Even if it feels like summer ended ages ago, swim season is still in full swing if you want it to be.
Be it the Maldives or the YMCA pool, if you’re escaping someplace warm soon and need to ease back into a swimsuit, it’s best to default to a sure thing. In our world here at Bare Necessities, that means features like bra sizing, for the best fit and support, and built-in shapewear, because we’d argue we’re all a little squishier this time of year. Add a splash of chlorine resistance for soaking in a hot tub time or doing laps in a pool, and you’re right back in the swim of things.
Check out our expert swim buyer Megan Puma’s of-this-moment must haves:
Summer’s unofficial end may be a mere three weeks away, but swim season is still going strong. In fact, the first look at spring 2020 has just hit our shores here at Bare Necessities, and we’re giving you an exclusive preview as we transition over to fall. So whether you have a warm-weather getaway planned for over the holidays or just want to get a sneak peek of next swim season, don’t miss all the fun, flattering newness still flowing in, like…
It’s high summer at Bare Necessities. We’ve already dipped our toes in the water, easing into the season mostly with the help of our go-to, tried-and-true black swimsuits. Now we’re all warmed up and ready to head in bolder directions. Our favorite color at the moment: rainbow.
Swim expert Megan Puma has pulled together the full color spectrum to effortlessly give your look a tropical punch. And it almost goes without saying by now that each one has bonus benefits (bra cups, built-in slimming) that make it more than worthy of a spot in your suitcase.
All that’s left to do is pick your preferred palette.
Behind every great swimsuit is an amazing cover-up, so the saying goes (or something like that, anyway).
Bare Necessities swim buyer Megan Puma believes you don’t need a cover-up to expressly match every suit—the art is in the mix. “A cover-up should be this super easy thing you bring with you everywhere you go in summer,” she says. “They elevate and complete your look without taking up a lot of space. If you throw one in your carry-on, you can hit the beach right on arrival.”
Read on to see what stylish options she’s uncovered for every body that can take to to the beach—and beyond—all summer long.
Memorial Day is here, Memorial Day is here! Summer’s unofficial official kick-off means this is the time to make sure that sandals are broken in, beach bags are cleaned out and swimwear is looking good and ready to go.
We’re back with Bare Necessities‘ own Megan Puma, ace swimwear buyer, to find out where this season’s styles are taking us.
“Memorial Day is exciting because it’s a glimpse of what’s to come, the first crack at the season,” Megan says. “Whether you’re at the community pool with the kids or a lake house with friends, people are going to be seeing you in swimwear, so just like anything else, you have plan in advance and put outfits together a little bit. This is the time to finally cut the tags off and get in there.”
Two true statements: Swim season is here, and it is short.
Your mission is to size up your swimwear, part ways with anything that doesn’t make you look and feel fabulous, and restock on bikinis, tankinis and one-pieces designed to do just that before all the cute ones in your size sell out.
And while you could certainly snap up a fab new black tank suit (side note: do!) and call it a day, that wouldn’t the most fun you could have under the sun, now would it? On such a tiny piece of real estate, swimwear is a pleasantly low-risk place to test the water on mood-boosting trends.
With the help of Bare Necessities swimwear buyer Megan Puma, we’ve put together the newest, most flattering looks that are big on quality, support, value and style. Now choose your favorites and get in your element, bathing beauty…!
Whether you’re adulting your way through winter or still in school, have you ever heard two lovelier words strung together than spring and break?
If you’re lucky, you’ve got a trip lined up somewhere sunny and a packing list weeks in the making. (What’s a vacation if not something to obsessively look forward to?)
Everyone here at Bare Necessities is just as excited to get into a new season—so much so that we rounded up the essential spring getaway pieces we’re packing. Pick one from the categories you need, and away you go.
If you haven’t tried it before, shaping swimwear sounds like it has to be uncomfortable and uncute.
If you have tried it, you know it’s neither.
