Dear Just Be: I am going to Miami this summer and need to buy a swimsuit, but haven’t purchased one in years. Where do I begin?

There is one rule to remember when buying a swimsuit: Buy what you are going to be comfortable in, mentally and physically. If you purchase and wear a swimsuit that you are not confident or comfortable in you are going to be tugging and pulling at it everywhere, which is going to draw attention to all the wrong places – probably not what you are looking for.

The first step in buying a swimsuit is to figure what the point of the swimsuit will be – swimming, or sunbathing. If it is the latter you probably don’t need to be too concerned about purchasing an expensive, name brand swimsuit. If you will be swimming in it, and especially in open waters, then you should consider higher end swimsuits; they tend to be made better and will stay on your body.

The next step is figuring out your body shape. Are you pear shaped, an hour glass, wider bottom, athletic? Once you determine your shape you can look for the style that is most flattering for you. There are many styles to choose from, which can be great because you have so many choices, but it can be overwhelming. If you are pear shaped a one-piece bathing suit with tummy control or other features that create an illusion of a waist line will be the most flattering on you. If you have an hourglass shape you can generally select any classic style suit. For a wider bottom, a skirt or boy shorts will offer great coverage and will be the most flattering. With an athletic build, adding a wrap or having a belted suit bottom will flatter your body type because it creates more of waist.

Once you have selected a style based on your body shape you should determine the correct size. To figure out what your size, check out the page on Dick’s Sporting Goods website. Do be aware that the sizes for swimsuits are not the same for your everyday cloths. They have a size for competitive suits and then sizes for casual wear. This is why it is imperative that you determine and measure yourself to get the right size. Your suit should not be baggy anywhere, but it also shouldn’t be cutting into your skin.

The next and final step is you NEED to try the suit on. Swimsuit styles, designs, fabrics vary so much that you can’t rely just on size. Absolutely try the suit on before you buy! When trying suits on please try them on with your underwear on, I can’t believe I am writing that, but yes many young girls and even women don’t know to keep their own underwear on and to put the swimsuit over it. I think the visual of not doing this is enough to give you a reason why you should do this. This even goes for purchasing single, non-packaged underwear. Once you have selected, at least, two suits in the store that you like, it is a good idea to purchase them and take them home to try them on in natural lights. The store lights can mislead you as to what you really look like in the swimsuit.

After going through all of this to get a flattering and comfortable swimsuit, it is important to take care of the suit so you can get several more years of use from it. When you’re done swimming or sunbathing, soak or rinse the swimsuit in tap water. This gets rid of most of the sand, salt and chlorine. The showers or faucets on beaches are for this purpose too. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT put your swimsuit in a washing machine because it’s too abrasive and this will cause pilling on the swimsuit. Lay your swimsuit flat to dry and only fold and store the swimsuit when it’s 100% dry.