It's that time of the year!!! This past weekend I and the girls attended Essie Golden's 3rd Annual Golden Confidence Pool Party. This year the party moved to Times Square at the Grace Hotel. A swanky little boutique hotel. If you have been following the blog for a while now, last year was all about bringing out the sexy in all white. This year, I was all about fun & flirty nautical theme.

I am loving the new swim collection. There is definitely something for everyone in their debut collection. There is off the shoulder, fun one pieces, and cool separates. I was feeling the nautical vibes of this suit and cardigan combo. The cardigan is super cute and it's a nice coverup. It's made from the same material as the swimwear so it's nice and lightweight. To tie in the whole nautical theme I went with the Button Detail Cropped Pant. When I say I am in love with these pants- it's an understatement. I am wearing a size 16 and as you can see they fit amazing.

I went with the cool separates to make my bikini all my own. I paired the Bow Bikini Top in Red Geo with the Rouched High Waisted Bottoms in Red. I am wearing a 18 in the bottoms and a 20 in the top. I sized up for the bikini top so I can have more coverage. I wear a H bra, so to err on the side of caution I will size up so I won't have to worry about spillage. Everyone wants to have great cleavage, but you never want to feel like you are going to fall out at any given moment. This suit made me feel beautiful and secure. To keep the retro vibes going, I went with their white retro sunglasses (sold out unfortunately).

The energy of the event was amazing. There was two fashion shows this year- one featuring Fashion To Figure's new swim collection, and the latest from Boohoo. I got a chance to catch up with the lovely ladies of Eloquii and meet the awesome creator of Feminine Funk. Any chance that I get to catch up with my fellow bloggers is always a good thing. I also got to meet some of followers IRL so that was pretty surreal. I enjoyed some cocktails and popsicles- to be honest what else do you really need? Makings of a good pool party.

MUAH!!!

Once I hit puberty I disliked swim season. Options back in the 90's for a plus size teen were far and few between. My choices were a swimdress (which I hated), or some floral boring one-piece which was suited for a middle aged woman that a teenager. Me wearing a bikini would have never been an option, but now that's all I want to wear. I was very self conscious about what I wore, because I did not want to draw attention to myself. Even though I started breaking the so-called rules when it came to fashion, swim was always disregarded because I could not have a cute swimsuit.

That all changed when Gabi Fresh debut the fatkini. I loved how the higher waist smoothed out my tummy, and I had all the support I needed. I wore my first two piece swimsuit on a beach in Miami and you know what happened- nothing. No comments, no concerns, no staring, just me enjoying sun and sand. Then when Gabi announced her collection with Swimsuits for All, I stalked the website so that I could get my hands on a great looking swimsuit that was made for my body. Now on her third collection, Gabi Fresh for S4A continues to be a favorite of mines.

This year the collection features swimsuits with all of the hottest trends of the season. There's an off the shoulder swimsuit, kitschy prints, cutouts and hardware. When perusing this year's collection, I fell in love with the Midnight Bikini. Normally, I stay away from black because we as plus size women are always given black, but this suit was super sexy and fun.

I wear a 40H cup, so the fact that her bikini's went up to a H cup had me doing my happy dance. One of the reasons it's hard to find a good bikini is due to the fact that I need support for the twins. Most bikini tops can support up to a D/DD/DDD comfortably. So for me, it's either I have to sacrifice support, or just not buyt the suit. There is nothing worse than having a swim top so small to the point you are spilling out. Having options in cup size ensures a better fit because our bodies are not the same. Yes we may wear the same size, but our bodies are different. I want to enjoy myself, and not have to constantly move and re-configuring my top because of the size. Also, no one, absolutely no one wants four boob. For the top I went with the size 20 (I noticed that with S4A, going up a size works best for me) in the G/H cup. The back straps are fully adjustable which allows for a more precise fit. There is side boning, so it fits just like you are wearing a bra.

The bikini bottoms have metal hardware that criss cross. The bottoms are highwaisted so they are great for those that have a tummy and want coverage. There is power mesh so it does hold you in. I went with a 20 in the bottoms as well. The band does not dig into my sides. I was definitely comfortable in this suit.

If you are on the hunt for a new swimsuit, definitely check out Swimsuits For All (Current promotion 30% off swiim). They have so many options to satisfy your taste from sizes 8-24. Finding swim has always been a struggle, but since I found S4A, that is a thing of the past. My biggest problem now- having too many suits! Guess that means it's time to plan a vacay right????

Ahoy There

Bikini Season