Find the Perfect Swimsuit Top for your Bust

Susan is a blogger for Beauty and the Beach, a swimwear and fashion blog by InStyleSwimwear.com.  For more swimsuit style tips, trend reports and more, check them out today!

Let’s face it—no two women are shaped exactly the same, and some of us need more or less support than others when it comes to the girls! While shopping for a new swimsuit, one of the biggest problems women run into is finding a top that fits and flatters their figure.  The key is to know which swimsuit tops to look for, based on your bust size. After reading this mini style guide, you’ll be well on your way to looking absolutely fab this season!

Small Bust

Women with small bust sizes are often very self-conscious when swimsuit season comes around.  The key is to find styles that enhance your bustline. In terms of silhouette, triangle tops and bandeaus with either a twist design or sweetheart neckline are your best bet.

Look for these swimsuit tops with specially designed push-up padding (which will help enhance and boost you up) or molded cups (which will help create a curvier shape for your bust). 

Finally, embellishments and texture are your best friends! Look for triangle or bandeau swimsuit styles with fringe, tiered ruffle detail or beading such as Playful Promises Hummingbird Triangle Bra.

Medium Bust

Ladies with medium bust sizes are the lucky ones! Depending on your particular bust size and shape, you can pretty much wear any style of swimsuit top you’d like, including halters, triangle tops, bra tops and bandeau tops! 

Ask yourself what you’re looking for. If you want to make your bust appear bigger, look for swimsuit tops with embellishments, push-up padding, molded cups or even bold prints.

But if you want to make your bust appear smaller, look for swimsuit tops that will offer more coverage and create a minimizing effect, such as plain bandeaus that go straight across or dark solid-colored halters. Playful Promises Future Tribal Embroidery Bandeau bra is perfect for this.

Large Bust

Finally, if you’re well-endowed up top, then you’ll most likely need swimsuit tops that offer better support. Any top that has underwire cups will be the most supportive for the girls. Similarly, halters with thicker fixed underbands or those featuring double-string underbands can be ultra-supportive.

But if you hate tan lines on your chest, bandeaus are not out of the question! Certain bandeau swimsuit tops have center v-neck halter designs which can be easily untied when you’re laying out. In addition, most traditional bandeau tops come with one or two optional neck straps that can be easily removed for your tanning pleasure!

For more support, go for styles like Playful Promises Garden Party underwire bra

Now that you know what swimsuit tops to look for, you’re one step closer to finding your perfect swim style! Happy shopping!

Backstage with Burlexe

Burlexe is a unique play about the lives of women in burlesque. It fuses performance with storytelling, dancing with acting. It’s about strong, powerful, amazing women and it’s like nothing you’ve seen before.

We went behind-the-scenes to find a unique sisterhood, which actually reflects what’s happening on stage.

- Burlexe mixes the inimitable Kele le Roc with actresses and guest burlesquers – it’s a living soap opera with highs, hilarity and a good deal of glitter.  

- On stage, Kele le Roc is the most hilarious of comperes, flicking her whip and backstage she’s holding court with stories told in a myriad of accents.

Image by Tigz Rice

- Girls arrive for the pre-show walk-through in leggings and Ugg boots but emerge on stage as glamorous goddesses be it exotic like Luna Rosa or gothic a la Aurora Galore.

- It’s glamorous but girly with backstories are led by hormones, love life, current circumstances and losing an earring.

Kiki Kaboom by Tigz Rice

- Conversations are about make-up and costume tips, where to get just-as-good-but-not-as-expensive-Swarovski-alikey crystals. And did you know what a see-string is? A G-string to perform in. Where can we get one of those? Ask Bettsie BonBon…

Want to find out more?

Seeing Red: Is red still seen as the sexiest colour for lingerie?

Love - Playful Promises AW12

Type in "red lingerie" to google and you are instantly bombarded with every kind of shade you can imagine, in a whole host of designs. From sex-shop style frilly teddies to sumptuously expensive treats, red has often been cited as the sexiest colour for lingerie.

It's not hard to see why - red is the colour of passion and danger, of energy and confidence. Some cultures honor the colour as a symbol of good fortune, celebration and purity. What do you think when you see red lingerie?

I'd love to know when the first trend of red undergarments first began. Strangely, in my searches I couldn't find any information on such an interesting subject! Was it during the Edwardian era, when synthetic dyes made intense colour possible? Or, could it be a little less savory in it's origins?

From as early as the 15th century, clothing worn by prostitutes had to be distinguishable from that of other women, mainly because society shunned their lifestyle choice. Often a harlot had a yellow stripe on her clothing, but more commonly the stripe was red. Of course there is nothing to say what colour their underwear was, but perhaps this taboo naughtiness kickstarted the ongoing trend. Not that wearing red lingerie means you wish to be a prostitute, of course, but it may have given the colour red that extra touch of kink!

A prostitute in New Orleans in 1912 by E.J.Bellocq

In this era, where lingerie has moved from 'strictly bedroom' to 'fashion statement', the underwear as outerwear trend still in full swing, I wonder if red lingerie has been replaced as the colour of choice when looking to seduce?

When we asked our followers on Facebook and Twitter which colours made them feel sexiest, they answered with pinks, cream, blue, purple, green, ever-present black and even neon pinks and yellows! Only two people mentioned red, with one specifically preferring dark wine red to the flashier tones of the 90s.

These can be seen, too, in the forthcoming trends (but which comes first, the trend or the fashionista?), with Spring Summer 2012 seeing a whole host of pastels and earthy browns, lemon yellow and teal, dusty purple and lilac.

Moving those colours through into Autumn Winter 2012, the colour tones become deeper, with rich and vibrant jewel tones, ruby and a stronger teal, contrasted against rich blacks. This is all thanks to one of the most prominent trends of the season, which is all about the body and the raw energy emerging from it. Red lingerie is back with a new lease of life, in darker, luscious tones combined with ultramarine and blush. Think hearts and veins and sinuous muscle! Kinda gross, but that's how we like it, which is why we named our AW12 collection "Anatomy of a Heart"!

Juliette - Playful Promises AW12

Fancy some custom Cosmo glitz?

Cosmopolitan Magazine celebrates its 40th anniversary this April, and to commemorate this occasion, the Cosmo team have invited Playful Promises to take part in a racey collaboration!

We have customised 10 sets of our treasured Heart Noir with gorgeous Swarovski crystals, bumping the value of each set up to £100 each! Exclusively created for Cosmo (ie. they will not be available anywhere else!), this soft cup bra and brief is all about the bling!

Make sure you head to the Cosmo competition page to be in with the chance of winning this rare Playful Promises collectors piece.

If thats not enough, we are also offering 20% off everything instore and online by quoting CosmoHearts at the checkout. 

Hurry, this offer ends April 5th!

Here is a little peek at the mock up we created when working on the placement for the crystals!

 

The Sexy Underground: Behind the scenes at our catwalk event

On the 16th Feb, just before London Fashion Week, we teamed up with swimwear brand Paolita and lingerie brands Kiss Me Deadly and Lucile, for a stunning catwalk show.

Held in the sumptuous carnivalesque Cirque du Soir, we showed off what it means to be an independent brand, showcasing some of our never-before-seen collections!

We just recieved some fantastic behind-the-scenes photos, we'd love to share with you.

Aurora Galore getting ready

Aurora Galore treating the audience to a sizzling burlesque act

Mam'zelle Maz in our upcoming AW12 collection

Models in our current swimwear collection

The gorgeous Vamp garterdress, coming in May!