We are so thrilled to have finally found bathing suits this year that are both modest and pretty! *cheer!* Here are our daughters Karen (13) and Melanie (12) donning their cute new suits from Meant To Be Modest.
Do you and your daughters feel comfortable wearing your bathing suit in public? I had a dear friend say to me a couple of years ago, "You know...I wouldn't greet my neighbor at the front door in my underwear - but that's what I feel like when I'm wearing my bathing suit around!" *chuckle* I totally agree. For years I wore sporty shorts over my one-piece Spedo bathing suit at the beach. And then as our daughters got older both my husband and I would say, "Boy...the girl's suits are just so revealing, and they are always creeping up in the back..." And those were one-piece Speedo's! So we looked for other possibilities for suits.
The next summer we purchased, together with Grandma and Grandpa, L.L. Bean's swim shorts and tee shirts for the girls, and then also the same type of swim shorts and tees suits from Costco for the boys, because not only were they modest but they were great sun protection! Our boys still wear these and we and they love them. But our girls were still saying that they felt uncomfortable in fitted-bottom shorts. Having worn dresses and skirts exclusively for about 3 years now, they were desiring swim suits like dresses as well. We looked around online but didn't find anything we were really thrilled about. This year we were looking again and found some okay options, but nothing real exciting.
Then one of our readers this year pointed us to this online business, MeantToBeModest.com. The suits are made by Mrs. Julie Clark, a Christian homeschooling mommy to 6 blessings who just happens to actually be local to us here in Washington! Julie's swimsuits feature,
"High-quality Lycra does not cling when wet; dries quickly. Bodice is double-layered for optimum modesty. Leggings slip on separately ~ no more peeling off an entire wet suit to use the restroom! So practical and easy, especially for little girls. No snaps, buttons or zippers to fuss with! The top and bottom simply pull on."
Julie's suits are not only beautifully made, but they are custom made! There are lots of photos on her website if you would like to see many more suits she's made. We just sent her our measurements (or desired size from the size chart she provides), chose our fabric from her wonderful Hawaiian-print selection, chose the style options we desired (i.e. bodice style, length of the pants or sleeves or skirt, ties or no ties), and wa-la! *beam!* Julie also wisely makes the suits snug-fitting in the torso so that they cannot float up while ladies and girls are in the water. Or, if you prefer like we did, you can order the suits more roomy so that the girls will still fit in to the suit next year. Our girls wear their suits in Puget Sound, not in public pools (too expensive, and not much opportunity) so we are not so concerned about suits floating up and other people noticing. Plus they usually have a wet suit on over their suit when in the water anyway due to the very cold temperature of Puget Sound! Brrr!
The top bodice part of Julie's suits are also lined, so it is modest that way, too. The suits do not, however, have bra support for ladies (except for the snug-fitting suit itself), so some friends of ours who have also ordered these darling suits recommended wearing a sports bra and underwear underneath the suit. This is totally fine with us as the girls were doing this anyway with their shorts and tee shirt suits. And we feel these new suits are very worth it.
Prices for Julie's suits range from $45 (toddlers) to$80 (for plus sizes). Karen & Melanie's suits were $69 and $59 respectively. It is an investment, but we feel it is well worth it. Since our girls have summer birthday, they and we chose to combine Mom & Dad's birthday gift money together with their grandparent's gift money to buy these suits for them. And we couldn't be happier.
Summer swimming will be very fun this year! Karen & Melanie feel pretty and well-covered, which makes them feel happy and free to really enjoy the beach all the more!
If you order any bathing suits from Julie at Meant To Be Modest, remember to mention that you heard about them at Large Families On Purpose!
Blessings on your family's adventures this summer! *smile!*
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I ordered one through Julie last month for our daughter who is 6. She just loves it!
ReplyDeleteLove the swimsuits. My older girls, 5 and 3, have always worn skirts and dresses. We've been doing the LL Bean swim skirt and rash guard shirt. It's works okay but the panty style bottom (under the skirt) is nasty. : ) The girls wear more bloomer style panties during the day so the skimpy bottoms under the swim skirt drive them nuts. We aren't in the water enough, hardly ever in public, to justify the expense of a nice suit just yet. Most of our water play is in the back yet. I've marked the spot for future reference though! Thanks!!! Your girls look so nice.
