It wasn’t so long ago that we were comparing women’s curves to fruits and assigning swimsuit cuts to specific body types. Skimpier bottoms allegedly looked best on petite frames, while full-coverage briefs were recommended for those of us with hips. Less fabric was considered sexier as a rule, while covered-up one-pieces were reserved for mom. Well, enough with all of that! It’s 2019, and anything goes, and we’ve more or less scrapped the rule book. High-rise bikini bottoms and maillots are now considered chic and sophisticated, not frumpy, and on the opposite token, V-cut ’80s bottoms have become a fast favorite for women of every shape and size. Who says you have to choose, though? Plenty of us have a drawer stuffed with every silhouette and trend, from barely there to full coverage.
As summer draws to a close, we have a new wild card to consider: the swim skirt—i.e., an itty-bitty miniskirt in lieu of a cheeky hipster or bikini bottom. It feels a little ’50s-ish, with the added bonus of being seriously practical. (Who needs a cover-up when your swimsuit has a built-in skirt?) We’ve seen a few one-pieces with skirts, too, like Norma Kamali’s peony pink version, which is essentially just a waterproof dress. As with any swimsuit trend, today’s swim skirts come in virtually every color and print under the sun, from Lisa Marie Fernandez’s shimmery gold set to Solid & Striped’s denim bikini.
