I Tried 24 Plus-Size Bathing Suits From Amazon and These Were My 7 Favorites

After watching the swimsuit party episode of Shrill, I was ready for bold, fun patterns … and finally wearing my first bikini. (Previously, I only wore one-pieces or tankinis, sometimes even with a swim skirt to cover up.) This was the first suit I tried on, and by far my favorite. It had a cold-shoulder (!) top that covered the area I’m most self-conscious about (my upper arms) and only showed two inches of skin since the bottoms were so high-waisted. All six prints were tropical, and I picked one that was playful without being too kitschy: flowers and pineapples on a black background. The pattern doesn’t make you look bigger, but you also can’t keep your eyes off it. The best part? It’s comfortable standing or sitting and didn’t make me look lumpy, and the elastic and soft padded cups at the chest were supportive enough to keep the girls in check but not push them up. The skinny straps are adjustable and removable, but I found them to be just right for my size (20W) straight out of the box. It’s flattering with a flowy fabric up top, and great for a day at the beach where I want to look good but not expose myself to teenage boys by accident.

This isn’t the same brand (IN’VOLAND?) but it fit almost exactly the same as my favorite cold-shoulder suit. This one is just in black, in case you aren’t feeling tropical.

The most difficult part of buying swimsuits on Amazon is that you often have to buy an entire set and can’t mix and match sizes. Toward the end of my testing, I realized I should try to seek out tops in bra sizes and bottoms in whatever I typically wore for pants. This longline underwire top from notoriously size-inclusive brand Swimsuits for All fit like a glove and made my chest look amazing. I was supported in a way no other suit did for me, with a three-clasp hidden mesh closure underneath the elasticized patterned fabric. The straps were adjustable too, and everything stayed in place even when I speed-walked around my apartment to test impact. I’m confident I can cannonball into a pool if I want to without this top flying off; it sits a few inches below where a regular bra would hit, and with super high-waisted bottoms (see below!), I am comfortably covered.

The sizing on Amazon for plus-size suits can be confusing. I bought a 4X in these bottoms, which is a 20-22 for the Cocopear brand. Typically, that’s a 2X in U.S. plus-sizing. A lot of so-called “high-waisted” bottoms I tried on actually barely covered my belly button and had waistbands that dug into my skin. This one, with a subtle ruching and stretchy, soft fabric sat a good few inches above my belly button and was smoothing but not compressing, so there was no sausage-casing feeling when I sat down. It comes in 11 different colors — I liked the black to pair with a patterned top, but the green-black-pink floral also looked great.

This bikini caught my eye for the sheer cutouts on the high-waisted bottom. The top was … fine? It was more like a sports bra or bralette with small foam cups that don’t provide much support, and the drapey fabric covered most of my stomach like a one-piece would. The bottoms were what excited me: again, actually high-waisted and slightly smoothing, and little mesh striped panels going horizontally to show a little bit of skin and add a pop of trendy design. I tried it first in bright, bordering-on-neon yellow that I didn’t love on my Asian skin — maybe something a little more mustardy would have worked — but it could complement darker skin tones. I might want to exchange it for an army green or cobalt blue. FYI, their 4X is a size 20, and I think the bottoms run true to size.

I ordered this one on a whim because I wanted to have a citrus bathing suit. If you’re going on a beach vacation and want to go from the ocean to brunch, this could work. It looks like a scuba dress when it’s dry, with a tasteful, not-too-large cutout in the middle. The photo on Amazon makes it look like a huge exposure of skin, but depending on how you tie the drawstrings, it can be pretty small, and since it’s just foam cups at the chest, I wasn’t busting out of it up top. I wish it came in solid colors too, but the lemon isn’t aggressively cutesy, I promise.

I almost didn’t include this suit on the list because it’s almost too revealing. [Editor’s note: We’ve actually written about this suit before.] It is a real push-up with an underwire, and there are also these swooping cutouts that are like a window to show off your boobs. It’s a lot, and it should only be worn if you’re okay with the extra attention. This was meant to be a longline top, but it did ride up a bit to be more of a true bikini, and the bottoms aren’t super high-waisted, so when you sit you get some muffin top. I recommend this one with a bit of caution, and with a suggestion to size up — I did a 3X, which is size 22-24, based on reading reviews, and that was correct.

Here’s the deal: I’ve loved every swimsuit that plus-size fashion blogger GabiFresh has put out with Swimsuits for All. I tried on three from this year’s collection and none of them fit. But this suit is so striking and cool that I had to include it. I have a crazy-long torso and short legs, so this in a size 20 didn’t fit — my chest did not align with where it should in the suit. But looking at it with the belt clasped? My waist was cinched, the color was gorgeous, and I wanted it to work. If you don’t have an insanely long torso, try it out. The support was great, and you’ll be supporting a fabulous plus-size blogger and size-inclusive company if you buy it.