Bikinis for D-cups

May 31, 2006 11:56 AM

Any recommendations of brands/stores that carry bikinis that work for large-breasted women?

I've never worn a bikini before. I'm of average height and weight but I'm also fairly busty (D-cups). I've shied away from this summer fashion because I haven't see any bikinis that would l think would be flattering on me (all bikinis I've seen are modeled on small-chested women). I'm looking for both support and some amount of coverage (ie, not popping out) but I don't know where to begin my search. Any hints?

posted by hopeless romantique to clothing, beauty, & fashion (14 comments total)

Victoria's Secret has bikini tops sized by bra size.
posted by JanetLand at 11:59 AM on May 31, 2006

bravissimo
posted by chrisroberts at 12:01 PM on May 31, 2006

Check out Bravissimo.

And if you're wondering how I know, I'm a fan of a particular webcomic (which I won't link to today, because it's a guest art day and the guest art comic is in incredibly bad taste.) that has a very well-endowed main character. Since lots of women are looking for the same thing you are, the author (a male, by the way) was good enough to collect a bunch of resources and web links for busty women.
posted by SpecialK at 12:02 PM on May 31, 2006

Gorramit! Beaten to the punch!
posted by SpecialK at 12:03 PM on May 31, 2006

Watch the swimsuit show on QVC --various sizes and shapes; Also check Land's End where you can by tops and bottoms separately
posted by sandra194 at 12:05 PM on May 31, 2006

Believe me, I feel your pain. This summer I bought my bikini at Old Navy--needed a medium bottom and an XL top. So, anywhere selling separates is a good start.

I actually find that for my particular bustiness (also a D, with a more "motherly" as opposed to "porn starry" shape, if you catch my drift), triangle tops work best for me coverage-wise, and the support's not bad. The trouble is that the weight is rough on the neck after a long day at the beach. But bikini tops that have a true bra-style top, like a regular underwire demi or some such, are awful for coverage and almost always either offer only a hairthin difference between showing or not showing any areola, or inevitably result in the dreaded quad-boob (which is one thing under your clothes, but in a bikini...) So, I go with triangle top (halter top might work the same--haven't tried)
posted by lampoil at 12:16 PM on May 31, 2006

figleaves.com
posted by judith at 4:06 PM on May 31, 2006

all bikinis I've seen are modeled on small-chested women

Funny, as a small-chested woman it looks to me like all bikinis/swimsuits/lingerie are modeled are large-busted women. (This is not intended as snark in the slightest -- just an observation about how differently things are filtered depending on one's perspective.)
posted by scody at 4:09 PM on May 31, 2006

I like two Victoria's Secret bikini tops: the "Classic Push-Up Top" and the "Push-Up Triangle Top." I don't worry about the push-up making me look too busty; I find push-up effects make a suit much more supportive than mere underwire.

Another great choice is this reversible suit from Moontide. Be sure to order the "D/DD" sized top. It is the most comfortable (think soft, cloud-like) and still super supportive bikini top I've found.

In general, I find the good old standby of a triangle top halter is the most supportive and flattering to my larger-sized bust. I like picking up several at H&M because they're cut well enough and are cheap. To solve the "rough around the neck" phenomenon lampoil describes I look for suits with ties that are made of a not-so-stretchy material. Banana Republic has one now that I like a lot (size Large).
posted by saffron at 4:19 PM on May 31, 2006

I just bought a two-piece (at Wal-Mart and yes I know I'm going to hell) that had boy cut briefs and a sport-bra style top. Lots of support. You might try that style.
posted by orange swan at 5:20 PM on May 31, 2006

I feel ya, hopeless romantique, I really do- swimsuit shopping is a bitch. I have owned only a handful of swimsuits in my full-grown life, and they were either ugly but supportive, or cute but not really proper for anything other than sunbathing. The closest I came to finding things for me were bikinis bought at surf shops on Clearwater Beach in FL- pieces sold separately, tops sold in bra sizes. I think all the surf shops in all the beach towns carry them. The styles are a little 90s, and were probably designed for girls with fake boobs, but at least you'll get something where you can show a little cleaveage and not feel like you're gonna pop out all over the place every time you move around. (Triangle tops? PLEASE. I might as well go to the beach topless, for all the support that'll provide).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:57 PM on May 31, 2006 [1 favorite]

Don't know how I know this, but Malia Mills also sells bikinis separate. Is this uncommon? I thought all women's swimwear was sold like that.
posted by Brian James at 12:02 AM on June 1, 2006

Attempt #1: The mall

I looked into Nordstrom's, Victoria's Secret, Gap, and Meier & Frank. Things I have learned:

-When going up in sizes, such as a medium to large, both the cup size and the strap lengths change. Because of this, one-size-fits-all buckles aren't an option; I'll be better off with ties.

-Gap had one style that discriminated cup sizes as well as busts, but the ones available were As and Bs. The saleslady looked up on the computer which stores carried my size and told me that stores in both Reno and Seattle carried them (I'm in Portland).

-I'm extremely hesitant to order anything online for the same reason that I don't by bras online, or for that matter, most clothes. I need to try things on before I can be certain.

-A few tops I tried on felt it necessary to add extra padding to the cups. Hello?! Do I really need to look even bigger?

-In Meier & Frank, I came across a halter-triangle-bikini by the brand Janzten (the exact suit is under "lifestyle", called "well suited"). While this (size L) gave me no support, it covered me quite nicely while still looking very much like a bikini, not a bra. The one problem was that I almost ran out of strap to tie and tighten. But perhaps this bikini is worth trying on again...

Anyway, thanks for the help!
posted by hopeless romantique at 2:30 PM on June 1, 2006

I got mine at target. i am a D/DD. I found the triangle halter with the extra band under the triagles to work the best. it gives good coverage and when the girls rest down a little i don't get the lovely poking out the bottom problem.

the biggest lesson i've learned (besides always buy seperate tops and bottoms) is try everything on. you'll probably be suprised what fits and what doesn't.
posted by nadawi at 2:27 AM on June 2, 2006