Competition Bikinis Melbourne: What to Look for Before You Order
Preparing for a bodybuilding competition involves months of training, posing practice, meal prep and stage wear or beauty appointments. Your competition bikini is one of the final pieces that brings everything together on stage.
And there is a lot more to choosing one than finding a colour you like.
The cut, colour, connectors, crystal placement and overall proportions of a competition bikini can all change the way your physique presents under stage lighting.
At Koko Australia, we design competition stagewear from our Melbourne studio for athletes competing across a range of Australian bodybuilding and fitness federations.
Here is what we recommend considering before ordering your suit.
1. Start with your division
Not every competition suit is designed for the same purpose.
A bikini athlete, figure athlete and athlete entering a glamour or swimsuit category may all require completely different styling.
That can affect:
- bottom coverage
- top shape
- strap placement
- connectors
- embellishments
- overall level of crystal coverage.
This is why we always recommend starting with your federation and division rather than simply choosing a bikini from a photograph.
Your stagewear should work with your division, your physique and your personal style.
2. Choose a colour for the athlete — not just the trend
Every competition season seems to produce a new favourite colour.
But the colour everybody else is wearing is not necessarily the colour you should wear.
We consider things such as your hair colour, skin tone, competition tan, stage lighting, stage back drop, and the overall look you want to create.
There is also a huge difference between colours once crystals are applied.
A plain royal blue fabric can look completely different with blue, sapphire, aqua, AB or opal stones over it.
That is one of the advantages of visiting our stagewear studio in person: you can actually place fabrics and crystal combinations together instead of trying to visualise everything through a screen.
3. Fit matters so much more than sparkle
Competition bodies change substantially during prep.
A bikini that fits at the beginning of prep will not fit the same way once you reach competition condition.
Your designer therefore needs to understand how competition physiques change and how your suit needs to sit when you reach the stage.
Adjustability is particularly important.
At Koko Australia, our design and fitting process takes your competition timeline into consideration and we work towards creating stagewear that will compliment your stage weight and condition.
4. Think about the entire stage look
Your bikini does not exist in isolation.
Think about your:
- heels
- jewellery
- tan
- hair
- make-up
- posing
- federation
- division.
We will provide our professional and experienced advice on all aspects of your prep and stage presence.
You want the finished look to feel intentional.
Sometimes that means keeping jewellery relatively simple because the bikini is heavily embellished. Or going OTT with the earrings because your new her extensions will drown out anything more delicate.
Other times we may use statement connectors, crystals or embellishments to create more detail.
The objective isn't simply more sparkle.
It is the right sparkle, in the right places.
5. Custom, ready-to-wear or rental?
Custom isn't automatically the right answer for every athlete.
A custom competition bikini makes sense when you want something designed specifically for your physique and stage look.
Ready-to-wear can be an excellent option if you find the right size, colour and cut or if your show is approaching quickly.
Rental can also make sense for athletes competing for the first time, entering additional categories or wanting access to a more elaborate look without purchasing another costume.
Koko Australia offers all three options, including custom competition stagewear, ready-to-wear pieces and selected competition bikini and swimsuit rentals.
Why Melbourne athletes often choose an in-person fitting
Buying online is convenient.
But being able to stand in front of your designer wearing your suit gives us information that measurements alone cannot always provide.
We can look at:
- how the cups sit
- where the bottoms sit on the hip
- strap tension
- symmetry
- crystal placement
- how the design looks from a distance
- the overall balance of the stage look.
Koko Australia has a Melbourne studio where athletes can complete consultations and fittings in person, while interstate athletes can work with us virtually.
Looking for a competition bikini in Melbourne?
Explore our competition bikinis online or book a consultation with Koko Australia to start planning your stagewear.