Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Bombshell Swimsuit


So, here's something I would have NEVER thought I would post until last week: pictures of me in a swimsuit.
If you haven't heard of this pattern before, I don't know what rock you live under, but you need to go and check it now!
I was one of the lucky testers for this pattern, and like everybody else, I fell in love with it.


First of all, I apologize for not posting full-figure photos, but this is already a lot of exposure for my confidence. It's actually kind of sad, but it was a not-so-delicate comment from my boyfriend that made me rethink posting a picture where you could see my thighs (ie my cellulite) in all of their glory. Ugh. Men can do wonders for our self-confidence, can they?

But back to the swimsuit!
When Heather asked me if I wanted to be a tester, I was actually terrified, because I had never sewn something like this before. But as I started working on it, my fear became excitement, you know, the type you get when you try something new.
I desperately wanted a crimson red or a navy for my swimsuit, but as usual, I was disappointed by the resources available in in my area. In most fabric stores, I was looked at like I was crazy when I asked for lycra "to make a swimsuit", but finally I found a lady who had some. The only choice of color was black, nude and an awful Barbie pink, but in the end it wasn't so bad, a black swimsuit is a classic.
I also used nude lycra for the lining, since I couldn't find swimsuit/lingerie lining material anywhere, which means my seams are pretty thick.
The same goes for the elastic: nobody here seems to know that chlorine resistant elastic is something that actually exists, not a crazy request from a crazy customer. Sigh.
I will definitely buy the materials and notions online for next time. If anyone can refer me to European shops (besides Merckwaerdigh, mentioned by Novita) I'd be forever grateful.

Despite the hard time I had gathering the necessary, the construction went great! I cut a size 8 at the bust, grading up to a 12 at the hips, and the fit is perfect.
It took quite a long time to make, but that's because I was intimidated by the project, so I would read every step of the instructions at least three time before doing anything, and I would generally proceed veeery slowly.
The gathers and all the elastic to attach do take a while, but all in all, this was WAY easier than I thought it would be. Oh, and my serger broke down and died just before starting this project, so you can totally make it with just a regular machine.
Seriously, don't be scared by it just because it's swimwear: it can be tackled like any other project, I promise.

I tried to take a few details shots, but I failed.
Sorry, but I'm sure Heather will be posting every detail you want to see on her blog (she's having a sew-along!).
And speaking of the devil, she'll be here on the blog on Friday with a little interview, so don't miss out on that.

128 comments:

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  2. Eléonore / nessieJune 12, 2013 at 10:43 PM

    Anna, you are so beautiful in your swimsuit! Suits you so well :D (I also attempted a swimsuit some weeks ago (Burdastyle pattern) and failed miserably (not enough place / support for the girls, damn you 85E >:( ))

    If you seek good quality fabric, I can't recommend enough In Fashion Fabrics, an english shop with reasonnable prices and shipping :) . Found my navy blue lycra there and it was perfect! http://stores.ebay.fr/In-Fashion-Fabrics?_rdc=1

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  3. Oh you look really fab in this swimsuit! I know I wouldn't have the guts to take photos as I can't even seem to make any skirts/dresses that end above the knee.

    But coming from another pear shaped gal, I think you and your suit look amazing. Glad you shared this project as I've been on the fence about sewing up a suit for myself.

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  4. It's a gorgeous swimsuit, and you look gorgeous in it :)

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  5. Another amazing bombshell! If I keep seeing these amazing makes, I may just have to cave in and try it...

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  6. You look stunning!! Congratulations

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  7. You look stunning! Don't take any notice of silly boys! I love that swimsuit, every version that turns up is great x

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  8. Wow, Anna! This looks gorgeous! It is a real bombshell. I have always been afraid to try sewing a bathsuit, but you might have changed my mind. :)

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  9. You look amazing!! Every version of this I have seen has turned out great!

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  10. Fabulous! You look amazing! Somehow this suit has looked awesome on everyone that's made it! It's funny-- I thought this WAS navy until you mentioned that it was black. It looks great!

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  11. Oh, this is fabulous on you and you are fabulous in it! Seriously, you look wonderful.


    Thanks so much for posting this very informative review. I already have the pattern and you have reassured me that I can do it.

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  12. It looks awesome! I can't believe how brave all you ladies are posing in your swimsuits but I suppose looking fabulous helps!

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  13. You look just gorgeous- and I love the swimsuit!

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  14. It looks fantastic — you look fantastic!

