margaritas and mumus: bathing suits part two
A break from our regularly-scheduled programming for some swimwear ideas. It is the season for bathing suit shopping after all, right?! I promised I’d return after Christie’s post last week with some of her actual suggestions. Using Christie’s suggestions, I ordered a whole bunch of suits – mostly from 6pm.com, Target, and Athleta. I also ordered some from JCrew, but they ended up being back-ordered so I haven’t tried them yet. My criteria for a suit after discussing things with Christie was basically something that was comfortable, that stayed in place so I can play lots with the kids (put on that swimsuit already!), and was flattering.
From top left to bottom right
I picked some of my favorites from what I ordered per Christie’s suggestions. I’m obviously not keeping all of these, but I thought there were many great picks despite me not loving all of them for me personally. There were also some serious duds. Swimsuit shopping is super personal, but this will at least give you some fresh ideas perhaps.
- Free People High Neck Crop Top: I got this in black because I needed a black suit. My old one was in shreds. It is super comfy and stays in place well. I had never even heard of this site until Christie told me about it, and I’m kinda obsessed with their feature “FP Me,” where people submit pictures of themselves in their clothes. It’s genius. I can find someone with my similar body type versus the model types in all of the usual photos. Granted, I’m sure it’s mostly people who already look great in the clothes who are submitting their photos, but still, I like it.
- Patagonia Tankini: So I’m kinda obsessed with this one – it’s basically like a workout tank that you can swim in. I don’t love the color on me, but by the time I found it, it was all that was left. It’s SO comfy and soft and is very flattering for lots of body shapes, I imagine. I might wear this all summer.
- Athleta Strappy Bikini: I haven’t had tons of luck with Athleta in the past, but Christie encouraged me to try again. Their suits this year seem a better fit for me for whatever reason. I love the back on this one and how it’s kinda a marriage between a tankini and a bikini. It’s not going anywhere and looks sporty on.
- Sporty Splendid Blue Crop: I love how surfing is influencing swimwear for regular folks like me. This is super cute on, although if I’m going to deal with funky tan lines, I think I would probably stick with the Patagonia tankini instead. I really like this look though!
- Carve Designs Isla Tankini: I have a shirt that looks just like this and get lots of complements on it whenever I wear it, so I thought a similar swimsuit would be a natural idea. It’s very cute on, but if I keep this one, I’ll save it for solo pool dates with Grant because I don’t think it would hold up to tons of play with the kiddos.
- Athleta Tankini: The fit on this is very flattering and seems like it would wear really well too.
- JCrew Boy Short: This was the only thing I ordered from JCrew that has gotten here yet, but they’re definite keepers. I got them in navy blue to mix and match with some different tops I already have per Christie’s suggestion. It seems more like a hipster bottom than a boy short to me, but I really like how it fits.
- Patagonia Reversible Bottoms: I love Patagonia as a brand, so I was partial to these anyway. I don’t know how well reversible stuff holds up unless you’re really conscientious about evenly wearing both sides, but I love how these fit and how well both colors (I got the slate/black pictured here) go with lots of stuff I already have. After taking Christie’s suggestion to mix and match a bit more, I’ve found that I like some of my bathing suits I already have better with a contrasting bottom so it’s not so matchy-matchy, especially tankinis.
- Women’s Crochet High Neck Halter: Grant liked the FreePeople version better on me, but this was a more affordable option with the same cut. I liked the crochet part to spice things up a bit.
- Nike Swim Bottoms: Here is another great option if you just need to replenish some of your swim bottoms.
- Bandeau one-piece: After complaining about one-pieces for awhile (they just fit me weird), I tried this one and loved it! I’m saving it for those pool days in the summer where I want to play lots with the kids and drink and eat too much since it covers up lots! It comes with a detachable strap, so you can easily make it into more of a halter if that works better for you.
- Flounce bralette bikini: This one didn’t look that great on me, but my sister wears this style lots and loves it (and looks super cute). The “flounce” style seems to be everywhere this season, and it seems like a good compromise between style and sportiness.
- Swim skirt: I always think mumus when I hear swim skirt, but this one is very flattering, while still covering up some parts that not all of us want to be flashing around.
- Striped halter: I can’t resist stripes, and I like how the high halter style wears.
- Scrunch rashguard: Grant has been a fan of rash guards for years, but they always wear so tight on me, which I think is the point when you’re surfing, but I’ve only surfed twice in my life so it’s not something I need to worry too much about. This one could easily double as a cover-up with a pair of shorts, and I like how my tan lines wouldn’t be wacko like a normal rash guard.
- Halter one-piece: This one looked weird on me, but I loved the style and wanted to include it because I think it would be really cute on the right person. I weirdly like that high-waist trend that’s going around, even though I don’t pull it off well.
That was fun instead of the somewhat stress-inducing process that swim shopping can typically be. I’m totally on the Christie train about ordering online and then returning, even if you have to pay return shipping. I would gladly pay $6-$7 to be able to try stuff on in my own bedroom and avoid dragging the mongrels shopping with me. I love to swim and play in the sprinklers, so I’m hoping some of these choices will carry me through the summer season feeling a little extra confident and carefree.
What’s your go-to swimwear for the summer ahead?
