Tell Me Where You Purchase Swimsuits for Young Teens!

[amsunshine]

I have 2 young teen dds -- one is newly 13 and one is 14.5.  This year, I'm sad to discover, they have both outgrown the girls' swimsuits section at Target, and the other usual suspects such as Abercrombie Kids.  We've moved up to the juniors/women's swimsuits section and I'm really frustrated.  Unless we are looking at suits for much older ladies, there is a scarcity of coverage, especially in the bottom area.  It doesn't matter where I look, I'm having a difficult time finding cute, age appropriate 2 piece swimsuits for 13/14 year olds.

 

Where do you shop?  (And also, where are there swimsuits that don't break the bank?)   My dds do have one piece suits for regular swimming, because they are swimmers.  But for fun 2-piece suits they can wear to the beach with their girlfriends, I'm at a loss.  I've ordered some from Hollister, which I had to take back today. Now, I've ordered one from Target womens and one from Pink that looked like the bottoms had sufficient coverage, but I will only be able to tell once I get them.  

 

Help!  Please give me ideas of where to look!

[Guest]

Academy. The have cute, but not horribly revealing swimsuits- well I mean they do have some, but they have lots of options on coverage. Lots of tankinis and cute suits for teen girls. 

[ktgrok]

JC Penny had the most selection when I was looking for me. With a variety of mix and match bottoms. 

[Dmmetler]

Surf shops have nice separates that can be put together, and often have some decent deals on the discount racks.

[cintinative]

I do not have girls but people keep telling me--Lands End.  Check them out, especially if you have tallish girls.

[Cottonwood]

When my DD moved from girls to a bigger size, we found a nice variety of modest mix and match at our Target.  

[BlsdMama]

My girls ordered this one:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013OSTKN2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467507475&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=modest+swimwear&dpPl=1&dpID=51-viaLhtfL&ref=plSrch

 

and this one:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K16TH02/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1467507615&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=wantdo+swim

 

Both were quite inexpensive, hood material, and just so cute on. They have very different body shapes and we loved both.

[BlsdMama]

I linked to the plus size but they also have regular sizes too.

[sarahbobeara]

My oldest was not ready to deal with her bikini area and felt very self-conscious in regular suits. We went with these bottoms in black: 

https://www.amazon.com/Maui-Rippers-Womens-Boardshorts-Black/dp/B00E1WVEV2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1467507967&sr=8-4&keywords=maui+rippers+women%27s+boardshorts

 

and this as a top in blue:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LAFORG2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I liked the bottoms and top so much that I got a set for myself (green bottoms, black top). We try not to stand next to each other at the pool  :thumbup1:

 

Wish I had something more affordable to share! Good luck!

[redsquirrel]

Lands End.  My friend's daughter has some super cute suits that are swim shorts and tank tops. She also wears the swim shorts with a bikini top and looks very nice.

[Crimson Wife]

I've found boyshort bottoms at my local Target. Tops are harder because it seems like most places don't stock tankini tops in XS (I don't allow bare midriffs for minors). I finally found one at Macy's, but I did have to pay more than I originally wanted to for it.

[helena]

We've bought from Garnet Hill. Expensive and long lasting.

We've bought from women's Lands End, my 14yo called it her old lady suit.  :tongue_smilie:

The cutest ones so far have been from Yes Style: http://www.yesstyle.com/en/women-swimwear/list.html/bcc.11275_bpt.46. My girls are tiny and the suits are cut to their body type for sure. There's a lot of lame stuff when you scroll though, but what we did find was surprisingly well made and inexpensive. 

[solascriptura]

Would she consider going for the sporty look? My girls are swimmers so they just wear their speedo or dolfin suits.

[umsami]

We buy DD's suits at Land's End.  This year, i even found cute splash guard shorts to go with it.

[klmama]

We found some good tops and boy shorts at Target in the women's swim section.  Lots of mix-and-match there.  JCPenney had some cute mix-and-match items, too.

