lovely

i can swim in peace thanks to Lands End Canvas!

March 23, 2011 /

I’m not sure if I still believe it myself as I type this out, but I do believe I’ve found a swimsuit that fits, flatters and that I actually feel comfortable in! The irony is that it’s not just the bathing suit bottoms (I mean, does anyone really enjoy prancing around in bikini bottoms?) that fit strangely, but the tops as well. I can’t wear halter tops because they pull on my neck. Take a look in any swimsuit section in person/online/catalog and try and find non-halters… I dare you to find more than 2 per store! And bra style tops never seem to fit properly. Either they have lots of underwire/padding for my well-endowed friends that puff out on me, or they somehow don’t cover what they’re supposed to cover.

I remember having a ton of luck with J Crew suits about 10 years ago, but those were still XL’s and they were super snug and tight. Since then, it’s been a mishmash of trying my best to find a suit that will last a few seasons and deal. I got my hopes up ordering a tall one-piece suit from Athleta a few weeks back… that was until I tried it on and utter crying disaster ensued. Yeah…

So imagine my absolute delight and surprise when the following suit arrived by mail and not only fit, but was extremely flattering, well made and cost $25 for 3 pieces?!?!

Who do I have to thank?

LANDS END CANVAS!

(top, bottom and board shorts)

I saw their 30% off of sale items promotion a few weeks back, and figured I might try out their suits from a recommendation of a friend. Luckily I looked at the sizing proportions before ordering Large’s… and according to their sizing, I’m a Medium.

And like I said above, I am extremely impressed with everything! In fact, I kept the suit on for 4 hours on the day the package arrived! And because I was in such disbelief, I took a photo of myself in the suit as well… and I posted it here because I hate it when I don’t get to see proof of how awesome clothing items are on the people raving about them…

(yeah… there’s no way I’m sharing a photo of the whole suit… even if it does fit awesomely! Hello skivvies! And I did pick the blurry one on purpose!)

Yup! It fits! From all angles! And it doesn’t hurt to wear and I can swim in it with no worry of the top falling off or coming undone? Perfect!

Now the polo shirt I bought along with the bathing suit? Yeah, it didn’t fit (wrong shoulder fit and too short). But I’ll stick with their swim suits, and maybe next time I make an order I’ll try out the super cute skirts!

P.S. You can return all of your purchases to your local Sears for a refund – so no return shipping costs!

Anyone else have a trusty reliable swimsuit store that they can turn to?

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22 Comments

  • Amber

    March 23, 2011 at 8:24 am

    I AM SO JEALOUS OF YOUR BODY!

    That said, it really DOES look comfortable! I need to get a bathing suit, too. Thanks for the recommendation!

  • HamiHarri

    March 23, 2011 at 9:59 am

    Fantastic suit on a fantastic body ;)

    They have a huge Lands End department in my local sears. Perhaps I will check out their swim suits. Although, it’ll be years (if ever!) before I’m seen in a bikini…but I’m sure they have some tankinis as well :)

  • Jade

    March 23, 2011 at 11:43 am

    The swimsuit looks great on you! Wow, hot mama body… Look at that flat tummy!

    Lands End Canvas is SO great. I’m actually wearing a canvas belt I bought from them last year. I like their J.Crew-like style without the J.Crew prices. :)

  • Christi

    March 23, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    that suit is so cute on you! I love the regular Lands End swim suits. They are a little more expensive but last for years and years.

  • Lucy

    March 23, 2011 at 5:03 pm

    thanks so much for the tip! you’ve made me and another girlfriend very, very happy :) even on our grad student budgets we can get new swimsuits this year!

  • Aliya

    March 23, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    Longtime reader, first-time commenter here — delurking because I, too, recently discovered LE Canvas and LOVE IT. I ordered two suits and a pair of skinny jeans, all for super-cheap and I love every single piece! Good for you. They’re like JCrew without the JCrew prices.

  • Tamara

    March 23, 2011 at 7:26 pm

    glad you found a suit that works!! i hate shopping for them, but just bought one myself today. also, thank you for posting this… im tall (though not as tall as you… but jealous as ive recently accepted my 5’9″ height and now want to be just like two or three inches taller!!) and mostly slim, but i feel like such a freak when I need big sized clothes. you’re so slender, and reading that you needed an XL in J crew suits made me feel so much better. (and also made me feel so annoyed about their sizing!)

    • kimberly michelle

      March 24, 2011 at 11:29 pm

      Big people don’t conform to sizing based on 5’6″ fit models! You can’t increase things by inches and make it fit! Clothes shopping reminds me that I’m an outlier – something I don’t think of daily. It’s annoying, so I avoid straying from my comfort zone of clothing brands to limit my tears!

  • Heidi

    March 24, 2011 at 5:23 am

    I would have never thought to order swim wear from Land’s End. Thanks for the recommendation because I’m in desperate need of a cute, but functional bikini.

  • vtjill

    March 24, 2011 at 5:59 am

    I just discovered Lands End Canvas swimsuits this winter when I ordered a couple on deep clearance. They are incredible! Excellent fit, good styling and well priced. I was thrilled after years of cobbling together Target/JCrew ensembles. And yes, being able to return stuff at Sears make it even better. I am in love!

  • joyjoy

    March 24, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    Thanks to you, I just bought three new suits for under $50! Awesome! I’ve been searching for a new suit to take on a cruise next month, with no luck. The only ones I liked were at JCrew, and I was having a hard time swallowing the price tag. These were both cute and ridiculously cheap, so thank you!

    Also, I couldn’t find anything in their return policy about returning to Sears. Did I miss it somewhere?

  • ep

    March 27, 2011 at 8:56 am

    Looks great! I’m tempted myself…I have horrible luck with suits too…might be worth a shot! Happy you found something you like :D

  • TikiBird

    March 27, 2011 at 10:41 am

    1) I cannot believe you had a baby a year ago! You look awesome!
    2) The ONLY suits I’ve had any luck with since having Henry have been from Land’s End! (Alas, Canvas styles are for younger women than me. LOL) I like one-pieces, but I have a long torso and, uh, an expanded chestal region, and Land’s End has a couple long torso suits WITH bigger cup sizes to boot! The only problem is that they’re pretty low-cut on me, which does not work with a toddler who likes to pull my tops down. I just got a cute tank rashguard-style top from http://www.girls4sport.net/category-s/185.htm for when I need to hang out with Henry and not worry about being exposed. I think this will finally work. Swimsuit shopping is insanity.