August may seem like an odd time to shop for swimwear, but it’s also the time of year when many of us will be on vacation – hopefully in or near water.
If you’ve been putting off replacing your old swimsuit, don’t worry. There are still plenty of alternatives available, and many are on discount! Few fashions can receive more mileage than a plain black one-piece, a classic that everyone should have in their wardrobe.
Reason black one-pieces are considered a staple is because you can find them at countless retailers like the Gap. There’s nothing wrong with one-piece swimsuits from these chains; they typically are inexpensive and fit pretty well. But rarely does buying them make you feel anything other than relieved that you don’t have to shop for more.
For those who want something that’s bolder, below are seven options that are better than a basic black one-piece — including a polished halter-top style that might surprise people when they find out it is from the Gap.
01 Chilla Petal One-Piece
Jenia Kim is well-known for employing petal cutouts in her J.Kim collection. The brand’s debut swimwear collection includes a black one-piece with distinctive cutouts. And for those who are curious, the arrangement of the cutouts, according to the manufacturer, takes unpleasant “slips” into account.
02 Trentanove Rib
Lido is a brand offered in seaside Italian hotels and cult boutiques around the world, including TriBeCa’s La Garçonne and Berlin’s Voo Store. Its classic, minimal swimsuits are available in stylish solids as well as lovely gradients and may be worn beyond the beach or pool. This Trentanove one-piece is styled to look like a rib-knit tank, but it may also be worn as a body suit.
03 Multicolor ‘The Scarf’ Swimsuit
If you like prints, look to brands that have been utilizing them successfully for decades, such as Pucci and Marimekko, as well as Jean Paul Gaultier, which created this bikini for its spring 2023 collection. The abstract imagery of the one-piece is inspired by textile collages from Gaultier’s spring 2001 presentation. The “The Body Morphing” one-piece is another patterned Gaultier alternative, with a distorted striped print first seen in the brand’s spring 1996 collection.
04 Vein Swim Body
Baserange’s unisex fundamentals have gained a cult following. This canary-yellow one-piece effectively uses contrasting brown seams to enhance visual interest – a technique familiar to aficionados of the brand.
05 Black Tapis Rouge Swimsuit
Chanel’s Eres leads the premium swimming space. The exquisite, trend-defying Tapis one-piece, with a bateau neckline and open back, is a look worth spending on, especially when it’s on sale, which is often the case this time of year.
06 Straight One-Piece
Nu Swim has attracted the attention of minimalism-loving customers in part because its swimwear is manufactured at a family-owned factory in Queens that once handled J. Crew’s swimwear in the 1990s – a golden era to those in the know.
07 Recycled Halter One-Piece Swimsuit
If you thought, “Actually, I’d rather just have a Gap one-piece,” try this classic silhouette with a full-coverage bottom, a flattering fit, and crisscross straps that seem more fascinating than the average neckline.
