The Best Swimwear for Small Hips

There is a quiet myth in swimwear that the goal is always to whittle and slim. But for those of us built long and lean through the hip — boyish, athletic, straight up and down, however you'd like to phrase it — the project is rather the opposite. The aim is to invent a curve where nature was feeling minimalist; to draw the eye outward at the hip and conjure that lovely hourglass illusion. The good news is that this is one of the easier figure puzzles to solve, because almost everything you might be told to avoid elsewhere — ruffles, high legs, bold prints, ties that sit proud on the bone — is precisely what works in your favour. Consider this your edit of the brands and silhouettes that do the flattering for you.

High-Cut Bottoms: The Single Best Trick for Small Hips

If you read no further, read this. A high-cut leg is the most reliable way to fake a fuller hip, because it elongates the leg and pushes the visual width of the bottom outward and upward, creating the impression of a curve where the body runs straight. Few brands cut a high leg as beautifully as Frankies Bikinis, whose bottoms have that exact California-girl rise that makes legs look endless and hips look generous. Pair a cheeky high-cut bottom with a contrast or ruched top and you've built the suggestion of an hourglass from scratch. Shop Frankies Bikinis

Ruffles & Frills: Built-In Volume Where You Want It

Where the body is straight, fabric can do the curving for you. A flounce at the hip, a frill along a bandeau, a tiered ruffle skimming the bottom — each adds a few millimetres of dimensional volume exactly where a small hip would welcome it. Shop L*Space for swimwear that does flirtatious volume with restraint — ruffled edges and shirred details that read playful rather than fussy. The trick is to keep the frill localised to the hip and bottom; let the waist stay clean, and the contrast does the shaping.

Bold Prints & Side Ties: Drawing the Eye Outward

A loud print is your friend. Large-scale florals, painterly tropicals and graphic stripes break up a straight line and create the busy, dimensional illusion of curve — far more than a flat solid ever will. Side ties earn their place here too: knotted high on the hip bone, they sit proud of the body and add literal width at exactly the right point. Shop Monday Swimwear for the elevated, holiday-perfect prints and adjustable tie bottoms that let you dial the width up or down to taste.

The Cinching One-Piece: Define a Waist, Imply a Hip

You don't always need a bikini to fake a curve. A one-piece with a defined, belted or deeply ruched waist creates the hourglass from the centre out — pull in at the middle and the hip reads fuller by comparison. Few do sculptural, body-conscious shaping like Hunza G, whose signature crinkle fabric hugs and contours, hinting at curves the wearer may not technically possess. Shop Hunza G for that clever one-and-done crinkle, or look to Shop Melissa Odabash for the belted, waist-cinching maillots that have been a fixture on the Riviera for decades.

Texture & Volume: Shirring, Smocking and the Power of a Detail

Beyond ruffles, texture is the small-hipped woman's secret weapon. Shirring, smocking and ribbing all catch the light and add a sense of three-dimensional fullness — a flat surface recedes, a textured one comes forward. Shop Vitamin A for sustainably made, beautifully textured pieces in earthy, sun-faded tones, or Shop Tori Praver for romantic, ruched silhouettes that build softness and curve into the fabric itself.

How to Style It: A Small-Hipped Cheat Sheet

The governing principle is balance, then a little exaggeration. Keep the top simpler and the bottom busier — the eye should travel down to a frill, a tie, a print, a high-cut leg. Choose bottoms that sit on or above the hip bone rather than below it, so the rise lengthens the leg and widens the hip line. Contrast is your ally: a plain bandeau over a printed, ruffled bottom instantly reads curvier than a matching set. If you love a one-piece, make sure it pulls in at the waist — a defined middle does more for the illusion of a hip than any amount of padding. And don't be talked out of colour and pattern; the straighter the figure, the more it can carry. For more silhouette-by-silhouette guidance, browse the edit — but armed with a high leg, a good ruffle and a print you adore, you already have everything you need to spend the summer in a beautifully convincing curve.