Top 5 Reasons Tankinis Are Terrific!
Tankinis were first introduced into the mainstream swimwear market in the late 1990s by swimwear designer Anne Cole. The concept was essentially to provide women with a swimwear option that featured both the coverage of a one-piece and the convenience of a two-piece. Further, mix-and-match swimwear was trending in the 90s, and tankinis gave women who preferred greater coverage the same flexibility as those who chose to wear bikinis. Within just a few years, the tankini had taken over approximately a third of the swimwear market. Yes, one third. Today, we’re going to explore the top five reasons tankinis are simply terrific!
1.Versatility
Tankinis allow you to mix-and-match swimwear pieces any way you wish. While in the 90s that meant wearing your black bikini bottoms with your hot pink tankini top to change up your look a little bit, these days it means a whole lot more! You can pair your favorite tankini top with board shorts or swim capris when you’re learning to paddleboard for protection from abrasions. You can pair your favorite tankini bottoms with a rash guard for greater sun safety. The mixy-matchy freedom of tankinis is now just as much about functionality as it is about style.
2. Bosoms
The fact is, women have to think about their busts when shopping for bathing suits.Perhaps, as I do, you need underwire support to look and feel your confident best. Perhaps you want to wear swimming prostheses due to a mastectomy and prefer the easiest option in mastectomy swimwear. Perhaps you have a less prominent bustline and want a padded bra, or a closer fit for your straighter figure. All of these features are easy to find in tankini styles. Tankinis allow maximum freedom of design in the bra, since they don’t have to come up over the hips, and if you need specific consideration for your bosoms, tankinis may make swimsuit shopping much easier, not to mention more fun!
3. Long Torsos
Have you ever tried on a one-piece suit only to find that once you get the bottom part on your body the top part only comes about two-thirds of the way to your shoulders, or that the bra cups are four inches below your bustline? You may just have a long torso—it’s not an uncommon body type! Tankinis completely eliminate all of the frustrations that come with swimwear shopping when you have a long torso. And if you don’t relish the idea of a strip of skin showing between your tankini top and swimwear bottom, opt for an ultra-high waisted bikini bottom; they are generally sold separately in lots of cuts and colors!
4. Style options
Tankinis come in an absolute plethora of styles! No matter your aesthetic or “not happy with it” area, there is a tankini that will suit your needs and taste perfectly! Want something brief and sporty? Prefer lots of va-va-voom? Looking for something to camouflage a softening mid-section? Tankinis offer all of those options, plus many, many more! From high-necked tank tops to wrap styling to blouson cuts, tankinis can truly be all things to all people; the concept is so simple that the design options are endless. You can literally get a tankini top with long sleeves and a hood—now that’s the ultimate in both modesty and sun protection.
5. Convenience
True story:
I once found myself crying in the bathroom of a luxurious cabana on a gorgeous beach on a private island. Why? The embarrassing truth is that I had used the facilities and couldn’t pull my wet one-piece swimsuit back up over my ample body. When I finally wrestled myself back into my bathing suit, my friends were wondering what had happened, my body was red and raw from the struggle, my face was tearstained and I was completely exhausted. There is a reason almost all little girls’ bathing suits are tankinis, and it is convenience. To use the restroom, to change in a locker room, to clean up if someone spills root beer in your lap. . . all of it is easier in a two-piece swimwear ensemble. It used to be that there was no option for those who wanted the coverage of a one piece and the convenience of a two-piece, but we have it and we should embrace it!
Tankinis are the best!
These are only the top 5 reasons that tankinis are a terrific swimwear choice for pretty much anybody and every body! If you ask 10 different women why they love tankini swimwear, you might just hear 10 completely new and different answers. Any swimsuit that is that versatile and beloved is definitely something we should all know more about. Check out the latest and best in tankini swimwear at Lands’ End today!