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Fitting for flattery: how to get the best fit
How to pick the best swimsuit for you
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Fitting for flattery: how to get the best fit

(ARA)-A proper fit can make all the difference between looking sharp or simply disheveled. For petite and plus sizes, the challenge can be even greater. Some apparel designers simply do math, increasing or decreasing clothing measurements by a certain percentage without taking proper proportion into consideration. The result can be shapeless silhouettes that look frumpy, not flattering.

Lands' End offers the best advice to getting a great fit. The company recently launched their largest selection ever of extended size clothing for the entire family.

Know your measurements

The key to a proper fit is knowing your measurements. The average woman is 5'4" (163 cm) and weighs 164 pounds (74 kg) according to the National Center for Health Statistics—not your typical runway model (see our information on body image). Look for designers that offer clothing specifically for your size.

Take the time to measure your body with a proper measuring tape—a dimensionally stable cloth tape measure—keeping the tape taut but not stretched. Get a friend to help, if possible, measuring your body over properly fitting undergarments while standing erect, without shoes, and with feet approximately six inches (15 cm) apart. For consistency, take all measurements from the same side of the body. Measure your height, bust or chest, arm, waist, rise, hip, and inseam.

Keep it proportional

If you are petite or plus size, look for clothing that is in proportion to you measurements. Plus sizes should look for shapely, flattering styles—not styles you hide behind. For petites, consider the way a pant leg drapes or tapers. If it doesn't fit well in the hips or the leg is too wide, it can distort your appearance.

Don't forget the details

Details can play an important role in proportion. Print and pattern sizes, button sizes and back pocket sizes are all elements that play with proportion that can make you appear larger or smaller. Look for details that are in proportion to your body. Or, see how certain details play with your body shape. Proper hemming is important. Know your inseam and be sure your hem lengths flatter your legs. Lands' End hems and cuffs pants for free.

Forget the titles, get the right size

Regular, petite, and plus sizes are just categories. Forget the titles and buy what works for you. Regular sizes are, on average, for women with heights between 5'4" and 5'7" (163 and 170 cm). Petite sizes typically start at heights 5'3" (160 cm) and lower. Plus sizes start at 16W and above. Be open to shopping beyond your normal category to try sizes that work for your unique measurements.

Superior shoes

Our feet are in shoes for countless hours each day. It is very important to get the right fit and not just style. Ask any doctor; improperly fitting shoes can lead to health problems down the road. If you have wide feet, be sure to seek out these styles, especially for kids. Their growing feet deserve a good fit. Lands' End has often hard-to-find wide widths for both kids and adults in a variety of styles.

Kids comfort

Kids grow at different rates and in different proportions. It's important for parents to take their kid's measurements each year. You might find that a regular size won't work this year or that your child needs plus sizes after a recent growth spurt.

For more information about getting a great fit, visit www.landsend.com where you can create a virtual model of yourself, see size charts and learn more about extended sizes for the entire family.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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How to pick the best swimsuit for you

(ARA)-Summer is a great time for outdoor activities, many of which require swimming attire. Women often find themselves dreading this time of year because they are not satisfied with how their swimsuit fits or makes them look. The problem is they don't have the right swimsuit for their body.

"Everyone can be self-confident during swimsuit season no matter what body type they have," says Donnamarie Mazzola of Cyberswim.com, a swimwear web site specializing in Miraclesuit swimwear. "There are easy ways to draw attention to or away from different aspects of your body that will flatter your shape and make you feel your best."

Here are some tips to follow to get the swimsuit you want and look great this summer:

Internet

Don't limit yourself to only what is in the stores. Size selection and inventory is often limited and it can be hard to find the styles that work best for your unique figure, especially if you need a hard to find size like a D or DD cup swimsuit, or plus size swimwear. Try a Web site like Cyberswim.com that guides users through a variety of swimsuit styles so they can find the swimsuit solution for their problem areas. Plus shopping online is private and once you receive your suit, you can try it on in the privacy of your own home, and return it if it doesn't fit or flatter.

Fabric

One of the most important factors to consider when swimsuit shopping is the suit's material. This is something that is often overlooked. Lycra Spandex is the component of the fabric that provides the shaping and holding power, so the more Lycra Spandex, the more control. Look for the amount of Lycra Spandex in the suit, and if possible, how the fabric is made; typically it is 10 to 12 percent.

For example, if you look at Miraclesuit swimsuits, they contain as much as 30-50 percent Lycra, often over three times the amount in other suits. This is very unique when compared to other suits, which have a lower Lycra Spandex content and rely on inner girdle-like panels for control. This fabric is specially created to have a four-way stretch factor, not simply the common two-way stretch. This provides control plus added lift and support.

Identify

In order to find a great swimsuit you need to look at your body and identify what you want to minimize or accentuate. Remember, what the eye focuses on or skips past determines the swimsuit benefits.

For example, to minimize the waist, trick the eye to pass over this area or travel toward the middle of the waistline, rather than outward to the edges. Look for styles with empire waists and diagonal lines. To minimize the bust, focus the eye away from the widest part of the bust with wider or double straps and/or stripes above or below. To accentuate the bust, the eye should focus on this area. Look for suits that reveal more skin, have padding, or even jewelry or embellishments at the bust.

Style

A flattering swimsuit with control is not usually found in the bikini. But you can be just as stylish and fun with a variety of other options. One-piece swimsuits compliment and provide a wide range of style options. Tankinis are great for those who want a two-piece option without showing a lot of skin. They are also great for those who need a different size on top versus on the bottom.

Color and design are important elements as well. Darker colors tend to be more subtle. If you do want to incorporate a design, try having the top of the swimsuit, or top piece of the tankini have the pattern, keeping the bottom clean and simple. This has a slimming effect and brings the eyes upward.

"The bottom line is there are swimsuits out there that flatter every woman. By following these principles and looking for figure flattering, supportive and slimming swimsuits like the Miraclesuit line, you can find one you're sure to love. And who doesn't want to enjoy summer a little bit more?"

For more ideas on finding the right swimsuit solution for you, visit www.Cyberswim.com or call (800) 291-2943.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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