This past spring I spent three months as a buying intern working closely with resort wear and swimwear. I had an upcoming trip to Italy and the south of France and was constantly gushing over the bikinis my company bought. I would rate which were my favourite and which I wished to wear on my upcoming holiday. This holiday would be my first time at a beach since 2018. I didn’t know what people were actually wearing to the beach and my only insight into swimwear was from popular brands like Triangl and Frankies Bikinis and Instagram influencers. My summer holiday approached and I packed my only bikini: a black triangle string bikini.
When I arrived in Italy I was surrounded by bikini stores. I had never seen so many swimwear stores, but I assume it is expected in a country with a long, hot summer. The two most common swimsuit stores were Yamamay and Calzedonia. While interning in London I fell in love with the swimwear brand It’s Now Cool. It had amazing quality swimsuits at a high price tag. One day I was walking around Milan and I saw a collaboration between Yamamay and It’s Now Cool. I was shocked when I saw the price of a bikini top was 20 euros when the company I was working for was selling bikini tops for £100. The picture below is a side-by-side comparison of two It’s Now Cool swimsuits sold in Italy (on the right) vs two sold in London (on the left).
After a long, hot trip around Italy, I finally made it to the beach. I wore my old, black string bikini and felt confident at the beach. I sat on my sun chair reflecting on my time as a fashion buying intern where the company bought revealing bikinis and bikinis that were meant more for photos than for swimming. The Italians looked so normal in their normal swimsuits and did not look like they were wearing $500 bikinis. I realized that these people were here at the beach to enjoy the sun and the water and were probably not overthinking which bikini they were wearing. It made me appreciate my simple bikini and I realized that it didn’t matter what I was wearing, it only mattered that I was appreciating the moment and having fun. After a long day at the beach, I spotted a girl wearing the Triangl bikini (pictured below on left) which looked stunning. I will always appreciate the beauty of Triangl bikinis and maybe one day in the future I will wear one to a beach. I also like this inexpensive, fiery bikini from Yamamay, pictured below on the right.
My second bikini experience was in the south of France. I was taken aback by how normal everyone looked at the beach. In Italy, girls were tan and were wearing cheeky bikini bottoms; but in France, girls were pale and everyone was wearing full coverage bikini bottoms. I think I have been over-exposed to Instagram influencers who all wear skimpy bikinis and are extremely tanned that I was expecting the rest of the world to look the same. It was very refreshing and wholesome to be on the beach in France. I felt like the majority of people were just wearing normal bikinis and I noticed myself not worrying about what I looked like or what I was wearing.
Being back at home, away from large bodies of water, I find myself pining over luxury bikinis. I think this is a way I over-glamourise the experience of going to the beach. When I am truly living in the moment I don’t care about what I am wearing, but when I am sitting at home and have time to plan and overthink, I want things to be perfect and that includes owning the perfect bikini. What I have learnt from this trip is that people are way more normal than I had pictured in my head, and my wallet will thank me if I spend more time living in the moment instead of pining over some perfect outfit to wear in the perfect future.
Happy Summer! XO, Alicia
Love your article! How important it is to realize that instagram is not “real” life. I agree with you that happiness is enjoying the moment and not worrying too much about looking perfect.