Should you wear a bikini or a tankini?

Mostly a matter of personal taste, but my experience has been that most women look better in a true bikini which is styled for their body type than they do in a tankini. Many women mistakenly think that a tankini will hide their belly; actually, because of the way tankinis fit, it usually has the OPPOSITE effect -- loose tankinis make the waist look larger, whereas a fitted one-piece suit will always make the waist look smaller.

You should wear a bikini if you like the style, want to wear it, and are in a place where that is a permissible style to wear. Go for it! Just take the time to find a style which looks good on you; try Venus Swimwear and Victoria's Secret Catalogue -- they are very high quality and have many color and style choices, and you can mix-and-match the tops and bottoms.

You should wear a tankini if -- well, it's more complicated.

A tankini is really more of a substitute for a one-piece swimsuit; it allows the wearer to customize. (There are many reasons why this can be useful; the most obvious is top-to-bottom different sizing needs or need for bust support, but also it allows one to have several different interchangeable bottom styles as well, and some women who have trouble finding one-pieces which fit correctly because of long or short torso have no such difficulty with tankinis).

As a bikini, a tankini is a good choice in addition to a bikini top if you want to have a number of different, interchangeable pieces to mix and match. With so many catalogues offering many, many pieces in coordinating colors, this can be very useful; you can have just one bottom, and several tops, if you wish, to allow for the occasion or personal whim. In this case, having a tankini top can be good because it allows you to use a bottom you already like with a different top if you want more coverage at usually a lower cost than buying a good-quality one-piece suit.

Generally, though, most women can find a true bikini style which is more flattering than most tankinis. So...wear the bikini, not the tankini. And be confident!

--- posted by Heraldkiara; feel free to ask any further questions.