Tag: summer

It’s Swimwear shopping time again! How I make the most of it.

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

It’s well into the spring, and if you’re like me, we’re now deciding on buying a new bikini or one-piece. I know, I know, we already have enough! More than necessary to epically wear a different style each day on a week long vacation! But for me, the obsession with collecting swim fashion continues even so. There is no better way to celebrate a warm weather getaway than with buying one new suit–ONE. The reason I say just buy one is because years ago, I got sucked into how cheap bathing suits were, especially with pop up online retailers (remember Cup She?) I bought way too many swimsuits and I didn’t wear any of them much more than once. Then I got bored of the half a dozen I had just bought and a year later, they were off to the landfill. Fashion should be fun, but also sustainable. The way I learned to be at peace with the matter is like with any collection; it has to be made with curated pieces that are loved and each new swimwear is adding something different and loveable to the wardrobe. Here are my tips for a guideline when adding to the collection:

I love, love, love this suit and how it just has the most pretty tropical print: not too large or small and on a white backdrop!
  1. Think of the purpose of the new swimsuit: What is the destination or setting going to be? A quiet beach in the Mediterranean? City side Venice Beach in California, LA? Poolside on a cruise to the Caribbean? Sun tanning on the white sand beaches in Miami? For example, for a past trip to the Bahamas by cruise, I wanted a tropical print bikini! And I didn’t have one, so I scoured the internet for one that I absolutely adored. The colours, and size of the flora and fauna were perfect! I am not bored of that one and will definitely wear it again on the beach!
  2. Know which colour group you belong to: Certain colours when placed next to our faces, brighten us up, and compliment our complexions. And other colours do not look great next to our skin. For example I’m a cool toned gal, but on the lighter end of the spectrum. Think baby pinks, blues and lavender. And my neutral colours are white or grey, versus black or brown. My worst colours are orange, red, and coral…too intense for my complexion and too warm. Yellow sometimes works on me because at least it’s on the lighter side! But that’s my colour palette. Everyone’s colour palette is different. I have met people who were cool dark palette; so imagine: burgundy, charcoal, black, ultramarine blue. And I have met someone who absolutely glows when wearing orange and corals, unlike me! Buying a suit in a colour that works with your complexion is a key to loving it!
  3. Know your body shape: I have broad square shoulders, so I tend to opt for halter styles on the top that focus on the center of my chest. If you have big hips, maybe don’t go for the boy-shorts cut. Apple and round shaped bodies might actually look good in a two piece where the middle is not visually accentuated, instead of squeezed into a one-piece. Think about your body and where the eye will be drawn to in different swimwear. Think about places on your body you want to accentuate (i.e.. that tiny waist, long legs…etc.) and choose the cuts that match that aesthetic!
  4. Solid bathing suits are boring. It’s nice to have that simple black or white matching bikini set in some cases, but in general, one colour bathing suits don’t really catch the eye. When I wear solid colour suits, there are two things that are a must: they must be an exact colour match with the top and bottom, and they should have something interesting about them. Are they made of some fun material? Not the standard spandex suit, but maybe they are made of terry cloth, or cotton eyelet, or crochet? Texture and interesting fabrics is important when choosing solid colours.
  5. Common sense details to think about when swimwear shopping such as: The fit of the suit: we all want to buy the right size when it comes to any clothing item, but it’s ever more important with swim…because breasts need to be supported and covered, and any suit that is too tight will not be flattering! Another thing, and I don’t want to get people too stressed about it, but most people know when bathing suit season is coming, or a vacation as well–so getting ready to be in swimwear may mean skipping dessert more often than not and hitting the gym occasionally. Just sayin’!
The newest addition to my collection! I love the coverage of this bikini, it’s classy. And the solid blue colour has some sparkles woven in!

All in all, guys, just have fun. Adding new pieces of clothing to any capsule wardrobe, or well-curated collection takes time, thought and effort. But if all of these things align, you can have fun, and look good wearing the fruits of your labour! And who doesn’t want to look good while hanging poolside with a margarita in hand? Happy shopping and summer guys! For more swim content check out this article from before!

Mid Summer’s Day Dream…

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

This summer 2023 has been a difficult one for me. With my decision to not travel and just save up for winter holidays, I feel I had inadvertently set myself up to be locked up in a slump. City life during the hot months in Toronto is not the most relaxing or pretty. Construction, sticky smoggy air, bad traffic and noise is the reality of summer in the city. I realized how some people, the “elite people”; i.e.. the well-to-do people of Toronto get to go away in their fancy cars and drive up north to the various scenic lakefront properties they own or rent. They get to have a real getaway rather easily, and spend lots of their weekends by sitting on the dock on a quiet lake and watching the waves, and just truly recharging.

I feel like this summer in particular, I had the need for escaping. But unfortunately, I could not. Certain aspects of my personal life and work life had gotten hectic; not being able to foresee this happening earlier this spring, as mid summer arrived, I was hit! I was left in a lot of emotional turmoil with no exit or break from it in sight. I did end up taking a week off of work…but then what? I thought to myself on the first few days of my staycation..This so called “vacation” ultimately would require me to work at turning off my brain and anxieties without a true physical getaway. I had to plan local outings, I had to find my friends. And on days where those options weren’t available I was truly unhappy. There is nothing worse that being on a vacation where I could not escape the boredom or malaise that was my life while it was summer in the city. I don’t have AC, so imagine me heatedly crouched over my bed post to stretch myself to the window to smoke mini cigars. That was my one of my escapes as weak as it was.

