"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!