Oh Maillot!

You see the girl at left in the cute little bikini? You know, the one with the smokin' hot body? Yeah, well, that's definitely not me. I'd love to wear that cute suit, but since I had my daughter almost 4 years ago, the outside world has not seen my stomach.

It's not that I think it's too flabby or that I obsess about being able to bounce a quarter off it (though that would be nice). What causes me to cringe at the thought of anyone catching a glance at my old belly is the lovely stretch marks left behind by my pregnancy.

While these gorgeous shiny pink rivulets are far from tragic (I mean, they're there because I housed and nurtured another human being for nine months!), I would really rather not share them with the outside world. At first this seemed to pose a huge problem when I thought about going to one of my favorite places: the beach.

When I thought of one piece bathing suits, I thought of little old ladies with fanny packs and socks with sandals. As a woman in her 20s, I had no desire to find myself in the same category. I didn't want anything boxy or shapeless, which is all I thought was out there when it came to one pieces.

Slowly but surely I've come to realize that there are some hot little one piece numbers out there. Take the suit at right, for instance. This pretty little maillot (which is another word for one piece) from Anthropologie is way more va va voom than grandma. From the cut, to removable halter strap to the twisted bodice and fun print, this suit is way more my style than the baggy skirted suits I've seen out there.

To help out my fellow marked mommies, I've put together a little collection of fabulous one piece swimsuits and separated them into categories. Happy browsing! :)

Retro

clockwise from top left:
Absinthe Art Nouveau Inspired One Piece Swimsuit, ladramaqueen
Vintage Inspired Pin Up Tuxedo Swimsuit, Stepankalicious
Bathing Beauty One Piece in Emerald, ModCloth
Sailor Swimsuit, FablesbyBarrie

Sexy

clockwise from top left:
V Neck Carmen in Noir, avabelldesigns
I heart you one piece, CherriesSwim
One-piece Halter Swimsuit, Sugarpussclothing
Knot-back Maillot, calaossidiana

Sporty

clockwise from top left:
Bra Cup One Piece in Rosey Red, Athleta
Perry Ellis Women's Tankini 2-piece Swimsuit, Overstock.com
Anita Swimwear Cruise 2010 Cashmere Aletta II 7252 One Piece, South Beach Swimsuits
TYR Sport 'Wipe Out' Reversible One Piece, Nordstrom