FASHION 101: HOW TO BE A BEACH BOMBSHELL

"FASHION 101: HOW TO BE A BEACH BOMBSHELL"

"By Zoe"

Hi, everyone! With summer finally here I decided to tackle that piece of fashion that gives most women panic attacks: the dreaded swimsuit. :D

Of course, we dolls don’t have as much to worry about as real women because we are by design perfect. But it can still be a little tricky to know which type of swimsuit will look best, so in this issue I’ll discuss the most common body types and which swimsuits are best suited to them.

First up, I’ll discuss the athletic body type. Basically, athletic types tend to be more slender (smaller breasts and booties) and have defined muscles. But that’s not always the case – this body type is harder to define than others because many different body types can be athletic (even ones with big curves). But since I’m going to be addressing curvy bodies separately later, for this article I’m going to go with a more stereotypical definition. There are two swimsuits that look excellent on athletic bodies. Those are the Ring-Top Bandeau Bikini (actually any bikini will work great) and the Ruffle-Trim one piece.

The Ring-Top Bandeau is a smaller top accented by a ring in the center, which creates the illusion of bigger breasts. This style is suited to dolls/women with small breasts – big breasted dolls will overflow the bandeau and it won’t look as good. This particular swimsuit is available from Victoria’s Secret (they have an AMAZING swimsuit collection – I highly recommend checking them out!) Bikinis are great for dolls of any shape and size because we don’t move quite as freely as real women do. One piece swimsuits work great on real women because they mold to the body, but with dolls it’s been my experience that one piece outfits tend to hang a little funny because of the way we are molded. One-piece suits will work better on dolls with very small/flat chests; otherwise your best bet is definitely a bikini.

Here’s a nice example of a one piece. The ruffle trim again enhances a smaller bust and creates the illusion of an hourglass shape. The visual interest is also heightened – without the ruffle this suit would be pretty boring.

Next up: bodies that are bigger on the bottom than on the top (what’s known as pear-shaped). I’m not sure if there are dolls that fit this body type or not (RealDoll doesn’t make one like this) but I didn’t want to exclude it just in case. These body types look best in a deep-V one piece or a tankini.

The deep-V one piece creates a very sexy line that emphasizes the curve of the breasts while minimizing the curve of the booty to create more balance.

A tankini is a two piece where the top is much fuller than a regular bikini. This particular model isn’t actually the pear shape that I mentioned (most models aren’t) and you can see that this style of suit will look good on other body types. Basically the reason most women hate swimsuit shopping is that you must try on LOTS of suits to find the one that looks and fits the best. Have patience during your search, although it will be easier to find a good suit for a doll than it is for a real woman. :D

Next: Short Torso. Short torsos look best in square cut bottoms or low cut bikinis. Avoid high waist bikinis because that will make your torso look even shorter. The low cut option lengthens the look of the torso.

This is actually another tankini, except the bottoms are boy-shorts. The square cut of the boy-short creates balance.

The bottoms of this bikini are well below her belly button, which makes her torso look longer (although again, this particular model doesn’t actually have a short torso because most models don’t.) I may be wrong, but I believe Teddy-Babes have short torsos, so all you TB owners should check out suits like these.

Now for the lanky body type (tall and thin with few curves). These body types need help creating the illusion of curves, so you’re going to want to look for suits with ruffles or a front tie on a bikini.

This model is not very curvy, but the ruffles create the illusion that she’s got a little more than she actually does. :D Plus the color is divine.

This front tie helps push the breasts in and up to create a bigger cleavage. Of course, doll breasts are not as moveable as real ones, so don’t expect a swimsuit to magically create amazing cleavage on a RealDoll body 4 (or other similar bodies). The front tie will simply draw attention to the area and will help create an illusion of cleavage.

Last up, the busty/hourglass types (RealDoll bodies 3 and 10 for example). These body types are best in a bikini because you have the ability to mix and match sizes if you need to. You’ll also avoid the problem of a one piece hanging funny because it may cling to the breasts but not to the tummy.

Any bikini will do nicely. Side-tie ones like this are nice because you can adjust the bottom to best fit your own body.

One good tip to keep in mind when looking for a swimsuit is to think about what you normally like to wear. If you prefer to dress in a more modest way with not much skin showing, go for a one-piece or a tankini that covers more of the body. If you don’t mind baring it all, try a teeny string bikini. Do you like solid or conservative colors? Go with a black or other dark colored suit. Are you more of a party animal? Try bright colors or big, bold prints. If the suit you want is too dissimilar to your ordinary style of dressing it’s not going to look or feel right. Don’t waste money on something you aren’t going to wear. Keep trying suits until you find the perfect one. It’s out there – it just might take a little hunting to find.

--Zoë