That goes double when we’re talking about the latest collections from Miraclesuit, Magicsuit and new contouring styles from Coco Reef. These swimsuits go so far beyond what you might expect from a piece of shapewear in aquatic form. Translation: stepped-up prints and fashion-forward silhouettes, like one-shoulder and rompers, all rendered in the best-looking, most body-refining fabrics known to womankind.
Figure flattery never looked so smoking hot. This season’s Bare Necessities suits so aren’t your mama’s shaping swimwear.
So you and your girls have a pretty extra summer planned. Maybe you’re renting a beach house for a long weekend, or you’re piling onto a plane to recharge and let loose someplace tropical. Either way, those precious few days and nights will likely involve Instagram-worthy hats and sunnies, old inside jokes, suntan lotion chased with aloe and a fair number of rum-based cocktails.
With you and your crew in mind, Bare Necessities swimwear buyer Megan Puma played personal shopper, pulling the best bikinis (and an unforgettable one-piece) for everyone in the inner circle. Just match the squad member with her ideal swimsuit and get packing.
Your ride-or-die BFF knows how to read your mood with a single emoji. She can always be counted on for an airport pick-up, a reliable second opinion and a good cathartic cry. She carries both Advil and Tylenol, because she knows girls need choices. She is the swimwear equivalent of a bra-sized bikini.
Freya Sundance Sweetheart Bikini: Everyone is going wild for the new black cherry color of this uplifting, fabulously fitting full-bust bikini that locks and loads in style.
Freya Run Wild Idol Bikini: “This is the same shape and fit as the uber-popular Idol bra,” says Megan. The hot tub-friendly version has a chic abstract animal print and three different coverage options in the bottoms—in other words, plays well with others.
Bless her, this friend doesn’t have a single mean bone in her body. She’s kind to animals, allergic to gossip, tips lavishly and has a laugh you would recognize a mile away. She’s basically a real-life fairy tale princess, and she dresses the part.
Freya Endless Summer Underwire Bandeau Bikini: Megan loves the optional strap on this ruffled, watercolor top, which comes in D to G cups. It looks more unstructured than it is, with side-boning and power-net back wings.
Becca Femme Flora Ruffle Bikini: Ruffle-trimmed triangle cups for chest sizes 32 to 40 stretches on overhead like a bralette. Pair it with the coordinating romper cover-up for a darling matchy-matchy look.
You know who we mean—she can’t kick back in a lounge chair for more than fifteen minutes before she’s off joining a pick-up volleyball game, hiking a volcano or learning to stand-up paddleboard. She rises with the sun to hit the hotel gym; her only tan line is from her Fitbit.
Pour Moi Glamazon Scoop Neck Underwire Bikini: Trimmed in basketball-esque mesh netting for that just-one-of-the-guys appeal, this scoop-neck bra-sized knockout is as comfy and functional as it is fabulous.
Though she lost her driver’s license in the ocean the day you arrived, you find her endlessly endearing. She is always fashionably late. She likes to keep things interesting, and she’s down for turning up on the dance floor and at the bar—just be sure to get her a wake-up call if you want to see her at brunch.
Pour Moi Glamazon Double Strap Bikini: Sexy layered straps turn it from “game day” to “game on” (see image at top of post). Bottoms range from scant and side-tied to high-leg briefs.
Miss Mandalay Icon Strappy Bikini: Miss Mandalay brings the drama with a strap-happy suit in a bold cobalt color. Choose from two equally modern bottom styles with the same cool strap detail served up different ways.
The easygoing earth goddess who walks among you is happy to roll with whatever—so long as she’s not missing any music festivals. She’s seriously considering opening a coconut stand on the beach and never going back home.
Seafolly Bali Hai Underwire Bikini Top, DD-Cups: With DD-cups and convertible straps, these Far-East florals on a batik background bring a little luau wherever you go. Just tuck a flower over one ear.
Tommy Bahama Cowrie Diamond Halter Bikini: A classic blue-and-white shibori halter inspired by cowrie shells needs only a wood bead necklace and a piña colada. The sarong-esque skirted bottom is like a built-in cover-up.
