If you told me even a few years ago that one day I'd voluntarily share photos of myself in a swimsuit, ON THE INTERNET, I would have LOL'd in your face. Because for much of my life, I've struggled with body image, teasing, fat-shaming, and disordered eating. I've worn everything from a size 4 to a 14.
Wanna know what fills me with dread at any size? Swimsuit shopping. Run of the mill styles, limited sizes, scratchy fabrics, unhelpful or untrained sales staff, terrible lighting, and the skinnier gal in the change room next door. All of these things come together to create basically the worst day ever.
But all that changed this summer with Sona Clothing, founded by local Ottawa boss babe Gemma. I first met Gemma at Iron North, where we'd often run into each other lifting weights. One night during deadlifts Gemma mentioned she'd always dreamed of opening her own boutique, and that dammit, this was the year she was gonna do it.
And do it she did.
Meet Sona Clothing! This June Gemma opened SonaClothing.ca with worldwide shipping. And as if that weren't enough, she opened a local pop-up shop in Westboro that's open til Labour Day.
The mission behind Sona Clothing is to make swimsuit shopping comfortable (and even fun!) whether you like to shop online or in-store. She carefully sourced luxurious brands (many of them Canadian!) with only the best fabrics, fit, and in size ranges for lots of bodies. She's got sizes for little boobs, big boobs, curvy gals, you name it.
Now, like I said, I've always HATED shopping for swimwear. But when Gemma invited me in to check out her collection, I had to at least give it a try. And my god was I blown away. I must have tried on nearly 15 suits and I freaking loved them all. I mean look how pretty they are!
Real talk: I'd just polished off a Suzy Q doughnut and I had a food baby, but the swimwear at Sona Clothing made me feel amazing anyway. So much so that I even let Gemma put pictures of me on the internet. Like this one. And this one.
I can't say enough about my shopping experience at Sona Clothing: I've already picked up two suits and I'm eyeing a third online as we speak. I love that Gemma has carefully sourced Canadian designers and luxe brands I've never seen in Ottawa, all of them with outstanding quality and fit.
A sampling of the brands she carries:
Beth Richards
Gattina Swim
Eberjey
Vitamin A
Nora Swimwear
Lilibon Swimwear
omg, swimsuit pics on the internet
And because I love these Sona Clothing swimsuits *so* much, here's what I picked up:
So Margarita bikini top by Eberjey, $124. I'm wearing a medium.
High-Waist Mesh bikini bottom by Beth Richards, $110. I'm wearing a medium.
Alexandra One-Piece swimsuit by Gattina Swim, $120. I'm wearing a medium.
So Margarita bikini top by Eberjey, $124. I'm wearing a medium.
High-Waist Mesh bikini bottom by Beth Richards, $110. I'm wearing a medium.
summer essentials giveaway
Sona Clothing and I have teamed up to give one of you lucky ducks a luxe collection of summer essentials valued at nearly $500! That's right: $500 in chic summer must-haves! Here's what's up for grabs:
Cyberderm sunscreen (they're from Ottawa!)
Luxe sun dress by Lilibon Swimwear (from France, oh la la!)
Beth Richards signature beach ball (not available for sale, this one's just for you!)
We've thrown in everything but a swimsuit since Gemma and I know that's a highly personal choice.
win $500 in prizes
I'm so excited to launch my first WORLDWIDE givewaway, let's do this! Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below, and all entries are optional. Essentially the more you do, the better your chances!
Contest closes on August 24, 2017 at 11:59pm EDT.
Prize can be shipped to anywhere in the world.
