I’ve had my eye on Marysia swimwear for years now. I had yet to pull the trigger because, quite frankly, they’re expensive. But oh-so-pretty, the kind of pieces that make me gasp a little, even though they’re not necessarily revealing. Instead, they’re a subtle sort of girl-next-door, sexy-by-accident kind of swimwear. And that signature scalloped edge has launched a thousand knock-offs. So: given the cost of the real thing, is it better to go with a knock-off?
I know I’m not the only one wondering if the all of the professed love of Marysia on social media is warranted. We often get comments and questions asking us exactly that, so I figured it was past time for a full review. One that included not just a try-on session, but actually testing these pieces. Do they, for example, stay put while wrangling kids at the beach and the pool, and what do they look like when wet? I mean…if I’m going to pay $300 for a suit, it had better work in real life.
Here’s what I learned….
5 Things To Know Before Buying Marysia Swimwear
1. Marysia Fabric is GORGEOUS
First of all, the fabric is EVERYTHING. It’s truly luxe and soft and comfortable, and may make you hate all other swimwear. The colors are especially pretty in person, and tend to be really unique and fresh color choices.
bikini top | bikini bottoms | towel
This fabric is so comfortable, in fact, that I wore this Marysia bikini top instead of a bralette during a recent road trip to the shore.
top | bikini top | pants | bag
2. When Wet, The Light Colors Shows Lumps & Bumps
When dry, the fabric is totally amazing — flattering, luxe, comfy — everything. When wet, however, the fabric clings. This can be sexy, but if you are a little uncomfortable about cellulite or a squishy stomach, a light-colored Marysia suit may not be your best bet.
This bikini top, for example, showed some of the, uh, puckering from my implants when wet (hi, breast cancer survivor here, double mastectomy blah blah blah). Now I suspect NO ONE else would ever notice the puckering, but I sure did.
This problem goes away completely with the dark colors. The fabric still clings when wet, but you won’t notice any problem areas under a darker colored Marysia suit.
3. That Scalloped Edge Can’t Really Be Knocked Off
If you’ve ever tried other scalloped edged suits….I’ve found that most of them don’t lay properly. The scallops stick out, or get crushed or something. They end up not looking that great. The Marysia scallops, because of the insanely good fabric and perfectly placed stitching, stay in place and always seem to look good.
4. Beware The Marysia Strapless Bikini Top
There’s something about the construction of the strapless bikini top that makes the sides very itchy. It doesn’t necessarily happen at first, but once it’s been on for a bit, the itching starts and then…builds. To be sure I wasn’t being overly sensitive, I tried this top on several different days over several weeks…but the itching always ended up driving me crazy. Gwen showed up for one of these try-on sessions, and she gave it a go, too. At first, she was fine, but then 20 min in…also itchy. (And Gwen isn’t typically one to complain about itchy sweaters like I am.)
Furthermore, the top doesn’t stay put. Any movement at all causes the cups to slide down….resulting in a wardrobe malfunction (thank god for strategically-placed hair).
5. The Fit is Mostly* True-To-Size
Unlike some of the surf brands that skew very teenager-y (making me size up from an XS to an XL #eyeroll)…Marysia swimsuits and bikinis fit pretty true to size. The bottoms might run a little small. I was happy with the size small in everything except for the strapless bikini top — I’m wearing a size medium. As a point of reference, I typically take an XS bottom and Medium top in J.Crew swimwear.
The Marysia Bikinis & Swimsuits I Tried For This Review
The Marysia Palm Spring Maillot
I adore the subtle sexiness of this suit. There’s a ballerina vibe here that I can’t get enough of. The suit is almost modest, yet is so flattering and gorgeous that I still felt young and sexy.
I loved the crisp white, but am nervous about it clinging to my stomach when wet….
….the black is prob a better choice for me.
The Marysia Antibes Scalloped Bikini Top & Bottom
As I mentioned earlier, this is the top that itched and wouldn’t stay up. But the bottoms are great, and there’s a matching string top that would make a really cute set.
string bikini top | bikini bottoms
Marysia Mexico Top
This is the set I ended up keeping. It’s comfortable, gorgeous, and is a bikini that plays. I’ve been getting a ton of compliments on it. I also love that my shoulders are covered — that’s the part of my body that gets the most sun, so it’s nice to have a cute coverage option.
Shop My Favorite Marysia Swimsuits & Bikinis
The best places to look for Marysia (if you just want the max amount of sizes/colors to choose from) is Revolve Clothing. Hands-down. If you are hoping to snag a piece or two on sale, I’ve found that Net-a-Porter and Saks Fifth Avenue are the best places to look right now.
p.s. Revolve does have certain colors on sale, but you’ve got to click through the links below and check each color option to see if it’s on sale. However…if Net-a-Porter or Saks have a certain color on sale but has sold out of your size, it’s worth looking at Revolve. Likely if a color is on sale somewhere, Revolve is usually* matching that sale. (*Unless it’s black. For example, the black mexico swimsuit is on sale at Saks, but not price-matched at Revolve.)
xo,
S
For the pinners…
