The 2021 Swim Shop
The Mom Edit 2021 Swim Guide is here! I mean…assuming we’ll even need swimsuits. (Here’s hoping with vaccination efforts increasing, we can have a little outdoor fun by summer.) But we have high hopes that maybe (fingers crossed) the beaches will — safely — remain open. Or that we’ll be able to escape to one of those almost deserted lakes in Upper Michigan (if it’s still safe to travel), or that someone we know (in a small group) will invite us to their pool.
If nothing else, I’ll be lounging on our back patio with some tunes and margaritas…in one of these cool bathing suits. Below, you’ll find our most recent swimwear reviews and dressing room selfies, as well as notes on current swimsuit trends (including plus-size, postpartum and sustainable styles), and then The Good Stuff: the bathing suits we’ve carefully selected for our swim guide. Cheers to inflatable pools!
THE SWIM SHOP
What’re we eyeing for 2021? Well…animal print swimsuits are still coming on strong (with even more options than last year), bright suits in sunny yellows, oranges and reds are making our hearts beat fast, and we’re still keeping tie-dye on our radar. Don’t overlook the seriously chic tropical prints, of course, but we’re still obsessing over all the earth-tones.
As for the classic black swimsuits…we have a whole (huge) section dedicated to black swimsuits that are decidedly NOT boring.
A note about plus-size swimwear: You’ll find our favorite plus-size swimsuits in almost every category below…but if you’d rather see them all together, we created a Plus-Size Swim section for this purpose. We did the same thing for postpartum swimsuits, too — the best suits for postpartum (or nursing) are peppered throughout AND can be found at-a-glance in the Postpartum Swim section.
Care about sustainability? All bathing suits that meet our definition of sustainable are marked as such (see our definition here), and have also been pulled together in a section called Sustainable Swim for ease of shopping.
Our Black-Owned business faves: We have a section dedicated to black-owned swimwear brands. Keep checking back as we add more!
As always, many of our swimsuit recommendations are based on the emails and rave reviews of our readers over the years — so a huge thank you to those of you who have written in, left comments, or — even better — sent in pics.
Shop Our Favorite One-Piece Swimsuits
Shop by color… BLACK | BRIGHTS | WHITE | PASTEL | EARTH TONES | MOODY DARKS
Shop by pattern….ANIMAL PRINT | TROPICAL PRINT | STRIPES | FLORAL | DARK FLORAL | COLOR-BLOCKED | TIE-DYE | CONVERSATION PRINTS | BOHO
Shop by shape….SURF SUITS | POSTPARTUM | PLUS-SIZE
Shop your conscience…. SUSTAINABLE | BLACK-OWNED
The Best Black Bathing Suits
Year after year, we’ve noticed that many of you choose a black one-piece as your default, go-to swimsuit. But there’s nothing basic about these suits. The latest ones have been elevated with cool details, sexy cut-outs, interesting shapes…all with creative backs (think:lacing) so they really stay put, too. Here are our hands-down favs….
Animal Print Swimsuits
The key to wearing animal print swim is to keep the vibe playful and fun. You want a cut that’s a bit revealing (steer clear from old-lady-classic), but not so bare that it looks too Jane of The Jungle. (Betty Rubble, maybe? Haha, just kidding.) Retailers seem to be having trouble keeping these in stock, so if you’re tempted…don’t hesitate!
Tropical Print Swimsuits
Looking for that vacation vibe? Here ya go.
Pastel Bathing Suits
Pastels are making a comeback, and we love. (Although, I think every year they slide their way into the trends somehow.) They’re feminine and sweet, but some of these backs still make ’em feel sexy.
Striped Swimmers
Can there be anything more flushed-cheeks, girl-next-door sexy than a striped suit? I think not. (And stripes can sometimes help distract from a pooch. Strange but true.)
Pretty Floral Swimsuits
Romantic and pretty, and still a little bit sexy. It’s hard to beat a good floral.
Dark Floral Swimsuits
Every bit as romantic and pretty…but with an edgier vibe.
Earth-Tone Swimwear
From bronze to tan to shades of green – that’s what we’re going for here. Allll the earthy, warm colors our hearts desire.
Moody Dark Swimwear
We’ve noticed a resurgence of darker shades in swimwear recently — maroons, dark blues, chocolate browns…any colors that you’d consider a little bit moody. Or sultry. That works here, too.
Color-Block Swimsuits
Color-blocking is a genius trick. The darker bottom camouflages a softer stomach, and a high-rise dark bottom will make your legs look miles long.
Tie-Dye Swimsuits
Tie-dye has essentially become the pattern of quarantine that we’ve all been rockin’…and that’s not stopping for summertime!
Conversation Print Swimwear
Conversation prints can be anything from gingham and polka dots to a totally abstract pattern…or even something I like to call a tile print. It’s a wild little mix that’s just plain old fun.
Bright & Bold Bathing Suits
Orange, yellow and red generally have a strong comeback each season, but there’s even more this year.
White Hot Swimsuits
The funny thing about white suits is that they look good on all skin tones…even the really pale ones. Something about them is just so chic and badass.
Boho Babe Bathing Suits (Think: Crochet)
These suits only look daring. They’re actually really easy to wear (yet super-sexy).
Surf Suits
Surfing, waterskiing, playing in the waves without fear….I find that I’m more inclined to play when I’m dressed for it. Since I’m always cold, my preferred method is to don a Spring Suit (aka a lightweight wetsuit with shorts) over my bikini. But if you don’t need all of that insulation (it is summer, after all), one of these will let you play — hard — without a wardrobe malfunction.
The Best Postpartum Swimsuits
The best suits for postpartum tend to have tummy control or ruching, a color-block situation (with the darker color over the tummy), and/or a front zip. Those sporty front-zip swimsuits are shockingly good postpartum! If you want to see a few different types of suits on a postpartum body, I covered this years ago….and then Julieta bravely re-created it, and added a few suggestions of her own (it’s awesome).
There are plenty of suits featured above that would, in fact, work great for stylish postpartum Mamas. So please don’t feel limited to this list below. If, however, you want a go-to suit that will just…suck it all in, then try one of these tried-and-true reader and TME team favorites.
Our Favorite Plus-Size Swimwear
Most of these suits have been included in the roundups above, but for ease of shopping, I’ve grouped them all together, here. (And added a few more….)
Black-Owned Swimwear Brands
You’ll find these suits sprinkled throughout the categories, but they’re also rounded up below!
Sustainable Swimwear
We marked which suits are sustainable throughout, but also rounded them all up in one place to make it easy!
Don’t Forget The Sunscreen!
Find my fav sunscreen (for myself and my guys) below…
