Cheryl Shops

Last weekend I put away my Christmas decorations, which officially means we've entered the most depressing time of year: winter. Yes, the next two and a half months will be cold, dark, snowy, cold, bleak, and cold, so, really, there's only one solution in my book: Take a vacation. Seriously, most of the Caribbean is a 5-hour (or less) flight away, and even a long weekend in a tropical locale will do a girl good. There's Mexico, Turks & Caicos, Bahamas, St. John, Dominican Republic, Aruba, Antigua, Barbados...the possibilities are nearly endless. But, of course, you can't take a vacation with last year's faded, stretched-out swimsuit, can you?

Enter Swimspot.com. It's been around for a few years, but they've recently revamped their website with all manner of swimwear bells and whistles. The best place to start if, well, you don't know where to start is the Fit Specialist--you can either call or email with a personal shopper to figure out what suit will work best for your body. (There are also a lot of great tips and suggestions on the page, in case you're not quite ready to interact with another human being.) If, like me, you're a bikini fan, head straight to the Bikini Builder® (yes, it's so awesome, it's copyrighted), where you can play around with the mix-and-match bikini separates from four brands (Athena, Hurley, Next, and Spendid). Here's one of my favorite tips: Buy two bikinis from the same brand in similar colors/patterns/styles--you can change it up and create four different suits from the four separate pieces. My one criticism of this feature is that not all the brands on the site are included here, but hopefully that will change in the future.

If you'd rather shop the old fashioned way, you can do so by brand, or narrow down your choices by style, trend, size, body type, color, and/or price. That's how I found this Ella Moss Gypsy Bikini, which is, in its skimpiness and triangularity, totally up my alley. If it doesn't hold up to my expectations, it should be noted Swimspot offers free shipping, free exchanges, and free returns--super awesome, because on many websites, swimsuits are final sale. And there's nothing worse than trying on a swimsuit, looking like a bloated whale in it, and knowing you're stuck with it.

Now if only Swimspot could go to the gym for me...

The swimsuit question: to two-piece or not to two-piece
I have four beach trips scheduled this summer; one has come and gone, and the remaining three take place in August. Due to this high volume of beach-related activity, I've decided I need another swimsuit to add to my collection. I own a butterfly-print Shoshanna halter bikini, which is one of my absolute favorites; I own a basic black Calvin Klein tankini for active days (i.e. snorkeling, etc.); and I own a bikini I bought last year at Delia*s, which got severely faded on my trip to Roatan back in March, so that one's going in the rag pile. Now that swimwear is going on sale, I definitely think it's time to buy a new suit, but I'm wondering, now that I'm safely into my 30s, should I give up on bikinis?

I am okay with my body--it's not perfect, but I'm fairly happy with it, and while my abs are not rock-hard, they're at least flat. I also tend to get really tan on my stomach, which is why I prefer bikinis. I've also always associated one-piece swimsuits with my mom, who, although she doesn't need the camouflage at all, tends to favor ruched, skirted versions. (Although, come to think of it, she did rock some sexy ruffled one-shouldered numbers back in the late '70s and early '80s when I was a child.) Usually, I tend to go for cute, colorful, flirty styles, particularly those at Delia*s; I like the mix-and-match concept, I like the fact that they have a selection of tops in D-cup sizes, and I really like the prices (which are, yes, marked down at the moment).

But, like I said, I am getting up there in age, and, well, things are not as firm as they used to be. I wonder if it's time to start, simply put, covering that stuff up. There's also the question of support; finding bikini tops in which my boobs actually fit is a challenging endeavor, and based on my experience with tankinis, more coverage generally translates to better support. Also, there are some really hot retro one-pieces out there! I love the ruching on this J.Crew Jersey Lomellina suit, this Jets by Jessika Allen suit reminds me of my mom's cool '70s suits, and I am absolutely in love with Rachel Pally's Barbados Maillot (note to ER: I think this might be the one you sent me!).

So, I think it might be time to take the plunge--into a pool, into the ocean, in a one-piece. Sure, I will keep my bikini and tankini in the rotation, but it's always good to diversify, right?