What Makes a Quality Swimsuit?

What Makes a Quality Swimsuit?

A Guide from the Swim Experts at Beach2Ocean

In a world where fast fashion makes it easy and inexpensive to shop, we find shoppers asking themselves “why spend more on a swimsuit?”. 

Our answer is simple: a quality swimsuit earns its place in your closet. A swimsuit that’s made with thoughtful design and construction details, durable materials, and superior fabric, that’s made to hold up and look good season after season, will do just that.

Say goodbye to the days where you buy a swimsuit that looked cute on the rack at the store, only to have the colors fade and the fabric stretch after just a few wears; at Beach2Ocean we carefully curate every collection with these things in mind. We believe in bringing our customers high quality, long lasting swimsuits that won't leave them disappointed or send them back to the store every summer.

So, what really makes a high quality swimsuit? Let’s break it down so you never have to question what you’re buying again:

1. Thoughtful fits designed with you in mind

Quality swimsuits are designed well from the start to support you, stay put, and flatter your body. We love these features that are designed for real life:

  • Bust support - think shelf bras, molded cups, underwire bras, and power mesh. We love the bra-sized swimsuits from Coco Reef. 
  • Wide secure, adjustable straps - these keep your swimsuit in place all day, and give you the freedom to make the fit of your suit as you’d like. 
  • Compression - we love the swimsuits from Shapemaker, and Coco Contours that offer a variety of different compression levels to keep you feeling held, secure and confident in your swimsuit all day. We add this compression thoughtfully, making sure that it will support you the ways you want without feeling restricted. 

Swim Stylist Tip: a great swimsuit (regardless of style) should support, smooth, and move with you whether you're lounging at the pool, or swimming in the ocean.

2. High performance fabrics

Fabric is the foundation of every garment we sell. At its core, fabric determines how your swimsuit fits, stretches, and holds up over time. Choosing the right, high quality fabric is the start to what makes a great, high quality swimsuit - we only offer fabrics that are designed to perform.

What sets a great fabric apart from others?

  • UPF 50+ sun protection: this means your swimsuit already has sun protection built in, which is perfect for any sunny day or vacation. We love the suits from Beach House and Roxanne which have fabrics with UPF sewn right in. 
  • Chlorine-resistant materials: swimsuits from Gabar use durable, fade and chlorine resistant fabric that keeps its color for seasons and seasons to come.
  • High quality textured fabrics: textured fabrics should feel sturdy, not too thin or overly delicate. 

Swim Stylist Tip: Stretch your fabric for a quality test. If it easily becomes sheer, pills, or feels limp, it probably won’t hold up as well as you’d like.

3. Durable construction, and quality stitching

Premium swimwear isn’t just about how it looks or the fabric, it’s also about how it’s made.

Our designers suggest that you look for:

  • Stitching that sits smooth against the skin.
  • Reinforced seams in high-stress areas, like the shoulder or leg openings.
  • Clean hem lines and finishes (this means no loose threads or sloppy stitching).

These details ensure that your swimsuit won't sag or stretch out over time even with frequent use.

Swim Stylist Tip: your swimsuit should lie flat without puckering - this is a sign of great construction.

4. Color and print quality

Long lasting swimsuits keep their color. When we look at color and try to figure out the quality, we look for:

  • Dark colors that never bleed out or into lighter colors.
  • Premium fabric won’t fade from the sun, saltwater, or chlorine.
  • Printed patterns should stay crisp and bright season after season.

5. High quality lining

A good lining makes a swimsuit feel more premium. Why?

  • A full lining will add opacity and structure to your swimsuit. 
  • Supportive stretch lining can add comfort and longevity to the suit.
  • It adds more structure and a smoother fit. 

This detail helps your swimsuit keep its shape, and prevents that flimsy fabric feeling.

6. Functional, thoughtful details

Small touches go a long way that can elevate your swimsuit - some of the other details we look out for are:

  • Anti-slip grips on strapless styles
  • Leg grippers on athletic styles
  • Adjustable straps for the perfect, customizable fit
  • Thumb holes for stay in place active styles
  • Rust proof hardware, so the hardware details will last no matter if they’re in saltwater or chlorine

Our final thoughts?

Ultimately, we think a quality swimsuit should hold its shape, keep its color, and feel supportive. Are you still wondering what makes the suits here at Beach2Ocean different? Find out for yourself and shop our full swim collection here.

 

Back to blog