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Choosing the Best Swimsuit Cover-Up

Cover-Ups: A Crucial Summer Wardrobe Staple

Whether you are planning to visit the beach, take a vacation at a luxury resort, or sip a tasty cocktail at a beachside bar, it is essential to have the perfect cover-up. Choosing one of these must-have accessories is just as important as selecting your swimsuits. This is because it may be the first thing everyone sees when you arrive at the beach or a pool party.

Because cover-ups can be found in as many different styles and designs as bathing suits themselves, you should take just as much time looking over your cover-up options as you did when selecting your swimsuits.

Regardless of whether you are basking near your resort’s swimming pool, visiting the beach, or sipping a fruity drink at a surfside bar, the perfect cover-up is an essential item.

This must-have accessory is the ideal piece to style up your swimsuit and give a bit of extra coverage whenever desired. 

girl wearing swimsuit cover-up full length

Kimono Cover Ups

Another failsafe choice is the kimono cover up. The always popular kimono cover-up is a breezy, lightweight option that shows off your great taste in swimsuits, while offering just enough coverage for the tiki bar or beachside café.

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Crocheted Cover-Ups

Crocheted cover-ups are always a fool proof choice, as they are both timeless and flattering. Versatile enough to be beachy or bohemian, this type of cover-up works well with any style swimsuit.

To create a look that is both beachy and boho, try a timeless crochet cover-up that works well with essentially any bathing suit. 

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Girl wearing crochet swimsuit cover up kneeling on beach
Lady on beach wearing belted cover up

Belted Cover-Ups

Never overlook the simple belted cover-up, as this is a great item to have in your arsenal. Belted styles are a particularly good choice if you enjoy looking polished and sophisticated. 

The ever popular belted cover-up is an item you should definitely have in your arsenal as well. This style has an efficient way of cinching everything in its appropriate place, giving you a refined, fitted and polished look.  

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Maxi-Style and Plus Size Cover-Ups

Perhaps you are searching for the best beach cover-ups for your body, but want something that offers fuller coverage than a crochet or sheer style. If this is the case, don’t forget the flawless and failsafe maxi style cover-up that creates instant Grecian goddess vibes and is sure to turn heads at the pool. This style is also a solid choice if you are looking for plus size swimsuit cover ups.

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Lingerie Style Cover-Ups

For an ultra-sexy look, consider lingerie style cover-ups that are not quite nighties, but create a similarly sensuous illusion. If you want to make sure you choose a cover-up that is not too risqué, select a lingerie style garment that is opaque rather than sheer, as this gives you the best of both worlds.

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Shirt Dress Cover-Ups

Don’t forget the traditional shirt dress cover-up, which is perfect for virtually any body type or swimsuit style.

They are renowned for blending well with virtually any swimsuit style. They are also perfect for essentially any body type, so whether you lose a few or gain a few, you’ll still have the perfect cover-up.

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Terry Cloth Cover-Ups

Of course, we cannot forget about the original, decades-old but not forgotten, terrycloth cover-up. No longer does this classic option look like a mini bathrobe. Rather, fun styles in materials rivaling that of your most plush bath towels are now available in a broad range of colors, patterns and lengths.

If you want something attractive, but comfort is a big goal as well, opt for a practical, downy soft terrycloth wrap that will never go out of style.

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Nontraditional Cover-Ups

Whether a cover-up is primarily a stylish or practical piece of attire will always be a debatable subject. However, one thing that almost all shoppers and designers would agree on is that there is no law that says a person must choose a classic style or design when acquiring this essential piece of beachwear.

If you like to be original, you may wish to consider a non-traditional cover-up, such as a dramatic kimono style adorned with embellishments like lace, rhinestones or intricate cut-out patterns.

You may also decide to take a leap of faith and try a funky, plastic cover-up that protects you from wind and water, but does not actually cover anything. Beware that this option is quite hot–in more ways than one–which probably does not surprise you. However, rather than a full-blown plastic wrap, you can also opt for a cover-up made from traditional material into which plastic panels are cut.

Although they have been around for long time, ultra cropped hoodie-style cover-ups rule the roost in the non-traditional category. They are simply a must-have if you are going for that baddie girl look. This style is essentially the same sleeveless hoodie you wore over your tank top in the fall, only reworked to function as a swimwear accessory.

Never overlook beach pants or dismiss them as “too covered up for the beach.” On the contrary, pants of this kind are flattering, sexy and practical all at the same time. Each year, they flutter down the runways in a variety of sheers, patterns and prints, and are an ideal addition to the beachwear section of your closet.

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Matching Swimsuits and Cover-Ups

Although designers change their minds as often as the seasons change, it is still entirely up to you whether you go for full look coordination or an eclectic ensemble. There is nothing set in stone regarding matching your swimsuits and cover-ups if you would rather mix and match based on your mood.

On the other hand, if you prefer a just stepped off the runway look, you can achieve that as well. Fortunately, there is a vast array of stunning combinations from which to choose, which are limited only by your imagination.

For a classic look, consider a white, shirt dress style cover-up over a timeless black one piece swimsuit. If you are most at home in a bikini and sexy is the name of your game, consider combining your itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny with a lingerie style cover-up. If you want to go from brunch, to the beach, to poolside cocktails, combine any suit with a belted, maxi style cover-up to create the perfect look for all three.

Matching the color of your swimsuit to your cover-up is another strategy that makes things easy, as you can buy your bathing suits and cover-ups at the same time to ensure a coordinated look all summer long.

Opt for white or black cover-ups if you never want to worry about being mismatched. If you plan to spend a significant amount of time at a beach bar or poolside café, consider a fancy cover-up with embellishments such as tassels or fringes, as these styles can almost double as beach dresses.

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More is Better

In many instances, less is more in the world of fashion. Nevertheless, more is better in the world of cover-ups. If you plan to invest in several bathing suits, as all savvy shoppers do, make sure you also acquire several cover-ups to ensure you always have one on hand to complement whichever swimsuit you slip into, regardless of the occasion.

Fortunately, swimwear can be found to match virtually any personality, lifestyle and budget. So get out there and get a head start on your competition and fulfill your destiny as the swimsuit fashionista you were meant to be.

If you have numerous bathing suits, invest in several cover ups so you always have one on hand that complements whichever suit you choose and enjoy being fashionable all summer.

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