[Tap]

Last year, we ordered a bunch of suits on Victoria's Secret during a sale.  We planned it out and got dd17 3 tops and 3 bottoms that mix to make 5 very cute suits.  We ordered 20 pieces so we had 2 sizes of a few pieces to make sure they were the right size/fit.  Then I returned the rest.  It was a great way to order and she could try them on at home. We found that most of the PINK brand suits were overly padded and skimpy.  She found the Victoria's Secret ones much more comfortable and offered a reasonable amount of coverage for bikinis. The website was very easy to navigate.  She could also find suits that were nicely lined without a bunch of padding (the descriptions are fairly detailed so that helped a lot).  It cost a bit to get the 6 pieces but she is so happy with them that she doesn't plan to have to buy a new suit for a couple of years. 

 

[MercyA]

I would try Lands' End or possibly HydroChic.

[The Governess]

Have you looked at Mod Cloth? They have super cute suits but maybe too pricey...

[amsunshine]

Wow - thanks all for all the suggestions! I should have thought of Lands End! Will be searching the websites tonight...

[Suzanne in ABQ]

My dd found a really cute suit at Sears!  It's a bikini, but the bottoms are boy shorts, so good coverage there, and the top is a midriff with fringe (think Pocahontas).  Super cute, good coverage, and not expensive.

 

Lands' End has cute separates, as you've probably discovered already.

[LuvToRead]

Land's End.  I have ordered LL Bean suits for years, but my oldest finally grew out of their kids sizes.  Their ladies suits just aren't very cute, so we switched to Land's End this year.  

[Lizzie in Ma]

I have a tall thin 15 year old and we do very well at Lands End. 

[arnold]

Athleta now carries a line for girls.

[GailV]

Swimsuits are surprisingly easy to sew.  Great patterns are available at Jalie https://jalie.com/sewing-patterns/swimwear -- patterns contain a huge range of  size, sometimes from toddler through adult.  Really easy to use adjust to fit skinny kids who are picky about where the suits touch their bodies (voice of experience here).

 

JoAnn Fabrics can be hit-or-miss about swimsuit fabric, but you can also get cute fabric from Fabric Fairy  http://thefabricfairy.com/fabrics/by-type/swimsuit.html or places like Spandex House, Spandex World.  One yard gives you enough for multiple suits; get a couple of mix-and-match fabrics and you'll be set for years.

 

Here's someone who sews suits for herself and her kids -- I picked a random blog entry of a recent suit, but it has links to some of her previous suits: http://twoontwooff.blogspot.com/2016/06/another-jalie-swimsuit.html

 

 

[Murphy101]

The only place we've been happy with the last couple of years is Old Navy. Lots of one piece suits that a more full figured teen can wear with confidence.

[mamakelly]

Athleta. They are expensive, but hold up so well, and are cute without being frumpy. I used to did suits at Lands End, but I think they get frumpier every year.

[amsunshine]

Thanks again, all!  

 

MamaKelly -- you hit the nail on the head.  The problem we've been having is finding a balance between cute/youthful and frumpy/grandma-ish. I'm definitely fine with 2 piece bikinis for them, but the majority of suit bottoms for juniors these days seem to be "cheeky", where the goal is to bare the cheeks :huh: or "hipster", where they come down so low in the back, one would have to be careful not to flash a crack :bored: .   We do like the new high waisted style, but I think we are shopping too late in the season because many seem to have sold out earlier (at least in our price range...Dillards has some darling ones for $$$.)

 

Adding Athleta, Old Navy to our search....

 

eta:  I wish I was brave enough to sew swimsuits.  I can sew, but I lack talent sewing stretch fabrics, unfortunately....

Edited July 3, 2016 by amsunshinetemp

[amsunshine]

Would she consider going for the sporty look? My girls are swimmers so they just wear their speedo or dolfin suits.

 

 

Yes, my girls are swimmers, too.  They have multiple speedo one pieces for when they do laps, etc.  They are really looking for cute bikinis to wear to the beach with their girlfriends.

