"Faking It"

There are a few tricks to “faking it” in a swimsuit (hiding areas, drawing attention to areas, etc.). Designer Lisa Dixon explains:

Here are a few that I think really work well:

1- If you want to draw attention away from your hips, look for a suit that has a lot of “action” at the top. By “action” I mean fabulous hardware at the shoulders or neckline, or any kind of intricate treatment at the neckline, shoulder or bust area. This naturally brings the viewer’s eyes up and away from the problem area.
You can also choose a suit with wider straps; this will broaden the look of your shoulders, helping hips look narrower.Suits that are darker at the bottom are visual minimizers, so try not to wear very light colors on the bottom; keep the light colors at the top of the suit.Solid dark bottoms and printed tops also work well to draw attention upward.

2- If your upper portion is broad or you are very busty and your legs are thin you want to try to “balance” the difference. To create a balanced look you can opt for a skirted bottom; a flippy, flirty skirt would work well. Even a two-piece with shorts will add the volume that you need to the lower part of your body to balance the top. You can also choose a suit with a wide, square neckline to narrow the shoulders.
And always get a suit with the proper support for a large bust: underwire, sized cups and endurance backs (t-backs) are a good option.

3- If you have a straight figure without much of a waist, you can create the illusion of a smaller waist by choosing a suit with a belted waist or a cummerbund look.Princess-seamed suits create a bit of an hourglass look and also elongate the torso.My personal favorite way to create a smaller waist is to use shirring at the waistline; it creates a waist and also hides the tummy.

4- If you want to create the illusion of a larger bust you have a few options:
The first would be to choose a suit with a padded bra or cookie inside the bra.
Another option is to choose a suit with either ruffles or shirring at the bust, which creates a fuller look. (This trick also works well if you want to create a rounder bottom – but on the backside, obviously.)

Now that you’re armed with these tricks of the trade, enjoy playing up your assets, ladies!

Top 10 Travel Must-Haves

Top 10 Travel Must-Haves (Jantzen Senior Designer Lisa Dixon’s tips for what to take on that beach vacation)…

Every time I go on a tropical vacation I always tell myself that I’ll only pack what I know I’ll need, yet nevertheless I always wind up with 2 giant suitcases filled with things that never get worn – usually never even get taken out of the suitcase – and I am almost always over weighted at the luggage counter.

I finally made a list of must-haves and I am promising myself that I will actually abide by it next time (at least I will make every attempt to!).

# 1- at least 3-4 different swimsuits (Jantzen, of course!)

# 2- at least 3-4 different cover-ups such as sarongs/pareos/tunics (the pareos are great; they can be worn wrapped around your swimsuit or also tied into a dress that looks good enough to wear to lunch and around town, etc. And you can never go wrong with a great tunic or big shirt)

# 3- sun dresses! This is probably what you will be wearing most of the time anyway, since they are lightweight, airy and perfectly tropical.

# 4- a pair of flip flops; 1 or 2 pairs of nice sandals that look great with a dress, pants or shorts; and a pair of water/trekking shoes that can be worn in rocky waters but can also be worn if you plan to do some sporty activity like hiking or biking

# 5- as far as pants/shorts go, opt for lightweight linen or cotton and capris – don’t pack jeans because they almost never get worn (it’s just too hot). If you plan to bring camouflage-printed shorts or military fatigues be sure to check ahead on the destination’s rules, as some Caribbean countries do not allow them.

# 6- a few good t-shirts/tank tops or, in my case, halters tops (I live in halter tops)

# 7- a fabulous straw beach hat to accent your glamorous Jantzen suits and a baseball cap for sportier days

# 8- a hoody or sweater just in case you get caught in a sudden tropical storm

# 9- a digital camera so you can post all your fabulous shots on Facebook

# 10- the largest pair of movie star sunglasses you can find – it’s all about the glamour!

# 11- (sorry I just couldn’t do it in only 10!) A great straw/beach bag with a zipper (or at least a zipper compartment) for money, passport, etc.

Don’t worry about sunscreen, bug spray and all those liquid toiletries. Unless you are going to the most remote destination I am sure they will sell them at the local drugstore, and you won’t have to worry about them leaking in your luggage (For some reason mine always leak. I swear sometimes I think the TSA guys loosen them as a joke.).

Don’t forget to pack anything that that you cannot live without (medicines, must-have cosmetics, etc.) in your carry-on, as you won’t want to be stranded without those things if the airlines lose your luggage.
You may also want to put a swimsuit in your carry-on so that you can begin your vacation while the airline is arranging to get your luggage to you.

Leave expensive jewelry at home since you don’t want to have to worry about it and it will look out of place in a tropical place anyway. Opt for tropical shell and semi-precious stone jewelry or buy some while you’re there.

Have fun, look great and send us some pics in your Jantzen!