BAKU SWIMWEAR, WAS IT WORTH THE HYPE & PRICE TAG?

A couple of years ago my now hubby and I took a trip to Queensland for his families annual Easter getaway. This prompted my hunt for the perfect one piece swimsuit, believe it or not but this kind of swimwear scares me more then a bikini. I have always thought they would look weird on my body type due to having a short torso and carrying my weight in my lower mid section. I thought about buying something cheap online but then had to check myself and remind myself I was about to step right out of my comfort zone and I needed to do this right. After all at this point my journey with self confidence was only just beginning and a fail would have initiated my anxiety and inner turmoil with myself.

Whilst out shopping with my mum at our local retail outlet center we walked past Baku Swimwear. I peeped some gorgeous swimwear in the display and on the front racks and thought why not just have a look inside (all the while, that little doubt monster on my shoulder was heckling me "they won't even have my size if I find something I like, or if they do have my size I'm sure I won't like them"). I wasn't familiar with the brand before walking in so you can imagine my surprise when I found out they went up to a size 22 in their collections.

The women in the store were absolutely amazing and made me feel so comfortable. They grabbed a couple of one pieces off the racks and said to just give them a try. I took a deep breath and tried on the first one which was an all black one piece, and believe it or not the black just did not do me any justice. I was confused, how can black not look flattering (I mean that's the rule right? Black is ALWAYS flattering)? But here I was saying no to something black.

Then there was this gorgeous peach and black snake print one piece that I had been eyeing off since I walked in the store and the women and my mum urged me to just give it a shot you never know this could be the one. So again, another deep breath and I headed back in the change room to try it on. I took one step out of the change room and they all got so excited, at this point I still hadn’t looked in the mirror because I was so scared I was about to look like a snake print balloon. I opened my eyes and turned to the mirror and I fell in love instantly, the colour was perfect for my skin tone, it wasn’t too big on my boobs (I have tiny boobies for a plus size woman) and it hugged in all the right places.

I was sold, this was the one. The perfect one piece to start what I’m sure is going to become an obsession collection (haha). I headed to the counter, went to pay for my swimsuit and to my shock it cost $136! I didn’t know what to do, I’ve never spent that much money on a swimsuit before and this piece was on sale. My mind was like “Well damn, how much was it at full price if this is 50% off” (yes I can do the math, but you get my drift). My mum looked at me and she knew I was um-ing and ah-ing over actually buying the piece, and said “Bub, do you feel comfortable and confident in it?”. I said “YES”, because I did, she then said “Money isn’t a factor here, it’s a great brand, the quality is great and you looked beautiful and confident when you tried it on”. She was right, I handed my card to the ladies and I walked out happy with the most expensive swimsuit I have ever owned.

So was it worth the money?

I mean that's the 136 dollar question right. I think as a short, belly heavy plus size woman buying swimsuits that are “in fashion” and suit my body type is near impossible. I know that fast fashion brands sell “plus size” swimwear online but every model while being thicker then the “standard” in the hips and legs all carry no weight on their stomachs so of cause they look “amazing” as an option for plus size women. It scares me buying online, as it’s a whole lot of waiting for shipping and then trying it on for it not to be “true to size” or “flattering” on my stomach area.

While the initial shock of the price was something I had trouble getting my head around, I would have to say it was totally worth it. The confidence and love for the fit of the swimsuit that I felt while wearing my Baku Swimwear does not carry a $$ figure in my opinion. I mean how can confidence and feeling comfortable carry any monetary weight? Do yourself a favour if you are a belly heavy women and spend that extra money on finding the right swimsuit and if you can go into a store physically and try them on, I can’t explain how important that was for me in making the decision to purchase.