Ah summer…

As we start to thaw and dream of sundresses, sunhats and warmer days, our thoughts turn to something a little more anxiety-ridden: finding that perfect swimsuit! If you are anything like me with my 10 extra lbs of winter warmth-producing squish, this is not a joyous ritual at all. But lucky for all of us, the trends this summer are bringing a more curve-friendly approach to beachwear.

Retro Ruching

A little bit of belly left over from the winter months? No problem! One of the most flattering types of bathing suit you can buy is one that has ruching – or the gathering of fabric that gives the effect of smoothing out what is underneath.

Yellow Cross Swimsuit from shabbyapple.com $108

St. John Ruched Halter Swimsuit from neimanmarcus.com $250

Norma Kamali Bill ruched halterneck swimsuit from Net-a-Porter $350

Bathing Beauty One Piece in Needlepoint from ModCloth $90

High Waisted Hotness

Another good belly blaster is a high waisted bikini bottom. I love string bikinis, but I’m not entirely comfortable with wearing them. This high-waisted trend is very cute and allows for anyone to wear a bikini.

Skipper Super High Waisted Red Sailor Bikinia on etsy.com $54

Mara Hoffman High Waisted Bikini from asos.com $210

Women's 6 Shoreroad High-Waist Printed Bottom at neimanmarcus $64

Vacation Spots Two Piece on Modcloth.com $90

Clever Cut-Outs

When you don’t want to go entirely bikini and you are kind of bored with the one-piece, there are some super sexy, yet flattering cutouts going on this year. Unlike former cut-outs, these are enticing without being windows of squish.

Asymmetric Slitted Maillot with Bow Detail on Etsy $21

Rever cutout swimsuit at TheOutnet $96

Mara Hoffman Beaded Cutout Maillot at NeimanMarcus $242

Norma Kamali Foil metallic cutout swimsuit at Net-a-Porter $315

Mixed Medium Materials

I’m completely loving the bathing suits that aren’t quite looking like bathing suits. Between lace and metallic and crochet, there is some fun stuff to play with for a one piece that won’t make it boring and will make you turn heads in a good way.

Jets by Jessika Allen Explore crochet-overlay swimsuit at TheOutnet $90

Norma Kamali Vogue Mio stretch-lace swimsuit at Net-A-Porter $385

Luck Be a Lacy One Piece at Modcloth $99