the perfect beach outfit exists
and you can find each component secondhand!
I’ve spent a lot of time in Florida with my family this month, and the weather is not playing around. (Don’t hate me, I don’t live here anymore!)
And while I don’t really like going to the beach in the heat, I can see how some might find it preferable to spending the whole day inside. With enough sunscreen, shade, and a slight breeze, I can be convinced to do it from time to time. And after thirty-five years of semi-regular beach trips, I think I’ve finally found the perfect beach outfit. It’s dictated by comfort and practicality, but still feels like an accurate representation of my style.
Before I settled on this outfit, here’s what I ruled out, mostly by trial and error:
-A one and done dress: You’d think this would be easier! But a dress is both harder to style and harder in terms of practicality.
-A big t-shirt: I will always be partial to my heirloom bikini t-shirt. But it is hot to just sit around in a t-shirt (and it needs to be pulled over your head to take it off).
-A one-piece swimsuit: Not a fan of sitting around in a one-piece once I’ve gotten wet.
-Long pants: Even as a shorts-hater, I recognize the utility of shorts in certain situations. Linen drawstring pants would maybe be the exception here?
So those are the nos!
Here’s the formula I’ve settled on: a very specific linen camp collar shirt1, a pair of linen shorts, plastic/rubber sandals (when they have their place, they have their place!), a two-piece swimsuit, and a baseball cap. None of these should be precious items; ideally they would be set aside solely for beach use (which makes the idea of finding them all secondhand especially appealing). Together, these items should form an outfit that feels like you—even when they’re sandy, sun-bleached, and sunscreen-stained.
Starting from the core… the swimsuit. For a full day at the beach, a two-piece is the way to go. Changing out of a wet bathing suit bottom using only a towel as a shield is a tricky but doable feat in a two-piece; it is near impossible in a one-piece. I recognize that many people don’t feel comfortable in a traditional bikini—neither do I! My default swimsuit is now a two-piece with a high-rise bottom from Youswim. Youswim’s sizing is ostensibly inclusive up to a size 24. (I’ve talked to people in a diverse range of sizes who swear by this swimsuit, and there’s a wide range of body diversity on their website, which makes me feel confident recommending it.)
Youswim suits start at $169, which is not an accessible price for everyone. However, Youswim is findable secondhand—and given that there are only two sizes in all of their swimsuits, they should be relatively simple to buy used without having tried one on first.2 Also, they only come in solid colors, a constraint I appreciate—it’s easier to feel like your swimsuit is an intentional part of your outfit when it’s monochromatic rather than patterned.
I’ve tried a couple other swimsuits in a similar ‘stretch’ fabric, including a cheap one from Target, which has a similar texture but none of the actual stretch, snagged on the first wear, and only goes up to an XL. I also have a one-piece from Bond-Eye that, while technically stretchy, still manages to feel very tight on me, indicating that it would probably not feel comfortable on anyone above a size medium. I haven’t tried Hunza G (which seems to be a Substack chat favorite), so I welcome any feedback in the comments!
Next up: shorts. I have one dedicated pair of beach shorts, a pleated linen/cotton pair by TOAST that I found at Beacon’s Closet for $12. I’m not really a shorts person in my day-to-day life, and I rarely wore them until I gave them the official designation of Beach Shorts.
The most important factors in choosing a pair of Beach Shorts are:
-Length: You want a relatively substantial inseam, at least 5”.
-Rise: Shorts that sit at your natural waist will lend themselves more naturally to a billowy silhouette. Bonus points for a dropped crotch for even more ease.
-Pleated: Not for formality, but for roominess—pleating gives you more material to work with.
-Color: Stay away from white, as chemical sunscreens will stain your white clothes yellow3. (My white Sandy Liang shirt, sitting out in the sun under a salt and vinegar paste after being treated with Oxiclean, will attest to this.)
There are two choices for shoes: EVA Birkenstocks in the Arizona silhouette4 (I cannot personally speak to Freedom Moses or the Target dupes) or the kick off sandal by Melissa. Again, even though I’m recommending specific brands, you can find both of these styles in abundance secondhand. (The Birkenstocks retail for $50—I would not pay more than $30 or $35 for a secondhand pair unless they’re new with tags.)
These shoes are impossible to mess up; there’s no metal to rust, no fabric to tear, no leather to stretch out and warp. They’re easy to wear—even the strap on the Melissa sandals is manageable with one hand, as opposed to a buckle. They’re more stable than slides or flip-flops, too. (No shade to flip flops, but I don’t always want people to hear me coming, and they can be a sensory nightmare when you’re walking on sand.)
My ideal version beach shirt is an Everlane linen workwear shirt from several years ago. There are several similar past and present offerings from Everlane that are all inferior for this purpose. (See below for one example: the ‘notch shirt,’ a pocketless linen camp shirt with a long hem.) The workwear shirt is made of a slightly heavier linen, and has two pockets and a medium-length hem. It’s cropped, slightly boxy, and hangs beautifully, buttoned or unbuttoned. I own it in two colors.
Never fear, though, I’m not trying to get you to buy something new—they don’t even make this shirt anymore! There are lots available online (Poshmark has the most, eBay is a close second), and I’ve found many suitable secondhand alternatives, too.
The ideal fabric for a beach shirt is linen or a linen/cotton blend. Linen/rayon blends don’t hang as well on the body unless they’re buttoned, and you want to be able to wear this one fully unbuttoned, swimsuit visible. It needs to be able to dry while hanging on the back of a beach chair and still look good.
The hat is simple: a cotton baseball cap with a metal clasp or buckle on the back. (A Velcro closure is an acceptable alternative, but we all should love ourselves enough to never settle for a plastic snapback strap.) A straw hat might cover more of your head, but I never remember to bring mine, it takes up precious room in a suitcase if you’re traveling, and sometimes it feels like more of a *~*sTaTeMeNt PiEcE*~* than I want. A baseball cap is more low-key, more durable. Methods of acquisition (in ascending order of preference): airport gift shop, beachfront gift shop, gas station gift shop, thrift store.
Now you’re prepared. My only other instructions for your beach day are as follows: bring a wet bag for your swimsuit bottom, change into dry undies beneath your towel, and stop at a beachside bar for some smoked fish dip before you head home!
Because I couldn’t help myself (the colors were too much fun not to keep playing around with), here are some potential styling combos:
If you found this useful, you might also enjoy this post from last year:
dressing for wet-bulb temperatures
A couple weeks ago, I emerged from the subway to find that a short-lived but intense and unexpected downpour had occurred while I was underground. I’d missed it, but the evidence was everywhere—deep puddles on the subway stairs, makeshift umbrellas of newspaper and shopping bags discarded on the sidewalk. When I got to my appointment, the receptionist a…
What’s your go-to beach outfit?
I mean so specific that it is a variant that is no longer sold—don’t worry, the secondhand market is full of them!
I have it on good authority—from my cousin’s partner—that you can write to the company if your suit is ripped or torn for a replacement, even if you buy it secondhand. You just need the order number, which my cousin’s partner was able to get from the Depop seller.
And if you treat them with bleach, yellow sunscreen stains will turn pink! 🙃
FYI: Birkenstock sizing conversion is a bit odd—I wear a 39, which is listed as an 8/8.5 on their website, but I think it fits closer to a 9.
I greatly appreciate your attention to the important nuance of a slightly cropped length… I would rather create a whole new outfit than wear a button down that is slightly too long at the waist
This is great advice! We moved to the Space Coast of Florida two years ago and I have yet to find a consistent, comfortable beach outfit. Definitely going to try at least some of these items out for myself.