This Bandeau is a Ban - do!

Another exciting purchase. This one I've had my eye on since last year. (I'm getting quite proud of myself for not buying on impulse). I was looking to replace my swimsuit this year because my 3 year old, much-complimented, nautical stripe swimsuit has stretched out with wear. However, before I went out and bought a new one, I had some traits that I wanted to be sure I got.

For my body type, smaller on the top than the bottom, I've read that adding ruffles on the top would create balance. Also, I wanted a two piece because although I love monokinis, I find they don't fit me well because I've got a short torso. I think I've read that if the measurement from the bottom of your ribs to the top of your hips is less than 4 inches, you've got a short waist. (The supermodel in the picture seems to have a long torso). Thirdly, I though I might as well take advantage of my modest size and wear something that not everyone can wear - a strapless bandeau.

I had actually bought a pink ruffle bandeau bikini 2 years ago from eBay. However, I found out the hard way that a small from a Chinese eBay store is like buying child-sized in a North American store. Fortunately, fashion and shopping website www.shopstyle.com had plenty of options - my favorite being from Victoria's Secret. I went ahead and ordered the swimsuit but was a little bummed by the extra charges for duties. There was also a special free gift with purchase - a cotton beach tote.

Happily, the swimsuit arrived in 5 days - much quicker than the 10 - 14 day estimate. Despite following the size chart precisely, the bikini does fit snug but the most cleavage created is a nice side-effect. I find the lace pattern to be pleasantly contemporary and the laser-cut ruffles impressive. The bottom is a bit-low rise which complements my short torso. 

As for the the free tote - let's just say V.S. is lucky I didn't pay for it. I think the gold details would have looked much better on black or white instead of beige. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase. I've only now realized that my swimsuit has an added bonus it falls in line with the current lace trend. Nice!