ReplyDeleteAll of my girls and I have these, except my oldest who's suit is from http://swimmodest.com/, and that's simply because they were having a big clearance sale and her suit was only $15 at the time, rather than the regular $75. We love them! I have had mine for about 4 years and it is still like new, and I also use the top part of the suit when I am in labor in the birthing tub. It is long enough to give full coverage and still gives the midwife "access" when needed. The girls thought it was so neat that they got to pick out their prints. I also wear undergarments under mine for some extra support, but the suit is so comfy that it does not feel too restricting even with extra layers.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post! We are currently searching for a modest suit for my oldest daughter. Not an easy search, and I appreciate any help given!
ReplyDeleteWe purchased the patterns to sew these swimsuits and I made them for myself and each of our girls a few years ago. We LOVE them!I made them a bit bigger to be able to wear them for a few seasons. They are so comfortable and better yet, we don't feel like we are wearing underwear in public!
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear from you ladies! =)
ReplyDeleteLove the swimsuits, they look great! I have a similar suit from a different site that I ordered 2 years ago, but it no longer fits as I'm now expecting again! So happy to see a maternity and nursing suit as well on their site! I'll have to order me one soon! I've been buying my son suits from Oldnavy for years, they have matching swim shirts available for the little board shorts which we love! My husband wears regular board shorts with a quick dry work out tee.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, you've made my search for modest swimwear easier,smile. Peace and Blessings!
ReplyDeleteCute suits. I have to tell you that when I first saw this picture (before I read the post) I thought that these were pretty print outfits. Now i'm thinking I might make a modified version of this for myself for vacation. Not because i'm so super modest, but because they seem comfortable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the idea.
Hi my name is Kathy and I am a mom to eight children :) I recently found your blog and I have really enjoyed your posts. My oldest daughter (23) recently married and when she was younger we went through the same thing looking for modest swimwear. We found a site called www.wholesomewear.com/ we bought her the slimming suit and she has had it for many years. It has held up really well and now my thirteen year old and 6 year daughter are looking to purchase the same ones. The prices are relative to the ones you mentioned. I have tried in the past to sew our own version but after purchasing the fabric, pattern it comes close to the price you end up paying. I will keep snooping around your blog:) God Bless, Kathy in the North East :)
ReplyDeleteI really like the Wholesome wear suit too b/c they draw attention away from the bust area and to the face. These other suits are too clingy in those areas for my taste honestly. They all are very feminine and pretty though :)
DeleteThank you for the links, now if I could just find uk sites! My girls are just getting to the age where they are needing something more. Until now they weren't swimming as much as splashing, and a normal summer dress would do.
ReplyDeleteMarSea Modest Swimwear manufactures modest swimwear for women and girls. Over 20 styles.
ReplyDeletePlease visit our website and contact us for more information and for personal help. www.marseamodest.com
We have these suits!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I found a super cute rash guard for one of my daughters at the thrift store for $2 and had Julie make a skirt to go with it.
These are so pretty! I showed my 5 year old daughter and she loved it! It's so hard teaching modesty when there are so many around us who don't see anything wrong with 2 pieces, which in my opinion is just like wearing a bra and panties. ;) My girls where one pieces or two pieces that cover the tummy area. I prefer the shorts and swimshirts for them. Anyway, thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.edensbrook.com/ is also a website that sells beautiful custom swim dresses! They are very similar to the ones you described. They are definitely more feminine and pretty than regular swim suits. :) It's wonderful how many ladies are selling these things now, making them available for other women and girls that want to be modest and feminine.
ReplyDeleteI love these! Your girls look lovely! I was having the same problem with finding modest swim suits for my girls that actually looked pretty.
ReplyDeleteAmen and God bless you! I also have a suit from Meant to Be Modest and I've almost worn it out! I've worn it on a cruise, to the water park, the pool, the beach, even just walking along the beach on vacation. I have several young nephews and I like to be covered around them. It feels so good to be cute, covered and feminine. If you sew, you can make your own. You can get a pattern from http://www.simply-modest.com/posecom/index.php. This company is owned by a young Christian Canadian woman. I get spandex swimwear fabric from spandexworld.com. Just throwing that out there. God bless!
ReplyDeleteI think this type of suit is fine for the beach or even a home pool but if you are a serious lap or competitive swimmer they are really going to get in the way with creating drag. I still stick with Speedos or TYR for that kind of swimming. At the beach it doesn't matter because I'm just playing in the water, and needing sun protection I prefer a suit that covers more.
ReplyDelete