She’s single and ready to mingle, so why shouldn’t her swimwear say as much? There are worse places to meet someone than paradise. So play on at the playa, player. Bring on those summer nights…and these suits.
Robin Piccone Luca Plunge One-Piece: The bikini’s brave older sister is this un-basic black, deep-vee halter, with hardware suggestive of a bar piercing.
Luli Fama Mambo Push-Up Halter Bikini: If you love this friend, then whatever you do, please do not pull her over to the swim-up bar by the lace-up straps.
THE ONE WHO CAN SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF WHATEVER COUNTRY YOU’RE IN
This is the friend who fills half her suitcase with novels and plays Duolingo and Words with Friends on her phone in her down time. You rely on her to plot out the itinerary, read a map, converse with the concierge in his native tongue and generally get things handled.
Becca Tahiti Halter Bikini: A toile-inspired floral print with darling crochet trim and an adjustable string tie in back is understatedly sweet and smart. A white bikini made wearable, in Tahiti or Tijuana.
Pour Moi Barcelona Halter Bikini: The metallic threads woven into this pinup-worthy, supportive underwire halter sparkle in the sun—not unlike your amigas.
Jessica Weiss is a 38-year-old wife and mom of two little boys who loves to run marathons and box. Her passion is helping others love the skin they’re in, which she does though her skincare sales business. It was time for Jess to do the same herself. Why now? Two words: swim season.
“I recently completed a round of Whole30, and I’m feeling pretty great about myself. I’d love to see how a properly-fitting bathing suit looks on this ‘mom bod.’ I’m realizing my figure has changed post-kids,” Jess told Bra Fit Expert Mette in preparation for her fitting. “The girls aren’t as perky as they used to be, so finding a swimsuit that’s flattering, supportive and, dare I say, a little sexy, has been hard.” Typically a tankini fan, Jess was open to a high-waisted bikini or a one-piece, so long as it fit well: “I need to be able to wrangle my boys in the pool and at the beach.”
Her bra game could also use an update. “I love a supportive bra because it helps with my posture and my shirts fitting properly, but it’s tough to find ones that don’t look like old-lady bras!”
BEFORE “I’d love a new, great-fitting swimsuit for what I think are my 38DD boobs,” Jess told Bra Fit Expert Mette in their first phone conversation. “I’ve never found one I love. They either smoosh my girls into shapes they shouldn’t be, or they seem to be sagging to my knees.”
Jess had in rotation “one swimsuit from a year or two ago that’s supposedly bra-sized, but I can’t get it to support me enough—it keeps my boobs so low. Another mashes my chest into a weird shape.” She also needed a suit that could pass her Mom Tests: Can she put it on without help? Can she lift a kid up in a pool without inviting a wardrobe malfunction?
Jessica’s “before” bra didn’t do her any favors
To get the swim right, we had to start with Jessica’s bras. She had been wearing mostly Target finds (like the one at left), and a Panache sports bra for running. While on speakerphone, Mette had Jessica measure herself. Turns out Jess wasn’t far off, though she was halfway in between sizes, making her either a 36 or a 38 band and a DD or DDD cup depending on brand and style.
“Measurements are almost never the be-all, end-all. There’s so much else to take into consideration,” Mette told her. They talked not only size but shape and volume, too. Mette asked Jess to describe her breasts.
“That’s a really interesting question!” Jess said. Like a lot of women, she’d never given it much thought. “They don’t touch in the middle, but they’re not wide apart, and they’re still pretty full and dense. My right boob is bigger than my left.”
Mette reassured Jess of how typical that is and taught her the scoop-and-swoop method (“It makes a big difference”) of deliberately filling up each cup. As for preferences, Jess was in Mette’s hands. Like Stitchfix, which Jess had tried with success, she left the decision-making up to her personal bra fit stylist.
THEREVELATION In a coup, Mette’s first-round shipment already contained the winners within. Stylistically, Jess loved all the bras and suits Mette sent: “Everything I loved, I never would have picked out for myself!”
