By Fashion
My white bikini from Despi. Crystal is wearing the Goddess Bikini in Black from Venus and Kelly is wearing the Sequin Bikini in Aqua from Venus.
I’m wearing the Ophidia Bikini by Dolcessa.

Today I should have been on vacation in Playa Del Carmen with my 15-year-old daughter. Every year since she was about five I’ve taken her on a mother-daughter trip for spring break. This year was special, because she’s never been to Mexico and we planned to stay at a gorgeous resort with beautiful pools, a long white sand beach, activities for teens, and a mini jungle with monkeys and flamingos. We wanted to visit the gorgeous island of Cozumel, swim with sea turtles and visit a cenote. For months I was counting down the days until I could have that time alone with her…drinking tropical mocktails, swimming in the clear blue water, taking photos together, dressing up in our island clothes, seeing the exotic animals…but we had to cancel the trip because of the current state of the world.

I know a lot of you can relate…so many people had to cancel spring break trips and other vacations…and you were left with all that gorgeous resort wear and nowhere to wear it, right? Yeah, me too. So even though all our trips have been canceled, today I want to look back on all my favorite swimsuit and resort looks – because swimwear is one of my very favorite things to shop for and I know we all need a little escape from reality right now. Plus I have faith that one day soon we will all be able to re-book those vacations – and until then, a lot of us will be dressing in bikinis for our own backyards! 

My Favorite Bikini Brands

Normally I love a good deal just as much as the next girl, and I shop at trendy inexpensive shops like Forever 21 all the time…but swimwear is something I don’t like to skimp on. I am in love with luxury bikinis. Over the years I’ve also found boutiques that are easier on the wallet but LOOK like luxury bikinis! I’ve tried on bikinis from all different stores and all different brands around the world, so you can basically call me a bikini connoisseur haha. Here are my tried and true FAVORITE brands that I can promise will make you look incredible:

Beach Bunny

Beach Bunny sells American luxury swimwear made of the the finest European fabrics with beautiful embellishments.

I could only find this Beach Bunny floral bikini in a few different sizes. Beach Bunny swimsuits run very small and I am wearing a large in the top and bottom. The same bikini is also available in yellow, red and black. You can also shop similar bikinis here.

Dolcessa

Dolcessa makes glamorous Las Vegas style swimsuits with luxurious European materials.

This Dolcessa bikini is currently available in black and red – I have both!! You can shop them here: Ophidia Bikini in Black and Ophidia Bikini in Red. I’m wearing a large in both top and bottom and the bottom is a bit loose on me. Also I picked out some other gorgeous turquoise bikinis for you here.

Bahimi

Bahimi offers affordable British swimwear with beautiful fabrics & glamorous embellishments.

I’m wearing the Peach Parfait bikini from Bahami. You can also find it here in red.

Despi

Despi offers elegant and luxurious Brazilian swimwear with stunning cuts and embellishments.

This gorgeous Despi bikini is no longer available but you can find similar black embellished bikinis from Dolcessa and Venus. I also linked more black embellished bikinis for you here.

Montce

Montce has American handmade swimsuits that are super flattering, stretchy and soft to the touch.

This is the Montce Emma Euro Top and Emma Euro Bottom.

PQ

PQ sells charming European-inspired swimwear with fun prints and gorgeous embellishments.

This PQ swimsuit is sold out but you can find some other gorgeous PQ bikinis here.

Rio de Sol

Rio de Sol sells gorgeous, flattering swimsuits at very good prices.

I’m wearing the Rio de Sol Brazilian Bikini in Pink.

A Word About Brazilian Bikinis

A couple years ago in my search for gorgeous swimsuits, I tried out several Brazilian-made bikinis from Rio Swim Shop and Brazilian Bikini shop. Both shops are located in France but import most of their swimwear from Brazil. They both offer easy returns for U.S. shoppers. Let me tell you, after trying these Brazilian swimsuits I never looked back!! The cut of Brazilian bikinis is sooo flattering…we’re talking EVERY SINGLE BIKINI fits beautifully! And that is just not normal, right? 

Be careful with the sizing of Brazilian bikinis though – always size up! They are cut very small. I wear a size large in most Brazilian bikinis for both top and bottom, and I’m normally a small in clothing and a medium in swimsuits. Also if you’re going to buy online like I do, check out my post here about shopping online for some extra tips.

Just to be clear, I don’t only wear Brazilian swimsuits. I have found some other swimwear brands that are not Brazilian that are just as beautifully made and flattering – these brands are Montce, Beach Bunny, Dolcessa, and Bahimi (all linked above).

My Favorite Online Boutiques to Buy Swimwear

In addition to buying directly from the brands above, I absolutely love the swimwear offered at the following online boutiques:

So now that you know where I love to shop, let’s talk about what to look for when purchasing swimwear:

  1. Choose a bikini top with lift and support – in the Push-Up category or with underwire. Brazilian bikini brands also offer soft and hard cup bikini tops that give great support but have no underwire, so they are much more comfortable!
  2. If you don’t have one yet, buy at least one bandeau (strapless) bikini and bring it on every beach vacation. That way if you get tan lines across your chest and shoulders from a strappy bikini one day, you can wear the bandeau bikini the next day to try to even those tan lines out a bit.
  3. Choose a bikini with skinnier straps because thick straps create the worst tan lines! Also, swimsuits with lots of overlapping straps or unusual cut-outs will also cause bad tan lines! Isn’t it the worst when you’re on vacation and you get a gorgeous tan during the day, but then for dinner you put on a cute sundress and realize it looks ridiculous with your new tan lines?
  4. If you have wide hips, size up from your normal size in bikini bottoms, so the sides don’t cut into your hips. Or choose a bikini bottom with ties at the sides so you can adjust it to fit your hips.
  5. If you’re tummy isn’t bikini ready, try out the new high waist styles! Look for one that also has high cut legs because that will make it look more trendy, youthful and flattering.
  6. If you have a smaller chest, get some bikini cutlets to stuff into your bikini top to give you a little extra lift and boost, like these.
  7. If you have a large chest, choose a top with thicker straps or double string straps to give you more support.
  8. Choose a solid colored bikini if you want to look glamorous. Patterned bikinis are super fun, but they look more playful than classy. A solid colored bikini—especially in black or white—looks elegant and refined, like you just stepped off a yacht.
  9. Find a bikini with embellishments—like gold or silver hardware, beads, jewels, or shells. This will make your solid colored bikini look truly luxe and will elevate you to beach goddess status!
  10. Invest in one or two luxury bikinis, because they really are cut so beautifully and fit your figure much better than cheaper swimsuits! But if you don’t want to spend too much, keep reading.

Where to Find Gorgeous Bikinis for Less

You can find stunning bikinis with gorgeous embellishments without spending too much at both Venus and Bahimi. Rio Swim Shop and Brazilian Swim Shop also offer lots of styles at really good prices. And if you really just want to try some fun, trendy styles for the lowest price possible, you can get super cute, inexpensive bikinis at the following stores:

I hope you check out some of my favorite stores and find some bikinis you love! At some point I will also write a blog on one-piece swimsuits. Let me know your favorite swimwear brands below!