I recently spent an entire week relaxing on the beach in sunny Naples Florida with my mother. Sadly, my exercise gear swimsuit capsule didn’t spark joy while I was on the beach. It’s perfect for Yoga and Pilates on a paddle board, kayaks, canoes, and for swimming hundreds of laps. However, I wanted something for collecting shells, building sand castles and relaxing on a beach when I am not in competition mode! I prefer a swimsuit that provides coverage of my bum and chest, looks a bit glam without making me look like I’m trying to turn the clock back to my twenties, and feels comfortable enough to wear for an entire day in the heat. I am not a fan of wearing any sort of functional wardrobe item (specifically exercise gear) in settings where it isn’t being used for its function. I would however throw a nice beach dress over a pretty beach bikini and head to a barbecue shack on the boardwalk of the beach. I wouldn’t however, keep the swimsuit on, and hop into my car and drive someplace for dinner, etc. I am also not sure I would want to wear the rainbow striped suit to my neighbors summer evening poolside barbecue parties. For that, I might get a solid navy or black and look for a sarong to tie on as a skirt or dress around the swim suit. My neighbor would definitely keep her swimsuit on to head out for dinner, she would don a caftan, some large sunglasses and then she would make sure to put the top down on her convertible! (Is anyone believing this? I’m making myself laugh.....Okay... who knew there were levels of dress for swimsuits too! LOL! )

I purchased Angie’s recommended Boden Bikini pictured below. I ordered two patterns. The stripe as shown, and also a classic navy with white polka dots. The bottoms arrived separately from the tops so I was initially worried that the dye lots wouldn’t match. No worries there. They match perfectly. They also fit perfectly as well. The one comment I might make about fit is that the tops are ordered by bra size. It’s rare for a bra to fit me correctly even if I order my measured size. The cups tend to run big, but if I go to the smaller sizes in most bras, then they are too small. I often have to buy from bra manufacturers that have cups that are known to run a bit small. My point is that my best guess is the Boden swim top may work best if you have this type of fit issue. I think the suit looks great. It’s fun and it meets my requirements as stated above. If you are looking for gear, this isn’t the suit. I suspect it will stay put, and be suitable when swimming, but it isn’t designed for athletic use. If you are in need of something formal, I think the solid black could pass. It’s a very nicely made suit.

Thanks for the great recommendation Angie!

By the way, we have a snow day, so I’m home and obviously in need of something more productive to do!