Chantelle’s Rive Gauche won out among the bras. The soft, stretchy 38F (since it’s a European-sized bra, that’s equal to a DDD in US-sizing) was equally pretty and supportive. The Elomi Matilda was the best out of that brand; the Amelia T-shirt bra didn’t do anything for Jess. Ditto Panache Envy.
The swim stunner was the Fantasie Ottawa Twist one-piece in a 38E. “I have seriously never felt so comfortable in a bathing suit and it supported my boobs without making them look huge. I love it so much! It was so pretty and flattering. I could adjust the little ties at the hips for more or less coverage so I can wear this same suit anywhere,” raved Jess. “When my husband saw me trying it on, he said, “Babe, that’s it, that’s what you’ve been looking for.’ Because I can do anything in it. I could go to a party with friends, I could play with the kids. It’s not a mom suit that makes it seem like I want to go hide in a corner, but I’m still a mom, so it covers everything. It’s really just a lovely suit. I was so excited to finally find The One.”
A close second: the Fantasie Malundi tankini, which scored points for a great fit and the pretty watercolor pattern. While cute, the balconette cups of the seashell-print Panache Milano offered too much definition for the kiddie pool, Jess felt.
As is often surprisingly the case, Jessica’s bra size didn’t automatically translate to her swim size. US and European bras tend to be more generously cut. In swim, she went with Fantasie, a UK-sized brand, which tends to be cut truer to size, and you don’t necessarily want your swimsuit to be as tight around as you do your bra, Mette explained.
AFTER “There is a 100 percent difference in where I started and where I ended up, and it was so easy,” Jess said with no small satisfaction.
“The Chantelle Rive Gauche is amazing, beautiful and fits great. This is my first three-part-cup bra, and I’m surprised by how much I like it. I always wore a full-coverage T-shirt bra, which wasn’t very sexy. This is sexy but not so much that I can’t wear every day. It’s supportive, and wearing it makes me feel good.”
In the Fantasie one-piece, she said, “It was so refreshing to not have my chest be the focal point. I don’t think it minimized me, but it somehow made me look like an average-size girl. Hands down, this is the most comfortable suit I have ever worn. It doesn’t pull my chest or bring attention to it, it just supports it so you can be yourself and do your thing.” Mette concurred: “When you’re in the right size and fit, you will look smaller. Just look at her waist!”
For someone like her, at wit’s end trying to get the best fit, Jess recommended “giving the Bare Necessities ladies a call. They know what they’re talking about and what they’re doing over the phone. At first I thought that was totally weird, and it goes against everything you think you know about having a bra fitting, but they ask all the right questions. It’s crazy, but it works. I am here to give the big-boobed hope!”
Winter is a great excuse for snuggling and all, but ratcheting up the thermostat to 85 degrees just isn’t the same as when the mercury gets there on its own. The sun, a little breeze on your warm skin—it makes a world of difference, mentally and physically. It’s a feeling you want to consume and carry through the rest of the year. We’re here for it at Bare Necessities.
In fact, we’re wearing it right now in the form of sexy swimwear and lingerie, because you’ve got to turn up for the life you want. C’mon in and find what makes you feel most alive.
Summer—make that life—is too damn short to do otherwise.
At the risk of jinxing it, it appears spring is finally, really, actually, officially and irrevocably here. Seems like a safe-enough time—quick, knock wood—to send the sweaters packing and turn to pressing matters like our sandal and swimsuit situations.
With Memorial Day squarely in sight, Bare Necessities is here to start things off with the swim part of the equation. And since we’re just coming out from under all those layers and feeling a bit more…well, pale and squishy, frankly…than we hope to be by July or August, we’re doing it delicately.
That can only mean one highly essential thing: cover-ups.
Those chic, breezy security blankets are the perfect segue between showing no skin and baring it all, between feeling warm rays on your shoulders and promptly burning to a crisp, between showing up for those first warm days and endlessly waiting for the height of summer.
This season, our swim buyer Megan Puma has assembled the freshest cover-up mix to date, and paired them for you with a few good suits. Pretty much all that’s left to do is put one on and head on out.
