New York – There are hundreds of women’s swimsuits, and prices are rising
with the thermometer. The most flattering fit will do little good, however,
if a swimsuit starts bagging, ripping or pilling before the summer is half
over. The Good Housekeeping Institute’s textiles department tested 10
swimsuits to see which ones are the most durable.
“First we washed them 50 times to simulate a year’s use,” said Kathleen
Huddy of Good Housekeeping. “Then [we] took a swatch of the fabric, put it
in a canister with chlorine to see how [it] would hold up against a chlorine
pool. We put the fabric then in the ‘weatherometer,’ where we subjected [it]
to 40 hours of continuous sunlight, which is about three years of wear in
the sun. We also did a stretch test.”
An Athena Collection suit, made of 80 percent nylon and 20 percent lycra,
came out top for keeping its appearance after all the institute’s tests.
Good Housekeeping’s Dayna Spit said, “What I loved about this suit is the
side gatherings, which is really figure flattering for anybody with tummy
problems.”
The Catalina Tankini and the Miracle Suit were the best in the Good
Housekeeping stretch resistance tests. “What makes the Catalina very stretch
resistant is the fabric content, which is 92 percent polyester and 8 percent
lycra,” Spit said. “And then with the Miracle Suit, it had the highest
content of lycra at 32 percent.”
To get the most wear from a bathing suit, look for the new chlorine
resistant Spandex on the hangtag, wash the suit with mild detergent, and let
it hang dry. And according to Good Housekeeping, try not to get suntan
lotion on your swimsuit. It can sometimes damage the fabric.
