Did Kourtney Kardashian Wear Her Bikini Like This On Purpose?

Another Monday, another set of Kardashian outfits to fawn over, to question, and to unpack. Non-fans of the world's most talked about family may wonder how much meaning a corset top or skin-tight bodycon dress can offer, but point to Kim Kardashian's Virgin Mary-decorated mini on Friday and you'll be reminded that no outfit is simply just an outfit. And that includes bathing suits.

This morning, an influx of photos of the Kourtney and Kim Kardashian on vacation with friends in Mexico this weekend hit the web. Scrolling through the many Kardashian-Jenner fan accounts I follow, I paused as soon as I noticed Kim's old-school Dior printed two-piece. The world hasn't seen a logo'ed bikini moment this good since Beyonce wore Burberry in the music video for '03 Bonnie & Clyde. Never mind her other beach vacay looks: A lace-up, presumably-vintage Dolce & Gabbana tee with space-age sunglasses, a simple string bikini. Needless to say, if had any doubts Kim Kardashian was, in fact, back, consider them cleared.

But, it wasn't Kim's outfit that had us asking questions (besides wondering when this very '90s swimsuit will return to the mainstream). Kourtney, however, seemed to take a page out of her sister's playbook, stepping out in an itsy bitsy teeny weeny red string bikini that, at first glance, looked totally normal — do a double-take, though, and you might notice Kardashian's showing off some significant underboob. Our immediate thought was that this was clearly the result of a bikini top accidentally riding up (we've all been there).

After further investigation, it seemed that this was no accident at all — that it was actually an intentional way of styling her two-piece. 1) I found images of Kardashian in many-a situations (running, posing for a group photo, strolling on the beach) while completely ignoring the fact that the bottom of the cup was sitting mid-breast, rather than beneath it. 2) When our team concluded that Kardashian is wearing Basic Swim (a favourite of Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid), we headed over to its Instagram for more answers. While it's not necessarily meant to fit this way, this photo on the brand's feed encourages something similar. When it comes to the Kardashians, nothing is coincidental, so while you may think Kourtney's bathing suit is two sizes too small, she was low-key predicting (and perhaps even setting) the trend (?) of summer '17.

Still, as convinced as I was that this was an intentional styling trick, the members of my team had opinions on the look, too. Below, read what they had to say, and let us know how you feel about Kourtney's suit in the comments.

"I really want to believe that Kourtney is wearing her top like this on purpose, or that it was actually made that way. But something tells me this was an accident. For that reason — and because I refuse to believe underboob tans are a thing (yet) — it’s gonna be a no for me, dawg. However, I would not put this past Kim."
- Landon Peoples, Fashion News Writer

"I'm really torn on this one. At first, I thought it was 100% an accident. The way the picture is taken, it looks like Kourt is still somewhat in motion, like she threw her arms around her friends and — oops! — up her bikini top went. But, the more I looked at the photo and how perfectly the top sits just below the nipple (especially in a time when underboob is a thing), I thought maybe, just maybe, it's being worn this way on purpose. It doesn't seem like something Kourtney would do (it's more of a Kim thing, no?), but every now and then, she surprises us. All I know is, I need answers, stat."
- Alyssa Coscarelli, Fashion Market Editor

"I think it's just the photo. That's my official take."
- Ana Colon, Fashion News Writer

“I’ve had some reservations about underboob and side boob for awhile: C’mon, they're just former fashion faux-pas turned eye-roll-inducing 'trends' (not to mention, quite impractical to wear IRL if you’re not a Kardashian or on a runway). This is most definitely just an almost-NSFW-nipple-baring moment for Kourt and not an intentional styling trick. At least, I very much hope that’s what’s happening here. If not? Dear God…”
- Alexandra Ilyashov, Senior Fashion News Editor

“Listen, there’s a lot of swim trends I can get behind. Weird tan line-inducing stomach cut-outs, chain mail bikini bottoms, one-shoulder pieces...I’ve seen ’em all. But the one thing I can’t wrap my head around is an ill-fitting swimsuit. While it could be a photo taken at the wrong moment, doing things unintentionally doesn’t really fit into the Kardashian narrative, so I’m marking this swimsuit styling faux-pas as planned. I’m all for showing off what your mama gave you, but choosing a swim top a few cup sizes too small? That might be where I draw the line."
- Ray Lowe, Fashion Market Writer