Hold Onto Your Beach Bums: Everlane Made Swimwear & We Tested It IRL

Every time Everlane takes a stab at a new category, a frenzy ensues. Remember the buzz surrounding the brand’s Trainer, a stylish sneaker that was almost entirely free of virgin plastic? Let's not forget the run we witnessed on its recently launched organic-cotton Track collection. The Perform legging that debuted last January? Our wellness writer’s test-drive of the recycled-fiber tights got straight As across the board. Well, Ever-fans, the brand is sashaying into yet another corner of our closets — and the timing couldn’t be better. Meet Swim: Everlane’s tightly edited assortment of sand-proof separates starting at just $30. The brand’s water-ready offerings consist of seven new styles: two sleek maillots and a collection of five mix & match bikinis that boast a variety of coverage. In true Everlane fashion, the colorways are a mix of classic and bold; with eye-catching reds and blues rounding out a staple palette of white, black, and brown. And of course, the heavyweight Italian-made fabric is sustainably derived from 13,768 pounds of recycled plastic. “At Everlane, we pride ourselves on being a destination for high- quality, accessible products with a lower environmental impact, and our first swim collection was no exception,” explains design VP Sonia Martin. “We were very intentional and somewhat obsessive in how we approached design, focusing on timeless, fresh silhouettes that offer the perfect amount of coverage to make you feel confident and bold when you wear them.”

Now that we have your attention, we’ll get to the million-dollar question: how do the suits actually fit? When the call for reviews came in, almost everyone on the Shopping team (sized XXS - XXL) sprang into journalistic action; choosing different styles from across the collection to see how they actually looked and felt on a variety of different bodies IRL. It was a little early in the season for us to test-drive the suits in real-life swim situations, but we all still paraded around our apartments, jumped up and down, and even took some showers in the suits to see how they’d hold up. If you’re swim-curious, or just Everlane-obsessed, then read on for our honest thoughts on its newest aquatic wares.

Tester: Alexandra
Size: Medium top & bottom
Beach Activity Level: “In a perfect world, I would lay around on the beach, nap, and only get up for the ice cream truck. But, growing up in SoCal, I was at Zuma practically every weekend and my friends dragged me into volleyball games, body surfing excursions, and full-scale workouts. I’m scarred.”

The Fit: “I’m wearing the medium tie-front bikini top and the medium bikini bottom both in white, and I did so because I was feeling risky. White bathing suits, in my opinion, are just accidents waiting to happen so I never touched one, until now. I must say I’m pleasantly surprised. I normally wear a size medium in swimsuits and my bra size is a 32/34C, I think. The top is super comfortable and is almost like a sports bra thanks to the smooth stretchy fabric and extra coverage in the back — aka no uncomfortable strings!”

The Feel: “Let’s talk about the color and whether it passes the see-through test. When the suit is dry, I feel completely covered — the lightweight pad inserts in the top hide everything and the bottoms are a tad thin, but nothing peeks through. I’ll give it a 7/10 on the see-through test. It gets three points off because I jumped in the shower and the pads immediately showed through the top and the bottoms suctioned to my skin. If I was in public after dunking myself into the pool I would definitely be self-conscious about showing everyone my groceries. Overall, I love this bathing suit because it’s comfy without looking drab and if I’m feeling myself, I’ll jump in the water regardless.”

The Hold Up: “I would not feel nervous strutting around in this or frolicking in the ocean because the fit is very supportive for my body type. I jumped up and down in it and everything stayed in place, which is fab.”

Tester: Karina
Size: XS
Beach Activity Level: “Aside from going in for a quick dip, you can almost always find me sitting on my blanket, reading a magazine and constantly reapplying sunscreen while wearing the largest straw hat you’ve ever seen.”

The Fit: “I’m petite, but have some curves — ask me about my ‘secret boobs.’ An XS top and bottom (or one-piece) usually fit me pretty well, and I think the Everlane sizing was on point, if not running ever so slightly large! I got a one-piece, and the fit was great in the top half; the bottom provides a full amount of coverage — I personally would’ve been fine with a tasteful hint of side-cheek! — but that’s not a dealbreaker for me in any way. I didn’t feel super sucked into the suit, which can sometimes happen with style that don’t accommodate a full bust area. While I have yet to test-drive this at the beach or pool, I’m almost positive it’s completely opaque — it’s hard to go wrong with a solid black suit. Unlike my other one-pieces, this one came with removable cups to aid with support and coverage; this would definitely come in handy with a white suit (let’s just say I’ve been in some sheer situations), but I ended up not really needing them.”