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  15. Really gorgeous! Brave woman!

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  17. This is totes Esther Williams awesome! Epic work on your first swimsuit sewing!

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  18. You Look Great! I look like you and you look So Darn Good! that it has immediately made me feel 10 times more confident about my body :) So thank you!

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  19. Oh Anna! you look great & more pretty on that bombshell swimsuit. Now I'm convince to try this pattern. I really like your confidence! *wink

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  20. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!! Seriously! This has to be the most universally flattering swimsuit ever made!! Everyone looks incredible in it!! Love your black version - classic color for a classic suit!

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  22. This is so gorgeous - I love the classic black :) And thanks for posting photos, even if you were a little unsure of yourself - you look beautiful in them, and it's so nice to see another pear shaped girl sexily rocking out a hand-made swimsuit - so inspiring!!!

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  23. I'm sure your bf is a lovely man... but I do kind of want to bonk him on the head! You look AMAZING! Although I get the cellulite angst, trust me (if you ever want a few photoshop tools to just... smudge..... let me know, haha). So funny how we feel about it considering EIGHTY PERCENT of us have it, isn't it?


    Anyway, the insides actually look very neat. I may ask you to take a few more shots to include in the sewalong if that's okay... I've made all my samples with a serger and it might be nice to show everyone what it looks like using zigzag stitching.


    Thanks again lovely! A pleasure doing blogging with you! xoxo

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  24. Amazing... I looove this so much!

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  25. I just love seeing these swimsuits pop up everywhere! You guys all look so fantastic!

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  27. A Stitching OdysseyJune 13, 2013 at 1:18 AM

    Your swimsuit and you both look great! I've come to the conclusion that boys are just stupid ;o)

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  28. I love your swimsuit!And you look absolutely amazing in it!

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  29. Oh my gosh you look utterly breathtaking! I cannot believe how universally flattering this suit is...stunning, and I love the color too. Well done Anna!

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  30. You look FANTASTIC. Shame on your boyfriend! I'm so glad to see close ups since you made this without a serger, which I don't have.

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  33. i've been loving seeing everyone wearing it. I think you may have tipped the scale though, as you are more "me sized" and it looks awesome on you. :) thanks for being brave!

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  34. Omgosh you look phenomenal!! That's a gorgeous silhouette on you :) And thanks for mentioning that you can make this without a serger!

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  37. you look amazing in this! seriously. no need to feel self-conscious, so glad you were brave enough to post pics. i may have to take the plunge and make a swimsuit this year also!

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  39. WOW. What a challenging thing to have to sew and then show!!! I'm totally blown away by your chutzpah and guts - you're an inspiration. I also think you look utterly fabulous :) the navy blue is gorgeous against your hint-of-red locks :)

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  40. you look stunning, and any one who says otherwise can go jump!! I love this suit, does it offer any built in support?

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  45. It's stunning, and you look fabulous! Your review is very confidence building....I've got swimsuit on my summer sewing list.....maybe this one now....!

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  47. I think you look gorgeous!

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  48. You look great! :)

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  49. You look beautiful - genuinely nothing to worry about! I'm seeing so many of these swimsuits that I've caught the 'bombshell bug' badly. It's a shame I've already been on my summer holiday - but a new handmade swimsuit might be just the excuse to go away again! x

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  50. Judit Pintér GyapiJune 13, 2013 at 8:06 AM

    Oh my gosh! It's amazing and you look pretty in that swimsuit! You made a very good job. Once, I tried to sew myself a bikini, but I've failed. Haha! ;)) If I'll be brave enough in this summer, I will probably fix it.

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  52. Love it! You look great on it! The ruched body and the back are awesome!

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  53. Wow you look good! Iknow that in Amsterdam we have a very good lingerie supply store which also sells swimwear notions, I saw on their site that they do ship to Italy, but I dont know if they also have an english site, if not Im happy to translate for you! It is: http://kantje-boord.net/

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  54. you totally rock this swimsuit! you look gorgeous in it, and seeing it on you makes me wanna make one for my own! Yay! Thanks for being brave and sharing it with us!

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  55. You look fantastic, so please don't care about your boyfriends comment. And I'm quite glad to hear, that I'm not the only one who's searching for supplies like a mad woman. It's hard to find anything on the list over here... and even harder to find something that doesn't look like "granny would have loved that"

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  57. You look amazing!
    The swimsuit looks amazing, too! I loved the pattern, but I'm not quite confident enough to try my hand at swimsuits just yet, so I can live vicariously through you!

