The 2023 Swim Shop
The Mom Edit 2023 Swim Guide is here! Welcome to our annual guide to the coolest one-piece swimsuits money can buy. We’re talking about bathing beauties with strategically placed cut-outs, sophisticated color-blocking or tons of texture. Whether you’re looking for a postpartum swimsuit for nursing, a full-coverage bathing suit for blocking sun and chasing toddlers, or want something more daring (a high waist, perhaps, cheeky bottom, or plunging neckline?) we have recommendations for those, too.
pssst…if you’re looking for two-piece swimsuits, our Bikini Guide is right here (2023 updates, coming soon!).
While we always round up tons of black swimsuits (guilty…they’re our favs), we’re also really excited about the earth tones this year, especially the wide range of tan-friendly browns, bronzes and tan bathing suits. They’re unexpected and so chic. New for 2023? A bunch of jewel-toned swim in deep wine colors, emerald green, and too-bright-to-quite-be-navy blue.
Per usual, we’ve included plus-size, postpartum-friendly and sustainable styles in our roundup, as well as in their own special section at the end for easy shopping.
Ps. If you’re dying over Scotti’s black suit (pictured above), it’s the Active Deep V by Seafolly.
Shop Our Favorite One-Piece Swimsuits
Shop by color… BLACK | BRIGHTS | WHITE | PASTEL | EARTH TONES | MOODY BLUES | BROWN | JEWEL TONES
Shop by pattern….ANIMAL PRINT | TROPICAL PRINT | STRIPES | FLORAL | DARK FLORAL | COLOR-BLOCKED | GEOMETRIC | PLAYFUL PRINTS | DOTS | CHECKS | BOHO
Shop by shape….SURF SUITS | POSTPARTUM | PLUS-SIZE
Shop your conscience…. SUSTAINABLE | BLACK-OWNED | READER FAVORITES
THE SWIM SHOP
What’re we eyeing for 2023? Well… bright suits in sunny yellows, oranges, reds and — big emphasis here — bright pinks are making our hearts beat fast… and we’re still keeping earth tones on our radar. Don’t overlook the seriously chic tropical prints, of course, but we’re really obsessing over all the brown suits.
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 & postpartum 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.
The Best Black Bathing Suits (Over $100)
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….
The Best Black Bathing Suits (Under $100)
Bright & Bold Bathing Suits
Orange, yellow, red and pink generally have a strong comeback each season, but there’s even more this year (with a huge emphasis on the pink).
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.
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.
Earth-Tone Swimwear
From bronze to shades of green – that’s what we’re going for here. Allll the earthy, warm colors that set off our tans.
Moody Blue Swimwear
We’ve noticed a resurgence of blue shades recently, but they’re a bit on the sultry side. Some navy, darker teal shades…anything that screams: moody.
Brown Swimwear
It’s all about the deep chocolatey browns, tans and mauves this season. Consider us obsessed.
Jewel-Tone Swimwear
For those of you who aren’t into the super bright colors, this is for you. Or maybe our fall/winter fashion lovers can like summer a little more in a pretty jewel-tone swimsuit. We’re thinking: emerald greens, deep purples, and rich reds.
Animal Print Swimsuits
The key to wearing animal print swimwear 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!
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.
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.
Geometric Print Swimsuits
Geometric, mosaic-like prints are not only super-interesting to look at…they can actually be super flattering (especially for postpartum mamas). The distracting pattern and sharp lines help create a complimentary fit.
Playful Prints
The playful, conversation prints — they live here. Different shapes, fruity prints, intricate foliage…the kind of suits that look like wearable art.
Swimwear With Checks, Plaids or Gingham
There’s a wide variety of checked swimsuits that we’re loving this year — houndstooth, gingham, buffalo check…the list goes on.
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! We’re limited in terms of what we can put into these handy shopping widgets, but you can find a more complete round-up of our favorite Black-Owned Swimwear brands here.
Sustainable Swimwear
You can find sustainable suits mixed throughout, but they’re also all rounded up below!
Readers’ Favorite Swimsuits
Over the years we’ve accumulated lots of swim favorites and so have our readers! Here you’ll see all the suits you guys have been loving.
