The first thing I do with any underwired bikini top is run a finger along the wire itself, right through the fabric, feeling for where the casing ends. If I can find the tip of the wire poking against the seam before I've even tried it on, it'll be poking into my ribs by the second swim. A wire that sits properly should be completely swallowed by the fabric, no sharp corners, no stitching that looks like it's been added as an afterthought.
Getting the size right matters more here than with any soft cup, because the wire has to sit in the crease under the bust, not on top of the breast tissue and not floating somewhere in between. If you're between band sizes, go down on the band and up on the cup rather than the other way round, the band does the actual holding and a loose one will ride up at the back within an hour of swimming. Watch for gaping at the top of the cup, that's usually a sign the cup is too big even if the band feels right, and watch for the wire digging into the side of the bust when you sit down, which it will do eventually if the style was never suited to a fuller bust in the first place. On a shorter, smaller frame the band often needs to come in more than the label suggests, otherwise the whole top sits too high and the wire ends up under the arm rather than under the bust, which is miserable by lunchtime on a sun lounger.
Salt water and chlorine are both harder on wired bikinis than people expect, the wire can start to work loose from its casing after a season of regular dips, especially if it's been wrung out rather than squeezed gently and laid flat. Rinse it in fresh water straight after the sea, never leave it balled up damp in a bag overnight, and don't tumble dry it even on a low heat, the elastic around the wire casing is the first thing to perish. It doesn't suit being paired with anything too flimsy underneath, a rigid wired top over soft unstructured bottoms looks unbalanced, and it clashes badly with high necked or halter styles that fight the underwire for support rather than working with it. This one's for anyone who needs real support in the water and isn't willing to give it up just because most of the pretty bikinis skip the wire altogether.
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