Cut to Fit: Arun's Guide to Shopping by Shape
By Kiki Fahrina
A great swimsuit has very little to do with trend and everything to do with cut. At Arun we hear the same message on repeat from customers walking into our stores, they do not want to be told what shape is in this season, they want to know what actually works on the body they have right now. So this time we are skipping the broad size guide and going straight to the specifics, three of the most common questions we get asked in store, translated into the pieces built to answer them. It is a conversation we have every single day across our Bali locations, and one that rarely gets the same attention online that it gets in person, which is exactly why we wanted to put it in writing, one honest guide to swimwear Bali shoppers can actually use.
Small Bust: Building Shape, Not Hiding It
If you have a small bust, the wrong swimsuit either swallows you whole or tries too hard to compensate. The right one does neither. What actually works for a small bust is structure, ruching that catches light and creates the illusion of curve, adjustable ties that let you decide exactly how much lift you want, and triangle cuts that sit close to the body rather than gaping at the edges. Our Angra Top was built with exactly this in mind, adjustable ties and a triangle shape, so the fit changes with you rather than working against you. For anyone shopping specifically for a small bust, skip the thick padded foam entirely, it almost always looks like it is trying too hard. Instead look for texture and tie detail doing the work that padding usually gets asked to do, which is exactly what sets considered swimwear Bali apart from anything mass produced.
Large Bust: Support That Still Looks Like Summer
A large bust asks for a different kind of engineering, one that most swimwear brands treat as an afterthought rather than a starting point. Wider straps, structured bands, and a double strap silhouette all reduce the strain that comes with a single thin tie, without turning the top into something that looks more like sportswear than swimwear. Our Double Loop Top was designed around this exact need, the second strap distributes weight differently than a standard triangle top, giving a large bust real support while keeping the silhouette relaxed rather than clinical. If you are shopping for a large bust, the fitting room test is simple, move naturally in the piece before you commit, a top built for a large bust should hold its shape rather than shift.
High Waisted for the Tummy You Actually Have
Somewhere along the way, high waisted bikini bottoms went from a niche request to one of the most searched styles we carry, and it is not hard to see why. A high waisted bikini sits at the natural waist rather than low on the hip, which means it works with the body rather than fighting it, smoothing rather than squeezing, and giving a longer line through the torso that most low rise cuts simply cannot manage. Our Hot Pants bottom is the piece we recommend most for exactly this brief, a high waisted bikini bottom made from buttery soft fabric that holds its shape through a full day of pool, sun and salt water without rolling down by lunchtime. It is proof that a high waisted bikini can be flattering without ever feeling like a compromise.
A great cut is not about hiding the body, it is about building a swimsuit that already understands it.
Shop By Fit, Not By Trend
None of these categories are about limiting yourself to one shape for the rest of summer, most of our customers move between all three depending on the day, structure for the pool, support for a boat trip, height at the waist for a long lunch in the sun. What stays constant is the belief that fit should never be an afterthought, which is why every Arun piece is designed in Bali with these exact conversations in mind. Explore the full bikini top collection if support or shape is what you are chasing this week, or head to the bikini bottoms edit to find your own version of the high waisted bikini we cannot keep in stock.
If you are still unsure which category fits you best, that is exactly what our teams in Berawa, Canggu and Padang Padang are there for. Bring the top you already love, tell us what has never quite worked, and we will point you toward the cut built around that answer rather than a generic size chart. Fit is never one size or one shape, it is a conversation, and it is the same conversation that has shaped every piece of swimwear Bali has come to expect from Arun.
