<p>If I put a cell phone and my keys in my bra, they’d take up more room than my “girls”. One upside though, I don’t really need to wear a bra.</p>
<p>Also, I must confess that I actively try to avoid the docent look. I stay away from anything that looks like it might have come from Eileen Fisher.</p>
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<p>Yes, when I checked out the website I just couldn’t figure out how the topography of the shirt would work out on me!</p>
<p>Vera Bradley fans- right now on RueLaLa. Prices look good. Usually for low prices you have to act quick.</p>
<p>OK, CC fashionistas - here is a hard question: is a bikini swimsuit OK for a middle-aged lady with almost perfect body? I’m having a debate with a friend and would like to hear your opinions. Here is the suit in question:</p>
<p>[D&G</a> Dolce & Gabbana<em>-</em>Logo-Charm Triangle Bikini<em>-</em>Neiman Marcus](<a href=“http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod101140007&eItemId=prod101140007&cmCat=search&searchType=MAIN&parentId=&icid=&rte=%252Fsearch.jhtml%253FN%253D0%2526Ntt%253Dd%252526g%252Bswim%2526_requestid%253D40872]D&G”>http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod101140007&eItemId=prod101140007&cmCat=search&searchType=MAIN&parentId=&icid=&rte=%252Fsearch.jhtml%253FN%253D0%2526Ntt%253Dd%252526g%252Bswim%2526_requestid%253D40872)</p>
<p>Perhaps I’m old-fashioned, but in a word, no. Those suits are made for young women, and when middle-aged women wear them it usually makes them look older, not younger, no matter how good their bodies are for their age.</p>
<p>I am old-fashioned, but live in California:). Depends on how the older woman GOT her perfect body. Can Darra Torres wear it? You bet. If you’ve spent the equivalent of a mortgage at a plastic surgeon? I beg you, no.</p>
<p>Even Demi Moore looks silly in them, imo.</p>
<p>Actually, a well-cut one piece can be more chic and flattering.</p>
<p>Just, no.</p>
<p>I used to tie one key (car or house) to my sneaker laces back when I ran. No one had cell phones back when I ran though!</p>
<p>153 pages? This thread is 153 pages? Can someone please sum up the main wisdom that’s been garnered here?</p>
<p>BunsenBurner- where I live a 50 yr old with a good body would wear a bikini. Some without such a good body also would wear a bikini. I don’t have a bikini body. I have always felt uncomfortable in a bikini due to my pale skin.</p>
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<p>That there are some terrific clothes/shoes/bags out there for middle-aged women, despite the fact that we’re not a demographic that’s often catered to. And if you scroll through the pages, you’ll see many links to them. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Confession. I have a bikini. I only wear it in Hawaii - where everyone’s always wearing almost nothing. It’s Brazilian and pale green and pink and hot pink and has some sequins on it. Really. I love it. I’ve never worn it in front of my kids either. I went years without wearing one and when I turned 50 I bought it.</p>
<p>LOL! Alumother - my friend has the body of the woman in that picture (a bit more muscle), and her only surgeries, as far as I know, were due to some sports-related injuries… So CA or HI would be OK. :)</p>
<p>I have to fess up - I also have a couple of bikinis (Tommy Bahama makes fantastic ones with bras that have enough support for my upper anatomy), and DDs approved of their use in HI 
Maybe when I’ll turn 50 (and 5 lbs lighter) I’ll get a Brazilian one :D</p>
<p>Well, for me the bikini is not a temptation because comfort comes first, especially at the beach where I have a very bad memory of once losing my bikini top in the surf. I have always found the two-piece just more complicated then a one-piece, which is pretty much my approach to fashion in general. I’m the lady in the sandals who doesn’t get a pedicure! Too much effort and time. But still back to the bikini - if the objective is to maximize demonstration of the “perfect” body, I submit Bo Derek and Farah Fawcett. Both managed to attain true swim suit iconic status in their simple one pieces. Aesthetically, the bikini chops up the line of the body. And really, what’s so wonderful about exposing the belly button? I suppose if you’ve been working on the six-pack abs look then the bikini is the opportunity to show off your hard work, tho.</p>
<p>I find bikinis (athletic cut- not string) more comfortable than 1 piece suits. I always have. When I lived in Dallas and swam outside on a master’s team we all trained in workout bikinis. Comfortable and made for a better tan! I still wear them. They come up high enough that my abdomen looks OK in them (the lower cut ones aren’t so great…) and the tops are not skimpy.</p>
<p>I like the feel of the sun on my skin. That’s the reason for the bikini. That, and a tiny bit of thumbing my nose at the aging process.</p>
<p>Oh and I wear gobs and gobs of sunscreen. And spend most of the day under an umbrella. So technically I should have said, I like the feel of the sun on my skin FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES:).</p>
<p>BB and MOWC, thank you for outing yourselves too:).</p>
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<p>Spoken like a true Californian! I, on the other hand, hide from the sun whenever possible. As Woody Allen once said, I am at two with nature. :)</p>
<p>Alumother - I realized that hate the feel of wet spandex-y fabric on my skin! And what the heck, I go to Hawaii to enjoy the sun (responsibly, with lots of sunscreen :)), not to hide from it! Yes, I’m very picky about the comfort of my clothes and ease of dressing as well. If I cannot assemble my outfit and put it on in less than 5 minutes, it is not worth the hassle. That’s why I never wore 2 piece suits until I discovered Tommy Bahama’s marvels of bikini engineering. There are no strings or flimsy closures to worry about; I put it on, and it stays on no matter what. My suit looks similar to the suit in the picture at the top of this page (different pattern and color):</p>
<p>[Tommy</a> Bahama](<a href=“http://www.tommybahama.com/TBG/Swim_Womens/Bikini_Bottoms.jsp?showAll=1]Tommy”>http://www.tommybahama.com/TBG/Swim_Womens/Bikini_Bottoms.jsp?showAll=1)</p>
<p>I like the fact that I can mix and match top and bottom pieces. And I have a few of them now thanks to 6PM!</p>
<p>I stopped wearing bikinis after I had my first child at 25. My figure was still good but I had terrible stretch marks:( And then each child thereafter worsened the situation.</p>
<p>I think every body is different and feels comfortable in different clothes. My 16-year-old daughter - a competitive swimmer - with virtually zero body fat hates to wear a two-piece. I’m the same - the various “pieces” slide up or down and don’t stay where they belong!</p>
<p>As for the age thing - I totally believe in dressing in what I’m comfortable in around my family so if I liked the feel of a bikini and we were in a fairly private setting I’d wear it. If I was with husband at a conference and hanging out by the pool? Nope.</p>