7 Super Savvy Swimwear Tips From Heidi Klein

Posted by Styloko

So we know what swimwear we want to buy. And we know what swimwear trends are hot this summer. But how do we actually go about finding the right style for our size? What should we be looking out for? Is less coverage really more flattering? Will our boyfriends think we’re crazy for wearing a one-piece? It’s almost too much to contemplate.

We say almost – because it would be if we didn’t have the help of swimwear extraordinaire Heidi Klein. The British designer, who launched her luxury label 10 years ago, is the go-to girl for get-wet gear among celebs and mere mortals alike – and it’s no coincidence, of course. Not only are her designs super stylish, they’re all created to shape, smooth and sculpt your body like nothing else.

Frankly, what Heidi doesn’t know about bikinis isn’t worth knowing, so we put her expertise to the test. Read on for her top super savvy swimwear tips – we promise you’ll be ready to fight the fitting room and hit the beach in no time.

What’s the most important thing a woman should know when she’s shopping for swimwear?

The most important thing is to try lots on. Women go into store and think, ‘I won’t wear white, I won’t wear black, I wont wear a two piece – I only want a one piece,’ and quite honestly, I don’t think UK women really know what suits them; I don’t think we’ve been that educated. When women come into [my] store I say, “ok, if you’ve got a good hour or so, I’m just gonna bring you some stuff,” and they go, “don’t bring me white!” but by the end of the hour, they’re walking out thinking, ‘I would never have chosen that!’. So it’s to be open minded, and really try to listen to the girls in store because they really do know their stuff.

What are the main dos and don’ts?

The biggest mistake when shopping for swimwear is if someone’s conscious of their bottom, they’ll go for the biggest coverage bottom they can find, and I’m like, ‘why are you covering it? You look like you’re wearing a big teacloth on the beach, and then when you get it wet you look like you’ve got a big nappy on!’ – it’s deeply unflattering. It’s not about covering the whole thing – it’s about the line of the bikini and how it sits on the skin; that line will give the illusion of a pert, peachy bottom. I think a lot of women come in going for far too big sizes and it’s so unflattering. Also, do mix and match! All of our [Heidi Klein] bikinis are mix and match because to get the perfect fit, you need to take whatever shape or size bottom and put with with whatever shape or size top.

What about shopping for your body shape? What are the key rules?

Some people say don’t wear stipes if you’re curvy, but I actually think they can be deeply flattering on curvy women. We’ve done a big boob range this season and there’s some things I wouldnt do on a big boob – we’ve got a bright apple green, for example, that we won’t do in a big boob, and I actually wont do a big nautical stripe in a big boob either – so there are some instances where certain things don’t work. But to be honest, it really depends on the individual – it depends on skin tone and you have to take everything into account. It’s not just the colour, it’s the cut and so many other little things – that’s why I’m saying be open minded when you’re shopping and try things on, because you need to try to see what suits your body shape.

So what should the perfect bikini do? How do you know when you’ve found the right one?

It should make you feel absolutely confident and like you can’t wait to get on the beach – that’s the bottom line. For that to happen it needs to fit properly, so it should fit on the skin, nothing should be hanging out, your bikini shouldnt be digging in. It really is all about the fit: if you can get that right, you can feel confident and look great on the beach – and that’s the perfect bikini.

Have you seen any big swimwear trends this season?

There’s the pop colours – those big brights – which are doing incredibly well for us this season; we’ve done some bright, vibrant yellows, some pinks, and some purples. With swimwear there’s always an animal print, there’s always a metallic, and there’s always a nautical – there’s a staple style that customers want year after year. We’re still doing classics as well (when we dropped our cream style with the bow, all our customers emailed me and asked me to bring it back), because everyone still wants them, but at the moment the focus is really on bright pop colours.

And what about shapes? Last season we saw lots of reto-inspired shapes, what about this season?

Reto shapes kind of work, but commercially they’re not that strong. They work great for press and editorially, but few people will actually take them. Commercially, our best selling bottom is a rollover bottom – it gives good coverage but it still looks sexy. I think thats the key thing: something that can still support. You can have a big boob top which, when you’re walking down the beach, just looks like a flimsy bikini, but actually underneath you’ve got the power mesh, you’ve got the padding, you’ve got everything going on. That rollover bottom gives good coverage if you’re conscious of your lower tummy, but equally the cut of the bum is sexy – and you can still look like Ursula Andress in it.

What’s your key piece from the new collection?

I think probably from the collection we’ve just shot, my favourite piece is a Marni-blue zebra print which is just lovely – it’s all heavily embellished so it’s really beautiful.

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