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What swimsuit stores could learn from bridal salons

By February 23, 20117 Comments

So my husband and I were recently planning to vacation in Cancun with friends. So…. I had to do “the dreaded swimsuit shopping”. Why, oh why, does swimsuit shopping have to be so torturous????

Anyway, I went looking in several stores like Macys and Dillards…..but no swimsuits were in stock yet.

Went to Kohls and Penny’s….nothing cute.

Tried Target….who can actually wear swimsuits that little?????? Seriously….

So I ended up at a “swimsuit store” in Overland Park, KS.

I thought the store ROCKED!!!!! The racks and racks of swimsuits were visually stimulating and the helpful staff made digging thru sizes and styles fun!

But, then I hit the dressing room with the 27 suits I wanted to try on. The WHITE walls and WHITE lighting made me want to throw up with every swimsuit. The dressing room’s colors were sooooooo unflattering!

The lights were so bright that I felt like a deer caught in the headlights.

The walls were white and sterile. Ewwwwwww!


And…..there was no “rear view mirror”. WHAT? A girl needs to see how she looks from behind!

Now, I did end up buying something and I think I looked decent in it, but here is my point.

I faux finished an upscale bridal salon in Kansas City a few years back and the designer on that project taught me something very valuable. Anytime you have women trying on wedding dresses (and I would like to suggest swimsuits), you want the walls and the lighting to “lean towards rosy”.

Why? Because a rosy, flesh color in a room is flattering to everyone. And the colors make your skin look radiant. Not pale and dimpled which will NEVER make a woman want to buy something.

So back to my swimsuit torture. Swimsuit stores listen up! Unless all of the women coming into your store look like this…….


…..then it will help your bottom line if you make women look better in your swimwear with the right lighting and the right color on the walls.

(Notice how dim the lighting is and that the bulbs in the chandelier are WARM colored.)

Take some notes from the bridal salons and call me! I would LOVE to come give you a color consult!!!!!

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