say no to the frump:: 5+ swimsuits that won't make you miss your teeny bikini this summer

A few months ago, I came to the conclusion that a bikini would not be in the cards for me this summer. I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but my body is definitely not the same and I'm not about to subject my fellow beach-goers to this jelly-belly. I was determined not to feel frumpy though. Just because I'm chasing my little sand eater (he ate about 7 handfuls at the beach yesterday) instead of sipping mai-tais doesn't mean that I should wear some unflattering piece of Spandex.

And so began my search for an adorable swimsuit that wouldn't break the bank. I started out looking at tankinis, but most of the ones I found were way too loose and flowy. I soon realized that a) I needed to find a one-piece suit, and b) I needed to spend a little bit of cash to get a quality suit. I spent a lot of time searching the internets and was surprised that I couldn't find great, up-to-date roundups of cute suits for mamas and other modest girls out there (Andrea wrote some helpful reviews here.) So, I'm sharing what I found. Click through the links to see more styles and colors.


(clockwise from the left)

Padded Knot Bandeau Tank from JCrew >> This is the swimsuit I bought after two months of searching and I'm so happy with my purchase. Honestly, it makes me feel less like a frumpy mom and more like a classy pin-up. (Is that a weird thing to say on my blog? I just felt really adorable.) The bright red color is so fun and the quality is spot-on. In my opinion, it's money well spent. (See it on me in the photo below!)

Tribal Design Halter One-Piece from Ann Taylor LOFT >> I thought this one was super cute. Even though it doesn't have ruching like so many of the others, I think the fun pattern would do a great job obscuring possible problem areas. Check out more cute LOFT suits here. 

Ruched Bandeau Tank from JCrew >> Another cute one from JCrew. I almost went with this one. Love the ruching and simple silhouette.

Sara Bra Cup Halter Tankini from Athleta >> This was the only tankini that caught my eye. It's got the all-important ruching, padded bra support and comes in this lovely plum shade.

Assets Push-Up One Piece from Target >> Yes, this is a push-up, and it's made by the makers of Spanx. So, you can imagine, this is a one-piece with a bit of 'wow factor'. I tried this on in Target the other day and it's pretty awesome. Honestly, not the most comfortable swimsuit ever, but it does the job--there's not a bit of frump in this suit. See more swimsuits made by Assets here. 

Runner-up-

Criss-Cross Suit from Albion  >> This swimsuit is almost perfect, but it's over $100, so it didn't make my list. The silhouette is adorable and Albion has lots of other styles that are unique!

 Have you found a swimsuit that makes you feel great? Feel free to share details in the comments below!