    As for your boyfriend's comment, punch him in the stomach for me. No one should feel bad about parts of their body, and they should never have another person comment on them in a way that makes them feel bad. Your thighs are your thighs, cellulite or not, it's normal and I'd bet that 99% of the people reading your blog has it - female, male or otherwise.

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  59. http://www.tiendatelas.com/telas-elasticas?Itemid=91 is a Spanish fabric shop. They have a good selection of lycra and also lining. The price and the quality are really good and they ship to Italy. I don't know they have special elastic too, because on the online shop there are only threads, but in the actually shop there are different kind of elastic,trims etc. So if I were you I ask them about it in email.

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  60. It's gorgeous and you look great in it. Your boyfriend is a cheeky man though!

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  61. You look fantastic and I love the swimsuit! Trust me, everyone will be far to distracted looking at the swimwuit to be looking for cellulite :-) Have been looking for the notions for this for several days so I'm delighted people have posted some links, thanks everyone!

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  62. You look amazing! I am loving this swimsuit!

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  64. Ahah, we were made for each other, in that regard :)

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  65. Thank you so much, Reana, this comment made my day!
    My boyfriend wasn't mean to me or anything, I actually pushed him to be honest to me on these photos and he basically just said it wasn't the most flattering view of me. It's just part of a long story of disagreements between a sport enthusiastic like him and a lazybones like me :)

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  66. Let's cross our fingers sewing is going to become more mainstream in our parts of the world!

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  67. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  68. Do it, Winnie! If I did it (and on a time crunch!), anyone can do it!

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  69. This version doesn't give a lot of support, but you have the option to sew in foam cups. I didn't because I was rushed to finish, but I wish I did. Still, with my C cup, it's not too bad.

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  70. Thank you! (I had to google chutzpah :D)

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  71. I actually felt I had a lot more control with my sewing machine!
    You just need a ball point needle (VERY important) and you're good to go.

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  72. Oh, thank you! I hope you're going to try and make it!

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  73. Thank you so much to both of you!
    I made my boyfriend look much worse than he actually is... He wasn't mean to me at all, I pushed him to be honest and wasn't exactly thrilled with his answer.

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  74. Thank you so much, Sophie! I can't wait to see yours, your fabric is stunning!

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  75. Thank you again for making me a part of this! :)

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  76. That's because I lightened the photos quite a bit and I've altered the colors slightly (for example, my hair isn't that read IRL). My black Kelly skirt had the same fate, oops!
    Thank you so much, Sonja!

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  77. Hats down to Heather, this swimsuit looks great on everybody, and it does wonders for a pear-shaped girl like me!

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  78. Thanks Nette! I'm sure it would be ridiculously cute on you, so please try it, I promise you won't regret it!

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  79. Thank you so much, Liz! I hope you'll give this one a try, it's totally worth it!

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  80. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  81. thesecretlifeofseamsJune 13, 2013 at 3:32 PM

    Wow, you look stunning! I applaud you for putting yourself out there when it's outside your comfort zone. At the beginning of the week I thought, 'I would never have the guts to pose in my self-made swimsuit' but all these pics are making me think I could be a little braver. Plus thanks for confirming you don't need a serger.

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  82. Ehh boys are dumb. You look fantastic!

    I'm waiting to find the materials before I buy the pattern for the same reason.

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  83. Oh honey, your boyfriend needs to learn when to hold his tongue. You look absolutely beautiful!! Well done sewing something like this for the first time. Great job all around :)

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  84. You look great! It's a gorgeous suit. That's incredible you made it without a serger. Good to know! Black is classic - I jut picked up a navy for my own version.

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  85. Awesome swimsuit! And it looks great on you!

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  86. Oh yes please (I appreciat your help with the finger-crossing)! And until then, I will take my time and hunt down the rare tresures I can get my hands on ;-)

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  87. What cellulite?! You look amazing!

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  88. You look gorgeous! What an amazing swimsuit - made for real women! And you have done a great job!

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  89. You look amazing! Seriously! And, men are stupid. Always.

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  90. your bombshell is just fabulous! i made 7 different swimsuits so far, 6 of them on my sewing machine, only one with my serger, and i must tell you that those i made without serger look better.. and, yours look perfect, i must say that again :)

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  91. Well I think you look hot hot hot! My I had to laugh because my husband would so make the same kind of comment and not think twice about it. Men just don't think before they speak. I'm joining in on the sew along. Can't wait to get started!

