One Piece Three Ways.
Seafolly Inka Rib 80s Tank One Piece, Veronika Maine pants, Nine West heels, Reliquia Spiral Hoop Earrings
I've worked with swimwear for nearly six years. I can't even explain how crazy that is to me. Along the way I have learnt a lot more than I ever thought I could about swimwear and people - but thats not what this post is about. I spend a lot of my day talking about how to style swimwear to make it look like a part of your outfit and obviously one pieces are perfect substitutes for bodysuits. And most even have built in support for the gals. But I wanted to take it one step further than beachy style and have a play with using my favourite one piece as a body suit in slightly dressier looks. Today was the first hot day of the warmer seasons it ended up being a perfect day to pull out a swimsuit - but these looks are probably better for milder weather!
Look 1
This was the first combination that came to mind when thinking about how to style this one piece. I've owned these pants for two years now and they've maybe seen a handful of wears. I bought them for my second internship (in no other than Seafolly's head office) and they have proved to be the perfect pants to style up or down. I like to think of this look as the perfect in-between point. I could throw a blazer on and head off to an office job and then without could become evening drinks. The fact that this one piece is textured would make this even easier to pull off - no one ever guesses that its a swimsuit because it just doesn't have that sheeny lycra look.
I would even wear this as a date night look - especially if we'd been on more than one date but were still in early days. Most people look to lingerie for that secret little something to boost their confidence but nothing boosts it more than a secret that no one would ever guess. Trust me, if you wear a swimsuit as part of your outfit in public for a while it makes you feel unstoppable making something most people are terrified of being seen in a part of your look.
Look 2
Speaking of a good date night look this would be another great outfit for that. I did think of getting a silkier skirt for this but unless your swimsuit is completely seamless and slimline all it would become is a mess of lines. So going with a more elasticised skirt turned out to be perfect.
This is an outfit that I kind of wish I wore clubbing while that was still something I did a couple of times a year (#grannylyf). Even in the morning with cars driving past looking at me like I was crazy I felt like a bad-ass. I could just picture myself boogying to some good music and then skipping through the Valley with my besties to the next club. You may think that wouldn't be possible in these heels but I have witnesses!
Seafolly Inka Rib 80s Tank One Piece, Witchery Earrings, Wittner Heels, Christie Nicholaides Lunetta Earrings
Look 3
Seafolly Inka Rib 80s Tank One Piece, Leather Jacket, Country Road Jeans, Tony Bianco Vienna Slides, Ilymix Retro 90s Thin Cat Eye Sunglasses, Reliquia Spiral Hoop Earrings
Anyone in the Northern Hemisphere (or you know Melbourne) this one is for you! The perfect way to style a one piece that is casual but still doesn't look like you're on a beach holiday and ran out of clean tops - we've all been there. Like the first look this still looks good without a jacket but there's just something about putting black and light blue denim together that I couldn't not include it.
Honestly this is something I would wear every day casually. I'm gonna make a shocking confession here - I don't wear trackies during the day unless I am sick. And thanks to an amazing technicality (my boyfriend) I don't actually own a pair that is really mine. So on days off during winter I live in jeans with knits, tees and bodysuits.
This outfit would literally take me through shopping days - even for groceries, girls brunches and coffee catch ups, all the way through to a day at my laptop writing blogs and planning business things.
To be honest I'm a little disappointed I didn't come up with this look two weeks ago while it was still colder. I can probably get a bit of wear out of it yet without the jacket but I think it really makes this look.
So there's just three examples of how to style a swimsuit as clothing. You an honestly extend this out to infinite combinations of dressy, casual and beach holiday depending on what your one piece looks like. And bikini tops make the perfect bralettes! Sometimes even bra alternatives if you've held off washing for too long (been there).
As someone who has spent most of their adult life fitting women's swimwear I've seen first hand just how daunting, frustrating and sometimes downright nightmarish buying swimwear can be. And when I say this I want you to know this is not because I'm a sales-person:
with larger ranges and technology changes it is getting MUCH easier to find the perfect swimsuit when it comes to summer.
And I know that that sounds like the biggest eye roll, yeah right statement ever for most women. Believe me I see it every day when I tell people that. But I prove that statement right far more often than I ever do wrong. So I want to impart that knowledge on you guys incase you don't have an amazing store with well trained fitters near you. My next blog post is going to be everything you need to know about fitting swimwear and I want to know all your questions, fears and struggles when swim shopping to make sure I don't miss a single one. Please let me know either through the comments or a personal message and I promise I will make you the best damn swim fitting guide on the internet.
Thank you so much for reading this post lovelies!