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Los Angeles Stylist's Tips For Swimsuit Shopping

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Finding a swimsuit that fits your body type and personal sense of style can be a daunting task. Style expert and image consultant Laurie Brucker says that most women are self-conscious about their stomach, thighs and their bottom. She believes that every woman deserves to feel confident in her body. To help you feel confident the next time you're at the beach or swimming pool, Brucker shares five tips on fitting a swimsuit to fit your body type.

Megan Gale Hosts Isola Swimwear Event
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Tip 1: Understand how to work with your body shape.

 
The most fundamental aspect of choosing a swimsuit that fits your body shape is knowing how important balance and proportion are relative to how your body distributes weight. The four most common body shapes include the hourglass, the apple, the pear and the ruler body shapes. Whether you have a little more on top (apple) or a little more on the bottom (pear), Brucker recommends striving for the hourglass shape since it is the most balanced of all the body shapes. This means apple shapes should draw more attention to their hips, pear shapes should draw more attention to their shoulders and ruler shapes should create the illusion of a more defined waist.

MBFFS 2012: Miami Swim - Catwalk
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Tip 2: Accentuate the part of your body you love most.

 
Part of feeling confident in a swimsuit is drawing attention away from your problem areas by accentuating other parts of your body you feel more secure about. The common problem areas almost every woman despises is usually the stomach, thighs and hips. Brucker advises wearing black bottoms to create a slimming effect and a contrasting bold and colorful top to de-emphasize your hips and focus the attention on your bust. If you happen to be pear shaped, bold patterns like tiger print and zebra stripes add more width to your bust to create a more hourglass-like figure.

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Tip 3: Give yourself curves with a monokini. 

 
"The key to working with the column shape is to create curves for the body," says Brucker. She calls the monokini the ultimate solution for those without hips. Monokinis are swimsuits that feature large cut-outs at the sides, and sometimes even in the front and back of a traditional swimsuit. The monokini gives the illusion of an hourglass figure, giving you curves you never thought you could have.

Related: Best Swimwear Shops In Los Angeles

MBFFS 2012: Cotton On -  Catwalk
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Tip 4: Color blocking is a woman's best friend.

 
Though black is commonly seen as a slimming color, color blocking is a huge trend for those with a little more around the middle. "Look for a suit that has a bold color at the bust, a medium color at the rib and a dark color at the bottom," suggests Brucker. "This will not only minimize the middle with the dark colored torso, but the bold waist and bust draws attention to the waist and leads the eyes to your face." Color blocking helps create the illusion of a well-defined waistline.

MBFFS 2012: Miami Swim - Catwalk
(credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Tip 5: Use straps to add balance to your body proportions.

 
If you have a little more on top with broad shoulders, you can use thicker straps to make your top half more proportionate with your bottom half. Similarly, you can use thinner strap or even halter tops to show off your shoulders and minimize the attention of your bottom half of pear-shaped bodies. "You want your suit to be balanced as well. It shouldn't cover too much, nor cover too little," recommends Brucker. "Whether you choose bandeau, string or halter, pick something in a bold color and have fun with the trends."

Related: L.A.'s Hottest Swimwear

Niki Payne is a freelance writer covering all things Entertainment in Los Angeles. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.

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