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  92. I just found your blog through the bombshell swimsuit pattern thing :) I'm definitely a new follower!
    You look STUNNING! Don't let that comment get to you. Cellulite or not, you're a hottie! And thank you for being real :)
    Great job on the swimsuit! Looks fantastic- love the black!

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  93. the suit is amazing. you look amazing. it's all amazing!! congrats on this post. i think you're super brave for publishing it.

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  94. I am so in love with this swimsuit! I'm a bit scared to sew swimmers but it is on my goal list this year. I think this swimsuit will definitely be the one I am making. Did you use a serger or just a normal machine? I don't have a serger and wondering how much harder it is going to be just using my normal machine.

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  95. Love the swimsuit. It looks great on you! I don't have a serger so it is nice to know that I could make this if I wanted.

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  96. Love this version of yours!! It's a stunner. I hope you'll never be discouraged from posting something like this again!

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  97. Wowsers, you've been holding out on us. What an amazing figure you have madam! I want to see more shots of you in bathers! (Wow, that sounds incredibly stalkerish and creepy.) This has to be one of my favourites of all the bombshells and you look amazing.


    Thanks for being brave and sharing it with us!

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  98. You look amazing! I love this swimsuit on you. I would totally make one for myself but I don't like ruching all over mixed with a swimsuit. Too much drag in the water.

    As for your boyfriend, kick him in the shin. And my husband and roommate assure me(in a supportive not creepy way) you should not worry. You can't have cellulite without muscle and muscle makes curves, and curves are way sexy.

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  99. (Husband said if this is not the first comment he's made about that its time for you get a new boyfriend. I agree.)

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  100. Wow this is soooo amazing! I have never been remotely tempted to make a swimsuit until now! This is now a must make!
    I found some swimwear fabric here: http://tinyurl.com/kb96dne they have navy and a bright red. :) thanks for the inspiration as always! :) Ami

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  102. My fabric is on the way. It's funny but all the bathing fabric I liked online was described as "Italian knit!" You look gorgeous in that suit, maybe because your beauty is a classic one. I love it on you. Not for nothing and I say this a lot. Thirty years ago, I weighed 75 pounds less than I do now and I'm told that I look great. Anyway, at 75 pounds less I thought and thought and viewed myself as fat, overweight, etc. And, the boyfriends I had at the time always held super skinny athletic types as the way to be and I was always more of an artsy, bookish type. I gave myself grief over and over again for not being who they thought I should be. I really look back on that poor girl and feel parts angry, parts sad. Love your beauty! Enjoy it every single day!

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  104. Terrific swimsuit pattern, I'm loving it! And, think you look fabulous in it, great job!

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  106. Beautiful! Love the suit and you look great in it.

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  107. Thanks Anita! ;-) Do you know if they sell the lining as well? and have you tried spandex for swimsuits? I guess it goes as well as the lycra named under "baño"? Thanks in advance. (ps: what a difference in prices between both, though)
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  108. You look fab Anna it's such a flattering cut, I cant wait to make mine especially after seeing yours it's bit chilly here at the moment : ) Brilliant as always.

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  109. That's amazing! I bought a swimsuit in a similar size years ago, and have wondered how to replace it. I don't know if I'm brave enough to sew my own.

    And I hope this doesn't sound weird, but you're gorgeous. Really. You would be if you were two stones heavier and you would be if you were too stones lighter. We're so unused to seeing actual real, non-airbrushed, proper human beings. I'm 43, a little overweight, and I'm gorgeous too. We have to enjoy what we have, and get over comparing ourselves with some ideal. Poke your boyfriend with a stick.

    ReplyDelete
  110. Have your boyfriend try on the swimsuit and see how his thighs look in it. You look amazing. Just so you know, my guy friend commented similar to me about my thighs when I was 15 years old, a size 0 US, and very athletic (I biked our very, very hilly area without gears — hours a day). If I could go back in time, I'd taser him.

    ReplyDelete
  111. This looks totally amazing! Every time I see one of these suits, I think I should try one, too. You look fabulous in this suit. I'm half-way through my life, and I look pretty hawt in a bathing suit, sans airbrushing. :) Rock the suit, girl, and as for your BF's comment, tell him he needs a new girl. That kind of comment is unacceptable from anyone's best guy.

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  112. Ah, Amazing! again!
    You are rocking the swimsuit and looking wonderful :-)

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