How Swimwear Should Fit: A Fitter's Checklist
Most swimwear returns and most beach day regrets come down to one thing, fit. A great cut in the wrong size looks off, feels off, and spends the season in the drawer. This checklist comes from the size ladder we use every day, so you can measure once, order right, and get in the water.
Start with your waist, not your jeans size
Measure around your natural waist with a soft tape, snug but not tight, and match it to the ladder. XS fits a 26 to 28 inch waist, S fits 28 to 30, M fits 30 to 32, L fits 32 to 34, XL fits 34 to 36, 2XL fits 36 to 38, and 3XL fits 38 to 40. If you land between sizes in swim, size up. Swim fabric stretches in the water, and a suit that starts tight ends the day uncomfortable.
Bonfim Sunga in Brief & Classic cut - Men's Designer Swimwear, $69.95
The Bonfim Sunga in Brief and Classic Cut, $69.95, is a smart fit test piece, because it comes in two leg lines on the same body, so you can feel how cut changes fit without changing size.
The five point fitter check
- Waistband: it should sit flat and stay put when you bend and sit, no digging, no sliding.
- Leg openings: smooth against the thigh, no gaping and no cutting in.
- Seat: full coverage with no sagging fabric when dry, because wet fabric loosens.
- Front: supported and smooth, the pouch should hold, not squeeze.
- Movement: walk, squat, and take two big strides. A good suit forgets it is on.
The Emerald Beach Briefs by KBAYO, $55.00, are a clean brief fit to practice the check on, and KBAYO ships free inside the United States as one of our house brands.
Cut changes the fit, size does not
A brief, a sunga, and a square cut in the same size will feel different, and that is normal. Briefs sit highest and show the most leg. Sungas add width at the side and a little more coverage. Square cuts add a short leg. If a cut feels wrong, try the neighboring cut before you blame the size.
Lemonade Yellow solid Men's Swimming Sunga - Beachwear for Men, $109.95
The Lemonade Yellow Solid Sunga, $109.95, shows the wider side line of a true sunga, a good comparison piece if briefs have always felt skimpy on you.
Fit mistakes we see every week
The first mistake is ordering your underwear size and assuming swim matches. Brands cut differently, and swim fabric behaves differently in water, so the tape measure is the only honest referee. The second mistake is judging fit standing still in a mirror. Sit, bend, climb two stairs, and mimic a swim stroke, because the beach will test all of that in the first hour. The third mistake is keeping a suit that almost fits and hoping the water fixes it. Water loosens fabric, it never tightens it, so a suit that slides dry will slide worse wet. Use the 30 day return window without guilt, that window exists so the suit you keep is the suit you love, and a drawer with three right suits beats a drawer with eight almosts every single time.
Order with a plan
Order your measured size first. If you are between sizes, order the larger one, and remember you have 30 days to return what does not work. Shop the full range in our swimsuits collection, and use the Swim Duo, 10 percent off 2 or more swimsuits, when you want to test two cuts side by side at home.