Swimwear

Nine swimwear pieces: bandeau, halter and push-up bikini sets, plus three-piece sets that arrive with their own cover-up. Between £25 and £80, sized S to XL.

Free UK delivery on every order, no minimum spend, and free 14-day returns.

What to buy, by what you actually do

Swimwear is bought on how it looks and judged on how it behaves. The useful question is what you will be doing in it.

  • Bandeau sets — best for sunbathing, worst for swimming. No strap marks, but they need adjusting whenever you move properly. Two styles here.
  • Halter sets — the most secure of the shapes we carry, and the most supportive for a fuller bust because the weight goes through the neck rather than the back.
  • Push-up and underwired — structure and shape, and the closest thing to a bra in behaviour. The right choice if you want swimwear that holds its shape out of the water as well as in it.
  • High-cut and Brazilian briefs — lengthen the leg. Worth knowing before you order rather than after: the cut is considerably higher than a standard brief.

The three-piece sets

Two of these arrive as three pieces — a bikini plus a matching skirt or cover-up. They are the most practical thing in this edit and the recommendation if you are buying one set.

A matching cover-up means you go from a pool to a lunch without changing, and it solves the problem every holiday wardrobe has: too many pieces that only work in one place. A lace or mesh cover-up also gives you shoulder coverage in strong sun, which matters more by the third day than it does on the first.

Colour, and what strong light does to it

This edit runs white and green first, then blue, yellow and black. White reads crisp against a tan and is the classic holiday choice, though it is worth checking the lining on any white swimwear before you swim in it. Black is the most forgiving and the most re-wearable across years. The brights hold up best in midday sun, where paler shades wash out.

Sizing swimwear properly

These run S to XL, with full measurements in centimetres on the size guide.

The rule that saves most returns: size swimwear to your usual size, never down. Swim fabric is stretchy dry and behaves differently wet, and a set that fits on land and cuts in once wet is the most common holiday regret there is.

For a bandeau, size to your underbust — that is the measurement that decides whether it stays where you put it. For a halter or underwired style, size to your bust. If you are between sizes on a set, take the larger for the top and your usual for the bottom, since tops are where fit problems actually show.

Care

Rinse in cold fresh water after every swim, particularly after chlorine or salt, and dry flat in shade rather than direct sun. Never wring it out. Sun cream and chlorine are what actually destroy swimwear, not wear, and a rinse takes thirty seconds.

Ordering before you travel

Order at least two weeks out. UK delivery is free on every order with no minimum spend and takes around seven working days, and returns are free within 14 days with a prepaid label in the box — but none of that helps if you are already at the airport.

Where to look next

For everything else in the case, The Holiday Shop gathers the summer dresses, co-ord sets and cover-ups in one place. For beach-to-dinner pieces, midi dresses and co-ord sets.