The Feel: “I was impressed by the feel of the fabric! It felt substantial but not too heavy, and was a simple, true matte black with the tiniest bit of sheen. It felt as smooth as my favorite Lululemon leggings, and was comfortable against my skin. I could totally imagine wearing it with high-waisted shorts to get drinks at a nearby cocktail bar after hitting the beach.”

The Hold Up: “Aside from hopping up and down in my apartment to test boob support, I didn’t really notice any issues with the fit.”

Tester: Kate
Size: XS top & XXS bottom
Beach Activity Level: “I’m usually just a lounger and ocean toe-dipper.”

How It Fits: “I usually wear a small top and an XS bottom in swimwear, but since I’m familiar with how Everlane’s sizes run I went for an XS top and an XXS bottom. The bottoms fit great. They’re nice and snug and I appreciate the coverage because I’m not super comfortable with ‘cheekier’ cuts. The top fits totally fine — I did take out the removeable cups — and I really like the cut, but I feel like I could’ve sized down because there’s a bit of loose fabric near my underarms (you can actually see it in the photo of me), but nothing that would stop me from wearing it.”

The Feel: “I really like the brown color — I only own one swimsuit and it’s black so this is a nice addition — and the quality of the fabric feels smooth and has a nice weight.”

The Hold Up: “It’s not beach season yet so I haven’t tested the bikini out in the real ‘elements’, but I can see this swimsuit being nice for more active beachgoers.”

Name: Chichi
Size: XXL top & bottom
Beach Activity Level: “A chill day where napping, a leisurely walk, and nibbling on berries and beach snacks are the main forms of activity!”

The Fit: “My swimsuit try-on went surprisingly well considering I’m a plus-size person that typically wears or 2X in most of my swimsuits and Everlane doesn’t offer that size. I wore an XXL in the tie front bikini and high-rise bottoms. I think that’s partly because swimwear is stretchy and the bikini bottoms were slightly high cut. However, it’d be nice to see Everlane carry more sizes because someone even a little larger than me in hip and bust would find the suit uncomfortable. The suit definitely was a little booby, so if you prefer more coverage potentially consider trying another style.  Overall I like how it fits me. If I were to change one thing, I'd probably size up on the top of that was a possibility.

The Feel: “Upon wearing the suit I noticed that it felt a little thicker especially on the bikini top than some of my other suits which were nice.”

The Hold Up: “I will say I have a DD bust, and my boobs would definitely not hold during really any physical activity besides walking. If you have a bigger bust, there’s a high possibility of a nip slip moment if you are doing any leaping into any bodies of water.”

Tester: Liz
Size: Small top & bottom
Beach Activity Level: “A lot of walking back and forth from the water to my towel to prevent sweating to death.”

The Fit: “I wear a size small in most swim brands across the board. I’m a 34B bust size, so tops are fairly easy for me to fit into no matter the style/level of support — but, I do sometimes run into issues with bottoms, especially of the high-waisted variety. Although I favor this style in terms of tummy coverage, they can tend to dig or cut into my butt-cheek and upper-thigh area. This was not the case with Everlane’s iteration I’m sporting here! The brand’s high-rise hipster bottoms hugged me in a softly supportive way that left room for breathing without feeling baggy. While I also adored the tie-front top (and appreciated the extra oomph from the removable cup liners), I did wish the style offered a little more adjustability aside from solely the front tie. Even though that wasn’t a deal-breaker for me, it may not be the best style for those who need more boob support.”

The Feel: “The fabric surprised me: lightweight while still feeling weighty; stretchy yet firm; a touch of matte-like quality but still buttery smooth; an almost seamless-appeal with non-invasive stitching.”

The Hold Up: “Although I haven’t gotten it wet but, due to the darker color of the suit as well as its hefty-feeling fabric, I don’t foresee there being any unexpected exposure of my intimate areas post-swim sessions. Also, it’s worth noting that the blue hue is beautiful. Aside from walking around my home office and trying to get a good selfie in it, I have yet to do any real physical activities in this suit. However, I did not experience any of the ridings up or needings to tug down the crotch area that often occurs with a high-waisted bottom.”