[Rebel Yell]

Old Navy has some sporty suits with good coverage.

 

I think that wherever you shop you need to just dig in and look through every suit... Just because the teeny bikini is featured on the mannequin doesn't mean that there isn't a boy shorts bottom and high necked tankini in the racks behind it.

[amsunshine]

Old Navy has some sporty suits with good coverage.

 

I think that wherever you shop you need to just dig in and look through every suit... Just because the teeny bikini is featured on the mannequin doesn't mean that there isn't a boy shorts bottom and high necked tankini in the racks behind it.

 

Maybe that's our problem.  We only physically went into Target and Hollister and couldn't find anything decent.  At Target, there was nothing in their size (xs) because all seemed sold out, and Hollister was sold out of fuller coverage bottoms.

 

We decided to shop online to get a feel for what was out there and have been frustrated with the options offered.  We may need to just bite the bullet and physically go into stores to dig through the inventory...

[Hilltopmom]

I know lots of others already said it, but... lands End!

 

Just got dd a new tankini, girls 16 & she wears a ladies S in other clothes. It was on clearance for under $20 but not much left in her size for this summer.

Next year, she'll need to move up to ladies, as the bust area in girls will not fit next year. Sigh.

[amsunshine]

I know lots of others already said it, but... lands End!

 

Just got dd a new tankini, girls 16 & she wears a ladies S in other clothes. It was on clearance for under $20 but not much left in her size for this summer.

Next year, she'll need to move up to ladies, as the bust area in girls will not fit next year. Sigh.

 

So, Land's end runs large for girls?  Good to know -- I may go ahead and purchase the size 14 bikini on sale right now for my 13 year old....Thx!

[zimom]

My daughter is a competitive swimmer and most of the girls from he team wear either one piece or even the two piece suits from Jolyn   jolynclothing.com     The one piece are around $55 each, two piece are I think $25 a piece (top or bottom) but they are high quality and last a long time.  The two piece might be skimpier then you are looking but they really do stay on even during swim practice and are really cute.     My daughter prefers the tie back (versus fixed back) for practice so that she can make her suit tighter (and she just uses the one piece).  

[amsunshine]

Hmm -- I'd never heard of Jolyn before!  The bottoms are a little more skimpy than I'd like, though.  Cute styles!

 

I just ordered some suits from Old Navy and actually a couple from Justice that looked nice, and not too babyish, but not sure if they will fit.  (Why do girls' swimsuit bottoms run so big???  Then, in womens, they are teeny, lol.)  Giving them a shot, along with the ones from Target and Pink.  We'll see what works and I'll return the rest.

 

Thanks all.

[itsheresomewhere]

So, Land's end runs large for girls? Good to know -- I may go ahead and purchase the size 14 bikini on sale right now for my 13 year old....Thx!

Heads up- the one piece with skirt runs very small as in two sizes small. The other two( tankinis) I got DD to try were fine.

[Suzanne115]

My 14 year old daughter found some cute two piece swim suits at Aerie.  Some of them are appropriate and some are not so you have to pick and choose.  We have yet to find a cute one piece that she needs to wear with her church youth group.

 

Suzanne

[amsunshine]

Aerie actually looks like they might have some styles that work, and their prices are good.  I will keep them on my list for future if the ones I ordered don't work.  There is always next year, too!  Thx!

[amsunshine]

Just a follow up on this topic -- we just received the bikini we ordered from VS Pink in the mail.  Whew -- it is adorable and appropriate.  Who would have thought that a VS brand bikini would meet mom's approval?  DD got this top with these bottoms.  She loves it because it she feels trendy, and I'm happy because there is nothing peeking out or looking in danger of falling out.  Both the top and the bottoms have full coverage.  The price was great, too.  

 

Thanks to all who gave us tips -- I will keep all in mind for the future!  Just thought I'd pass these styles along to anyone interested in what we felt was an age appropriate bikini for a young teen at a nice price point.