The best beach cover ups are your essentials before you’ve even gotten to the beach. Those that you will grab again and again are ones that can do double duty: thrown on over a bathing suit to walk down to the beach and then keep up their good work when the sun goes down and everyone is sweaty, exhausted and hangry but no one wants to go home and change. That, my friends, is when you know you’ve found a winner. If it can survive THAT, it can survive anything. It’s less about how chic it looks crumpled up on your beach chair and more about how it functions when subjected to actual wind, actual movement, actual salt water running down your body onto the material.
Speaking of material, that’s everything. Go for linen or cotton gauze as they will both breathe and dry quickly. Sounds pretty minor but you’ll understand when you’re midway through a beachside meal and your cover up is half way to soggy. Anything with some slack and flow versus clingy to your body is going to be your best bet. Imagine being all over sticky viscose clinging to your skin and no ones idea of a good time hearing about it later. Look for something with some built in structure too; actual collar, sleeves that aren’t just shoulder daggers, and some thought gone into that hem. They’ll still be breathable but will feel more ‘dress’ and less ‘beach towel posing as a dress.’
Styling them is kind of obvious. Throw a shirt style one on over your bikini top with sleeves rolled up. Or button it up all the way and slip on some flat sandals to style as a dress for walking to that cute little cafe around the corner.
Slip on a kaftan with nothing else but maybe a woven tote and some thin gold jewellery and you can go from beach to casual dinner and no one will be the wiser that you spent your day swimming in the ocean. Sarong style wraps will take some effort with securing them around you but will fit better because of it, and are totally worth the extra few minutes. Cover ups are kinda life champs when it comes to those in between bits. That time in between lounging by the pool and needing to get to the breakfast buffet, that walk along a boardwalk when wearing just your swimsuit feels too vulnerable, that cruise boat ride where you’re stripping down and layering up all day. They seem less about being worn AT the beach and more about facilitating everything you DO at the beach. And isn’t that a much better role than just looking hot in your closet?
[uk-products-summer-beach–cover-up]
