A friend of mine needs a sport swimsuit so I thought I’d get her one as a gift (she’s doing me a big favor).
It must be a two piece bikini and a size 0 to 4. By sport swimsuit, I don’t mean the really serious competition wear. Just something she can do laps at the gym without worrying about losing a piece if she goes too fast or “trashes” too hard.
Any model/online or mortar store recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks.
ps: My price range is $30-$70.
Give her a gift certificate. Never, I repeat, NEVER attempt to buy a swimsuit for a woman. They are not returnable, and it generally takes us, who know our own bodies and tastes intimately, hours to find a suitable one.
I can’t give her a gift certificate. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t take it.
Give her a full-piece. They just look much better.
Buying clothes for someone else is always a mistake. They never exactly like what you got but feel obliged to wear it or tell you why not.
I wouldn’t buy clothes for my brother and I know his size and what he wears.
I’ve never heard of swimming laps in a bikini.
When I was swimming regularly, I couldn’t even wear a regular one-piece that had a “bra-line” top (basically, a normal one-piece) without my girls popping out during a decent swim. I had to get high-neck suits that came up much higher, like so.
If you check out Speedo.com you’ll see that all of their suits made for swimming (that is, everything but the “fashion swim” line) is one-piece and mostly high neck.
Indeed. You and DianaG have made a valid point. I’m not sure about this anymore. Doubt has seeped into my heart.
Standardized sizes are not in fact standardized, at least not in the U.S., but different sizes are in fact different sizes. What I mean is, you can’t buy a woman a piece of clothing that is “between a 0 and a 4” and have any idea if it’s going to fit, because – is she a 2? Or a 4? And even if you know what size she generally is – is she at 4 in one brand (that runs small) or is she a 2 in another brand (that runs big)? But if you know a woman’s size (“she’s a 6”) you can usually get away with buying her a top, or maybe shorts or trousers, because those generally looser, not form-fitting items don’t have to fit perfectly.
Swimsuits have to fit perfectly, or as close to it as the woman can get. There has to be enough coverage in the back to cover her butt. There has to be enough length in the suit (if a one piece) to not be too short-waisted on a long-waisted girl. There has to be enough room in the bra top (if a bikini) to be comfortable. If it’s a true swim suit – an athletic suit she’s actually going to do a lot of swimming in – it can’t ride up in the back and has to allow good range of motion in the shoulders, without chafing anywhere. AND it has to look good – and very few women think very many bathing suits look good on them, no matter what they look like. AND she has to think it’s pretty, or at least not unattractive, which is completely subjective.
Swimsuits are like public underwear. They are literally the most difficult piece of clothing for most women to choose and to be comfortable in. They carry with them a lot of body-image freight and angst – though maybe not for a woman who wears a 0 or perhaps a 4. But I would never buy another woman a swimsuit, and I would never expect that anyone would be able to buy one for me that I would actually like. I have to try on dozens before I find one I like, and who knows me better than me?
I would definitely give her a gift certificate. Or, as another idea, maybe another swim-related gift? You could put together a gift basket with goggles, a swimcap, moisturizer, anti-cholorine shampoo and conditioner, and a big fluffy towel. That way you’d be acknowledging her hobby without buying her something that she may not want, or that may not fit her.
If at all.
No way-ski on the bikini-ski.
None, ever, under any circumstances. Go to plan “B” right frikin’ now and forget you ever thought about this.
Buying swimwear is a nightmare. And being a 0 to a 4 doesn’t mean anything when it comes to suits. Secondly, sometimes a woman can be different sizes on the top and bottom if you’re getting a bikini.
Seriously - get a gift certificate, get some other swim related items, take her for a nice dinner. Anything but trying to buy her a swimsuit.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea!!!
No kidding. When I was shopping for a two-piece a while back, I discovered that it was not going to be possible for me to buy a “set” but I instead needed to buy a matching top and bottom as seperates. I eventually found a nice one I could put together…the top is two sizes larger than the bottom. Being a zero to four is small, but if she’s not flat-chested, she might have the same problem.
Maybe instead of a gift certificate you could take her shopping for the suit so she can try them on.
Well, if you post pictures of your lady-friend we may be able to devine a suitable size and style of swim attire for her.
She may literally be a 0 to 4…zero on the bottom, 4 on the top!