Finding the best swimsuits for a short torso can be a frustrating task–but it doesn’t have to be. Plenty of styles exists that draw the eyes up to help to elongate the entire body, from your legs up through your torso. Different cuts, colours, and designs also help to shift focus to certain areas of your body, making yourself seem longer all-around. Try wearing any of these swimsuit styles this summer and feel that swimsuit shopping frustration disappear.
High-Neck Suits
Whether you’re down for a one or two-piece, opting for a higher neckline will draw the eye upward and lengthen your torso. Halter tops will also have a similar effect. Pairing a high-neck top with high-rise bottoms will give the strongest lengthening illusion.
With the variability in the back cut of these pieces, you can cover up as much or as little as you’d like. Halter tops are great for those who need some extra support but still want to accomplish the lengthening look of a high-neck swimsuit.
String Bikinis
String bikini bottoms give a lengthening effect to the legs, while the string top works like a halter top to draw the eyes up. These bikinis show plenty of skin along your hips, and with a customized fit in the top and bottom, you can hike up the sides to sit higher on your waist. The looping halter top of string bikini tops draws the eyes up and in, making your top half appear much longer.
High-Cut Bikini Bottoms
High-cut bikini bottoms work like string bottoms to give an extending effect, making your legs look longer in comparison to your torso. As a bonus, this style is also a universally flattering one. There’s also a vast amount of versatility with this style, as you can pair high-cut bikini bottoms with whichever style top you’d like and still achieve a lengthening effect. High-cut bottoms are only growing in popularity, meaning your options will only expand as time goes on.
Flashy Tops
Lots of action in your top half will draw the eyes up, making your torso appear longer. Reach for tops with ruffles, cutouts, and the craziest and brightest prints you can find. Bandeau tops with ruffles and cut-outs look great too–anything that doesn’t extend past your chest will give you a flattering elongation.
V-Necks
V-necks work much like high-neck styles, but the absence of fabric works to elongate the torso instead. You can go as low as you dare with this style–actually, the lower the better. A dip down your front will lengthen your torso from your navel to your neck, keeping the world’s eyes going vertical instead of side to side.
V-necks are also found in nearly every style of swimsuit, whether you prefer a one-piece, monokini, or anything in between, they’ll likely come with some v-neck options.
One-Shoulder Tops
One-shoulder tops work like high-neck suits to draw the eye up towards your neck and face. Unlike some high-neck tops, one-shoulder tops are better suited for those with a larger bust or who simply don’t like the look of a high neckline.
This style of top is effective in one and two-pieces and looks great in neutral or bold colours and prints. Pairing a style like this with a bright colour or attention-grabbing details will only enhance the lengthening effect.
V-Shaped Bikini Bottoms
Bikini bottoms with a slight v-shaped dip in the front help create an illusion of a longer torso. You may find this detail in low or mid-rise bottoms and in high-rise bottoms-all of which give the same final result.
However, pairing this trendy detail with high-cut or high-waisted bikini bottoms will do you an even bigger favour if you’re looking to appear longer. Like high-cut bottoms, v-shaped styles are only becoming more popular, meaning you won’t have to look long to find one you love.
Low-Rise Bottoms
Perhaps contrary to common belief, low-rise bikini bottoms help create an illusion of a longer torso by showing more skin. While high-cut styles are flattering for much of the same reason, low-rise bottoms still accomplish a similar effect by stopping below the hips. Bottoms that stay below the hips consequently elongate the torso, especially if you pair them with a thin bandeau-style top.
