Evans very kindly sent me and my blogging colleagues swimsuits to review. Please see the swim suit reviews of the other brave bloggers Sara,Mhairi and of course Becky who organised this whole thing :)
Evans sent me two swimsuits, which I will review in turn. I took the pictures at night so they are a little blurry and grainy. This is probably for the best.
Suit 1: Swimdress
Appearance
It looks pretty enough, nice pattern and nicely padded and supported top. Not going to set the fashion world alight, but fine.
Fit
Terrible. I'm a 26 and this is a 26. It is also sized for DD-E boobs, and mine are bigger I admit. So why I am willing to accept this may be why the top was a little too overflowing, the dress was too tight. Being a swim dress it needs to hang a little looser think, more so than a traditional swimsuit otherwise it looks a bit strange. See for yourself below.
Comfort
Not uncomfortable physically, but sudden movements may have been disastrous. It does have inner bust support, but not large enough for me.
Coverage
Body wise, everything was covered and if you had an issue with the top of your thighs, this style would be good for you. Boob coverage - not great. I have bigger boobs than it could perhaps handle, but the top has a cross over top and one of my lady-lumps keep making a bid for freedom sideways out of the gap. Not a great design.
Performance
Because of the coverage issues I wasn't confident in wearing this a) in public b) doing any kind of activity that required movement.
Value
It's £37. If you have smaller breasts than me and the sizing is right, it's a nice suit. Well made and good material. I'd perhaps wait for a 20% off code before buying though.
VERDICT
The sizing was my major issue for me. As it was tight the skirt probably made me look bigger than a one piece may have. The busy pattern isn't really my style. Not for ample cleavage and for the price there are lots of other suits on the market.
6/10
Suit 2: Two piece with skirt
Appearance
This is a two piece with a nicely padded and supported top tank with removable and adjustable straps. Diamante detailing and a bit of ruching over the bust. Bottom consists of a brief with an attached skirt. Both are black so seeing any detail is difficult is afraid.
Fit
This is a story of two halves so to speak. I'm a 26 and this is a 26 but as we all know us bigger lasses have very different shaped bodies.The top is sized for DD-E boobs, as was the other suit, and while mine are bigger the top fits well and is a nice shape. It has an inner support bra and the adjustable straps make it very comfortable. It is also long enough to avoid unexpected tummy exposure.
The skirt/briefs fit fine, but the way the skirt is cut (with a straight bit attached to the brief and then a more flowing piece) means that it tends to ride up. Not a great fit in that regard then.
Comfort
I'm not sure how comfortable I would be wearing both pieces together. The top I do like, but I spent my time tugging down the skirt and then pulling the briefs up to try and avoid muffin top. I would most probably go and buy a bikini brief and then wear the two together.
Coverage
Body wise, everything was covered but if you had an issue with the top of your thighs, this style isn't guaranteed to protect them from view . Boob coverage - excellent and I really liked the cut. Boobs nice and safe. It can be worn strapless and if I was sure of not making any sudden movements, I would give that a go too.
Performance
I haven't worn this swimming but I don't really think it is that sort of suit. It's more a looking glam by the pool suit, and the top would be great for this. I was even wondering what it would look like with a nice pair of trousers (something chiffon) and a pair of gold sandals. Not for Olympic swimming events.
Value
The bottoms are £16 and the top £25. Well made and good material. I would buy the top and find some black briefs to match. Good value for the thought and design that has gone into the top, not so for the bottoms.
VERDICT
The bottoms let this down for me as the top was a lovely fit and I even liked the diamantes - shock horror. Buy a plain brief and then let the pool lounging begin.
8/10
So, hope this has been useful!? I think the moral of the story is you need to try them before you buy! Your body shape will determine which suit looks best on you, not just the garment size.
Are swim dresses something you would like to try? Inspired or frightened off?
