I’ve never been into swimsuits. I’ve always had too many insecurities about my body to feel confident strolling the beach in a suit, whether it’s a bikini or a one-piece. But on this trip, I finally realized that life is too short to worry about cellulite or whatever and decided to let it go and have some fun with my swimsuits. Plus, I’m in Brazil where women, no matter their size or age, bare it (almost) all on the beach. Here, all women wear bikinis, and the bikins are pretty tiny!
As an American, I find it fascinating to watch Brazilians strolling the beaches…men and women of all ages and shapes strutting around in Speedos and bikinis (no one-pieces, no cover ups). After lounging on a beach towel for a bit, they’ll get up and play with the kids, running clumsily on the sand, and then take a long walk from one end of the beach to the other in just their tiny suits. Everyone shows their imperfections with such audacity — it’s really quite liberating!
So, let’s talk more about those suits. What kind of swimsuit do you wear? Why? In Brazil, the smaller the better, especially when it comes to the back of the suit. That doesn’t mean that everyone wears those thong bikinis that are a common sight on the beaches of Rio, but a “cheeky” suit is much more the norm here than full-coverage bikini bottoms.
Lately I’ve been mixing it up with a classic black one-piece, a couple of bikinis with hipster bottoms, a halter top, and a tiny bikini that fits right in in Brazil. I also bought a rash guard shirt for the first time. I also have a lot of tops and bottoms that can be mixed and matched — a solid color bottom with a floral top, for example. I don’t buy a lot of patterns or light colors (I have about 4 black swimsuits!), but it’s so easy to have some fun with swimsuits with a pattern, bright colors, and some plain pieces for mixing and matching with other colors or patterns. If you’re ready to have some fun with your swimsuits, here are some ideas:
Bikinis (click the photos for more info)
A basic suit with minimal coverage, a cute halter top and side-tie bottom, a hipster bottom for a retro look, a fun pattern (strawberries!) a bandeau top with underwire for more support, a tankini for when you want more coverage, classic black and a bottom with minimal coverage, a one-shoulder suit:
Suits with more coverage
Plunge halter from Target (only $39), striking colorblock pattern, a suit with cup sizes, sweet Liberty print, flattering wrap front, a classic halter suit in 5 of patterns/colors, colorful suit in plus sizes:
Wraps, etc.
Lightweight beach tunic in white or blue, simple summer dress, Havaianas (the classic Brazilian flip-flops), lightweight cover-up dress, lightweight sarong/beach throw, sunglasses, foldable straw hat, straw beach tote, rash guard (I have it in red stripe):
For kids
I love Boden for kids’ clothes and swimsuits, but I’ve included some more affordable options, too: full coverage suit for max sun protection, small swim trunks, adorable bikini, towel dress, rash guard from Target (only $13), unicorn suit (!), romper, cute bikinis from Old Navy, sun hat, towel dress for toddlers, Havaianas for kids:
What kind of swimsuit do you wear? Would you like to try a teeny-tiny suit like the Brazilians use?Â
P.S. Plus size swimsuits at Old Navy
I have often made the same observations about Italy. They seem to not care about baring it all, but you also know that they are criticizing everyone who walks by. I have trouble finding a bikini bottom in this country that covers my whole ass. And also supports by “bosom”!! There’s really only one store that has this “size” – and consider I’m a USA size 8 with a 34C, so that’s pretty normal. It’s just that nobody seems to care about support and fit here – an observation I’ve also made about bras.
I was just talking to my friends yesterday about this in Brazil. I’m a size small in the U.S. but when people buy me shirts in Brazil, they always buy an extra large! And I think we’ve had a similar conversation about bras before…ugh to having only unsupportive bras to choose from!