I used to love shopping for swimwear, after all, there were so many choices and I was as thin as they come in my twenties. Designs have changed over the years but a mainstay I wore in my twenties and can still wear today in my forties are suits from the classic and well known brand Tommy Bahama. If you know the brand, but don’t know what they’ve been up to lately, you’ll be happily surprised by their diverse and comprehensive selection.
What I love about shopping on their site is the navigation — you can choose a suit by type, color or style, or you can choose by body shape and they have a guide to help you figure out where you fall. You can also mix and match since they sell tops and bottoms separately, which is a godsend for detail oriented people like me. Personally, I like to have lots of style and color choices.
And so, off I went on the site to search for some suits in blue. Why? In my forties, my greatest assets are sadly no longer a flat stomach and tone legs like they were in my twenties, and so I decided to go with a suit to compliment my blue eyes. Besides, every other suit I own is in either leopard, some complicated pattern or black. And, then there’s that loud orange number I can’t believe I ever purchased.
The first thing on their site that struck my eye was a silky looking Chaftan adorned with a vintage map – how cool is that? A long cover up that is sheer and has a map from top to bottom couldn’t be a more perfect choice for the travelholics among us.
Their Vintage Map Long Caftan (worn above on the grounds of the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain spa pool) and pictured below, brings a beautiful waterside style to the four corners of the globe in a captivating print. The other thing I love about it is its flowing and featherlight material with an attractive V-neckline for a flattering fit. The Italian fabric is made from a silky, premium material and the design has Kimono-style sleeves and slits at the sides for a free fitting fit, which is exactly what you want when you’re hanging out by the pool or going for a walk on the beach. While it looks and feels silky, it’s 100% polyester making it easy to wash, fast to dry and low maintenance when it comes to wrinkling.
The other nice thing about it is that its long and sweeping, making you feel even more feminine when you lounge about or go for that beach walk.
Every suit I own is a classic bikini, so I decided to try a Tankini top,which is a little more slimming and let’s face it, whether you’re in your twenties, thirties, forties or fifties, who doesn’t want a l’il slimming effect? The Tommy Bahama Pearl Halter Tab Tankini comes in a few different colors, but I found a nice one in Navy that goes well with the vintage map cover-up above.
It has a flirty sweetheart neckline, a comfortable tummy-control panel and soft shirring at the waist. It is made with premium Italian microfiber, so effectively retains its shape, and ties at the neck which even more perfects the fit. Given its premium material, it dries quickly and resists fading.
Their Xtra Life Lycra resists the effects of chlorine and other pool chemicals 5?10 times longer than unprotected elastane, allowing garments to keep their shape much longer. The material is 80% nylon, 20% Xtra Life Lycra Spandex and has tall foam cups for additional support and coverage. What else is cool is that the fabric offers UPF 50+ sun protection, which is great on a hot day, especially when you’re in and outside the sun. Below, it holds up well as I stand under this warm waterfall at a Ritz Carlton pool for a non-stop thirty minutes.
The back is also elegant, allowing you to get a little coverage on your upper back and shoulders while covering up any of the rolls you might have around your middle — that’s the great thing about the Tankini’s from Tommy Bahama – they cover up what you don’t want to show while staying elegant and sexy.
For example, the Vintage Map High-Waist Sash Hipster Bikini Bottoms are fun sash bikini bottoms that provide a little dazzle to a plain colored tankini top. And, if you are lucky enough to have one of those flatter tummies, you can choose a more classic bikini top to accompany it, OR better yet, get one of each so you have choices depending on you feel on a particular day. What woman doesn’t want to have a few options in her suitcase?
I love the mesmerizing map design and the bottoms have a higher than normal waistline, providing full coverage for a more flattering fit. Also made in premium Italian microfiber, so it resists fading and dries quickly, an important factor when you’re in and out of the pool, lake or ocean. It’s the obvious suit to match the above vintage map navy cover-up I fell in love with when I first started browsing their site.
An alternative to the above bottoms is the Vintage Map Skirted Hipster Bikini Bottoms, although frankly, I’d argue you’d want both. The skirted hipster bottoms can fit comfortably over a more fitted pair of bottoms. It has a cute skirt with side tie over a full coverage, again, providing that more flattering and slimming look that is sure to give you a little more confidence on the beach.
While I had to go for the map combo (what traveler wouldn’t want to own this fabulous suit?), I fished around on the site and found some other fun choices as well in both prints and solid colors. For example, this Multi Ombré Chevron Tankini would make a fun colorful choice for any Caribbean vacation.
The back is equally fun — and flattering. It’s made of 92% nylon and 8% spandex and comes with foam cups for added coverage and support. Like the navy blue one, it has a tummy-control panel for that wonderful slimming effect.
Another favorite for its slimming factor and fabulous color is the Pearl underwire tankini.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
