Swimsuit shopping made easy

If you're in the market for a swimsuit and you're a woman, I'm very sorry. It's such a painful and traumatic thing to do isn't it? That's why I hadn't bought a new swimsuit in over six years (with the exception of my triathlon swimsuit, which is really neat but looks kinda dorky on the beach). But next week we are off to vacation in the midwest at a lakeside reunion, where I will most likely need a swimsuit. Plus, some friends here in Seattle just bought a house with a pool and having a pool in Seattle is such an anomaly that I will probably find myself in it at some point just to say it happened. 

So I grit my teeth and set out on a swimsuit expedition. The catalogs are no help at all. You can't tell anything from a catalog especially when it's so totally important as a swimsuit. So we ventured out to The Mall and hit every store that might have a swimsuit and you know where I hit jackpot?

Old Navy.

Not coincidentally this is where I bought my last two swimsuits six years ago (and they are still intact although I can't say I've worn them a whole lot). 

Old Navy is so great. They find a good generic cut that looks good on everyone and then they mass produce it in a zillion different interesting modern patterns and sell it at a price that doesn't make you freak out since you know you're only going to wear it about 5 times. Plus they don't seem to run out all of a sudden after spring break like everyone else does (who can even think about buying a swimsuit in March? Obviously everyone).

Old Navy, you are my hero.