s swim wear is generally a nightmare. Luckily, we have a wide array of choices. One-piece bathing suits have gone from conservative cover-ups to fashionable yet comfortable swim wear. They are now made with a variety of leg cuts that allow for maximum coverage, styles that de-emphasize hips, or even lengthen legs. One-piece suits can also be found with long torsos—a benefit many taller women will appreciate. For those who want to a little more flexibility, there are tankinis, which can look like one piece, but are of course actually two. The benefit of two-piece suits is that you can mix and match styles to suit your specific needs.

Tops are available in push-up, underwire, classic, scoop neck, and square neck styles. For those who want to show a little more skin, there is the highly versatile bikini available in the above styles as well as halter, triangle, bandeau, string, plunge and strapless. Bottoms for both tankinis and bikinis come in a wide array of styles including low rise, French cut, mid scoop, boy shorts, high waist, hot short, string, side tie, hipster, sarong, and even flounce skirt and swim skirt. Women’s swim wear is no longer limited to stick figure models. Full coverage and full figure suits are now made to enhance any woman’s best features by both the utilization of physical construction in the suit as well as a combination of colors and patterns. Both Lands’ End and Victoria’s Secret have excellent women’s swim wear finders that simplify a normally difficult and sometimes frustrating shopping experience.