A one-piece gives you one less thing to worry about
Despite travel restrictions loosening globally, going abroad in the nascent post-pandemic era is still somewhat of a hassle. If you aren't yet double-vaccinated, there is a COVID-19 test to take – and pay for – in advance of your departure. Even if you are double-vaccinated and have been in a Green List country, the same applies for your return. Then, if you've sought to save money on baggage, there's the fiddly business of decanting your entire skincare routine into 100ml vessels. It's stressful, basically. Still, bring a one-piece swimsuit and that's your swimwear and a top to wear at night (and on cultural excursions) in one. Here are the best.
LA PERLA SWIMSUIT IN BLUE GINGHAM SEERSUCKER, £215
Even if gingham was not a print that screamed summer, we’d still be obsessed with this gingham swimsuit – which also comes in red – by the legendary La Perla. If you see us wearing it as a top then mind your own business.
HALF-BAKED SYLWIA SWIMSUIT, £120
In the world of one-piece swimsuits, nothing is more elegant than a black one-piece swimsuit with thin straps and a low back. How convenient, then, that Half Baked should have just that. While the fabric offers protection from UV rays (and chlorine), don’t forgo a suitable SPF when you’re wearing it – or ever.
VANESSA SPOSI THE BUSTIER SWIMSUIT, £168
If you’re looking for a swimsuit that is both strapless and sustainable, we recommend Vanessa Sposi. Primarily crafted in ECONYL® (a regenerated fabric made from the nylon waste that winds up in the ocean and landfill) and infused with antioxidants, vitamin E and aloe vera, this is a one-piece swimsuit that feels as good to wear as it looks.
FRANKIE'S BIKINIS CARTER CUTOUT SWIMSUIT, £180 AT BROWNS
One-piece swimsuits have a reputation for being the dowdy relations of bikinis. As – the ironically named given the point we are trying to prove – Frankies Bikinis demonstrates with its high cut cutout swimsuit, this is a wildly incorrect assumption. Here’s to proving people wrong one underboob flash at a time.
PUCCI Plunge-neck Albizia-print halterneck swimsuit, £370 AT MATCHESFASHION
There would be no greater joy than wearing this Emilio Pucci halterneck swimsuit in some faraway place that took a charter flight to reach. Now might be the time to book that second vaccination appointment.
If you can’t comfortably wear a strapless swimsuit but want to feel freer than what two straps will traditionally allow, an asymmetric swimsuit offers a solution (and a defined waist where this belted number by EVARAE is concerned).
ERNEST LEOTY ANAIS SWIMSUIT, £115
“You feel covered and supported,” says Marion Rabate, founder and CEO of Ernest Leoty, on the reason that she prefers to wear underwired swimsuits. Indeed, if banishing bras is unthinkable in your universe, you probably feel the same.
ARKET SQUARE-NECK SWIMSUIT, £45
The rumours that we love lilac – especially when it comes in the form of a square neck swimsuit – are true.
GANNI LEOPARD PRINT SWIMSUIT, £145 AT HARVEY NICHOLS
Even the most godawful mosquito bites will not stop you from looking glamorous in this Ganni swimsuit – that’s the power of leopard print.
Someone somewhere will see you in this COS swimsuit and feel instantly refreshed. By that logic, wearing it is an altruistic gesture (and perhaps an excuse for a holiday).
Header image | La perla