My week of being off work is coming to an end and I still think about how if I had been more privileged or luckier in life I too could have been one of those free people up at the cottage when us low folk down here have to work and toil. And if not work and toil, take staycations that are just unpaid unrelaxing wastes of times. My only solace was to splurge a bit and spend a half a day at a nice pool lounge in downtown Toronto. With no one bothering me and my surroundings being totally new, it was a lovely change from my usual routine. Sitting poolside or near any body of water always seems to calm me and the cool breeze of the rooftop pool was comforting. It made me forget some of my pains.

After that moment of solitude by the pool…I feel it is possible to have some beautiful moments in trying times…looking at what possessions and resources others had and what I didn’t was not what I should have been doing. But after a week off with some torturously boring moments where I wondered what I was doing with my life, I had the advantage of an good expanse of time; where I was able to examine my own resources and mobilize to use them. I was able to put down my mini cigar and realize that there are little pieces of paradise in the city and in our minds if we only allow ourselves to find it.

Working hard or hardly working? When at the poolside who really knows? This was my tiny escape from summer in Toronto with no cottage.

Summer is Here…AKA Bikini Season!

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

Living in Canada is like living near the artic. Winters are cold and long Dec.-March and Summers are short and only hot July-August. And well, that means for us, swimwear fashion starts in February/March, before the spring break where there is a scramble to find a bikini for the “escape the cold” vacations in March. We all want to go south to Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic…it’s all fair game to those of us frozen by 4 months of winter and desperate for a chance to thaw out. So let’s do the work of bikini shopping. Yes, the swimwear shopping season is upon us, and hopefully it can be pleasant and hopefully we’ve lost our holiday gut! But alas, bikinis can actually be forgiving to weight gain because they are not that confining. But I digress. Let’s talk about what to look for in the best swimsuit for 2022.

For this article, I have focused on bikinis that are easily accessible from known retail chains in North America. Because nobody has time to wait for an expensive designer bikini bought online to be shipped to home, only to find out it’s not gonna work…And I focused on affordable choices, cuz, girl…we want more than one set and we do not want to break the bank!

Before Shopping: Know thy body, know thy style: There are so many styles of bikinis out there and they all do a different things. Some are more athletic, and offer more support for the breasts, some are skimpier, leaving less tan lines and less support. Bottoms can be boyshorts, thong, tanga, strong thong, classic bikini cut..etc. So there is just so much to choose from. I noticed I didn’t have many string bikinis in my repertoire so for my shopping haul, I focused on this style. The classic string bikini was not always easy to find, so I did deviate slightly from this style by buying suits that were just on the skimpy side. Haha, if I want modesty I would go with a one piece anyway! Knowing what general style I wanted is key to finding the best suit for me! So let’s go try on some bikinis:

H & M: Padded String bikini top and bottom with recycled fabric: $40. CAD

Details: Loved the top with non-removable pads because they don’t move around or crease. The padded cups were also slightly contoured and sown into the top triangles, giving it support and shape. It was a classic side tie string bikini bottom with medium cheekiness. and medium front coverage too.

Colour: A delicate floral print with colours in sweet pastels like lavender, pink and yellow…

Pattern: Not overly floral, it was a very fine pattern, reminiscent of floral pjs once had (sweet but sexy?) I liked the gold jewelry on the ties, made it look more expensive.

Overall fit: Very good string bikini, with enough coverage on both the top and bottom to keep it innocently family, but the frills and the string cut makes it more demurely adult. B+

Aerie Eyelet String Bikini top with bikini cut bottoms $54 CAD

Details: Not sure if a cotton eyelet material is that racy (think country summer dress), but something about using it in a string bikini says naughty! In the past I’ve notice Aerie Swim tended to not be that dishy, but this year, their cups got smaller and excess coverage was shaved off for better lines. Also, the bikini bottoms with this set was slightly cheekier that usual too!

Colour: Not white, not lavender, but light lavender? It’s such a cool toned colour that can compliment any tan. It’s also pale enough to make my skin colour look less ghostly after 6 months of no sun.

Pattern: Solid colour bikini with a subtle eyelet embroidery designs are very pretty, and it also has lettuce edges for a feminine softness about it.

Overall fit: Lovely . The size Small cups were padded, but not overly structured, which I liked. The triangles were not overly big, leaving just the right amount of coverage, while maximizing curves. Good deal and good for pool or beach, it sends out a lounge like vibe. A-

Victoria’s Secret Terry Cloth Halter/Bandeau top bikini with High waisted Cheeky cut bottoms

Form: Supportive bandeau top. The decorative gold buckle in the middle makes for a bit of glam. The addition of the halter straps can add more support and visual interest. It has just the right sized cups, but I went with the xs size since VS Swim sizes seem larger in general. I felt a bit more Bond Girl in this suit. It’s more grown up with less frills. The bottoms are nicely high waisted, while having a modest amount of cheeky.

Colour: love the mid toned lavender! It’s a unique colour and so fun.

Pattern: Solid coloured suits are great, especially when it is made of a different material. The focus is shared with the texture of the terry cloth.

Overall fit: perfect amount of coverage and overall the silhouette of the bikini top is flattering and supportive. The high waisted bottom is good as a way to tame that extra pouch all women have under the tummy and the cheekiness is playful with out be distasteful. A

So there it is. 3 excellent bikini sets for pool, or beach For fashion and fit the Victoria Secret Swim rose above the others a tiny bit. But if I was to look for a classic string bikini silhouettes with ties, it would be the H & M bargain. If it was based on which suit was prettiest, it would be Aerie’s take on Eyelet swimwear! Thanks for reading and happy swim suit shopping!