Time to think warm weather and sandy beaches! Our style candidate Jennifer wants a versatile tropical wardrobe for her Thailand vacation. We're talking bathing suits and bikinis here, one of the more difficult things to buy for yourself. Can we do it for someone else?

   Our Style Mission

Our mission is to create a beach babe look for the lovely Jennifer, who has a classic pear-shaped body.

Our guest expert is Ashley Paige, swimwear maven and bikini designer to the stars. She had these tips for us:

• For Jennifer’s pear-shape, you want to minimize the hips and put the visual attention on her bosom. 

• For any beach vacation anywhere in the world, you must have some sexy wedges. Not a flip flop, but a sexy shoe you can wear out or to the beach.

• Colour is everything. A good stylist should be able to look at someone and say something like: “This colour is going to make her green eyes pop.”

   Our Look Book

For Jennifer, we wanted a lot more than just a bathing suit. Hats, sunglasses, jewelry, cover ups, and shoes. Oh yes, those “toes” of contention: to flip flop or not to flip flop? 

Outfit #1

• Chocolate brown, empire waist swim dress: $158 at Tommy Bahama
• Straw outback hat: $35 at Splash Swim and Cruise
• Wood & leather “tribal” necklace: $20.00 at Splash Swim and Cruise
• Wood & leather “tribal” bracelet: $5 at Splash Swim and Cruise
• Flip Flops: $35 at Splash Swim and Cruise
• “Grass skirt” bead earrings: $5.00 at Aldo

Ashley Paige’s opinion

• The chocolate swim dress doesn’t fit her well. Another colour would have been much more exciting on her.
  

  

Outfit #2

• Tropical blue Elan multiwear dress: $44 at Aqua La Vie En Rose
• Tropical blue Roxy Flip Flops: $25 at Swimco
• Silver metal bracelets: $12 at Aldo

Ashley Paige’s opinion

• I don’t like convertible dresses.

• I don’t believe in flip flops. These are definitely not flattering on her feet.

• I believe in high heels! You could have done a cork wedge in a neutral colour. Why blue? It’s too matchy-matchy.

Outfit #3

• Black Seafolly bikini bottoms: $67 at Swimco
  

  

• Black & white tropical flower Seafolly bandeau top: $60 at Swimco
• Sheer black Seafolly cover up: $48 at Swimco
• Brown tortoise shell sunglasses: $12 at Aldo

Ashley Paige’s opinion

• The bottoms look a bit weird on her. Perhaps the tie at her left hip still brings too much attention to her pear-shape.

• I do like the bandeau top, but the bottom doesn’t even look like it goes with the top.

• She needs a wide hat with some Jackie O glasses and a more flattering bottom.

 

 

Did our style picks make the “Do List” or “Don’t List”?

Jennifer was very excited about the new items we chose for her to take on her trip. She says she always has trouble fitting her bottom half (either the waist is too big or the hip area is too small) so she was happy to have a couple of versatile cover-ups and two new swimsuits. (Thanks for sharing your photos with us, Jennifer!)

Our style expert Ashley Paige didn’t like much about what we put together for Jennifer’s “Beach Babe” look. She thought the bandeau top and the black sheer cover-up were really good, but the rest? Wrong, wrong, wrong! We definitely haven’t earned ourselves a day off at the beach.

Tips we learned on this show:

• When you look at an outfit, you should see the woman first, not what she’s wearing. That indicates good style. (Ashley Paige)

• I’m curvier on the bottom and smaller on the top, so I use fashion detail like fuller sleeves, flouncy ruffles and shoulder pads to balance out my bottom half. It’s all about proportions so know your body. (Nicole Chavez, celebrity stylist)

• It’s worth splashing out on jewelry and accessories. Go big with your hat and shades, and leave the cowboy look for the open range!

   Other Show Segments

• Product Test: Body bronzers 
• Beauty tips: Help beat jet lag
• Shopping tips: Bikinis

Please note: opinions expressed about fashion and beauty in this article are just that: our opinions. Feeling beautiful on the inside is what matters most, but we like to do what we can on the outside too.