Swimsuit Competition

Just as design can camouflage figure flaws onstage during the swimsuit competition, fabric finish can improve the appearance of a contestant's figure on stage. "The shine of the fabric can make a real difference," says Cheryl Prewitt Salem, a former Miss America and owner of CP Annie swimsuits.

Evaluating a contestant's figure helps the contestant and her wardrobers determine the most flattering design. "You need to really look at what that particular body is like and adjust the swimsuit to what she looks like," advises Vernon DeSear, who supervised Miss Floridas' wardrobe selection for years. "There are many ways that you can take an average figure and make it look great because of the suit and the fit of the suit-regardless of the type of figure she has."

To slenderize your figure on stage, cover it with a matte fabric. "If you put a dull fabric next to a shiny material, the shiny material is going to reflect light and look bigger," explains Thomas Tolbert. "If you wrap yourself in it, you're going to look larger. If you use a dull fabric, you still get the intensity of the color, but it will absorb light so you won't look nearly as big. It can take three to eight pounds off you, where the shiny fabric will add three to eight pounds."

So do the judges-although their response is often a gut reaction. "Sometimes I don't think the judges know what they're looking for," says Christiano, "but the initial first impression, those first lines you see, are going to influence their scoring. If a girl comes out and her swimsuit cuts the lines of her body, then the judges could get a negative reading and give her less of a score-and not really know why. If the swimsuit's cut and color are wrong, you can lose points just on that. If girls are not aware of that, it could be to their detriment. Once your body is in shape, we have to get all the lines flowing so when you come out onstage, it all creates the right illusion for the judges."

To add the appearance of increased weight to a very thin body, cover it with a shiny fabric. "I only like the shiny swimsuits when the girl is very, very thin, because it adds weight," says Thomas. "If you are that thin and you don't want to look anorexic-that's when you need the shiny material." To slenderize a figure, cover it with a matte fabric. "If you put a dull fabric next to a shiny material, the shiny material is going to reflect light and look bigger," explains Thomas Tolbert. "If you wrap yourself in it, you're going to look larger. If you use a dull fabric, you still get the intensity of the color, but it will absorb light so you won't look nearly as big. It can take three to eight pounds off you, where the shiny fabric will add three to eight pounds."

So do the judges-although their response is often a gut reaction. "Sometimes I don't think the judges know what they're looking for," says Christiano, "but the initial first impression, those first lines you see, are going to influence their scoring. If a girl comes out and her swimsuit cuts the lines of her body, then the judges could get a negative reading and give her less of a score-and not really know why. If the swimsuit's cut and color are wrong, you can lose points just on that. If girls are not aware of that, it could be to their detriment. Once your body is in shape, we have to get all the lines flowing so when you come out onstage, it all creates the right illusion for the judges."

To add the appearance of increased weight to a very thin body, cover it with a shiny fabric. "I only like the shiny swimsuits when the girl is very, very thin, because it adds weight," says Thomas. "If you are that thin and you don't want to look anorexic-that's when you need the shiny material." Few contestants realize that pageant swimwear companies can make swimsuits from either side of the same fabric-using the glossy "right" side or the matte "wrong" side. Some companies now routinely cut their off-the-rack swimwear from the wrong side of the fabric to utilize the more popular dull finish. However, customers who special-order a swimsuit or have one custom made can usually specify whichever finish they prefer.

Whatever your figure type, the right fabric texture can improve the appearance of your figure onstage.

Swimsuit Competition Overview Improve Specific Figure Flaws Swimsuit Diet Improve your Body The Best Swimsuit for your Figure The Best Swimsuit Color

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All content is from the book "101 Secrets to Winning Beauty Pageants" by Ann-Marie Bivans.  Any use of this content without written permission from the author is plagiarism and will result in legal action.