Are Summersalt Swimsuits Worth the Price?
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We went to Mexico last weekend, so naturalllllly I have been on the hunt for a new swimsuit. My go-to is usually Aerie (which I still love! recently featured them here); however, I have seen so much about Summersalt, I wanted to try it out. This summer wasnāt my first encounter with the brand though. I had heard of it before, but I think I was like noooope when I saw the $95 price tag. ($95 for a 1 piece / about $50 per piece for a 2 piece). Iām not against designer swim. I wore a Jets by Jessika Allen Parallels swimsuit a couple years ago and let me tell you that swimsuit was worth it! I still have it / wear it and it is still looking good, not to mention, it fits great! Other swimsuits I purchased around the same time have since been retired to the trash can. Their elastic has gotten crusty and cracky annddd unwearable. #gross
The Sidestroke * *Use code REDWHITEBLUE for free ground shipping! Order by 6/26 to receive in time for 4th of July! * * | The All Wrapped Up Scarf | American Eagle Sunglasses | Hat (old, similar here and here
Summersalt swimsuits claim to be different in a lot of ways. They are ādesigner swim without the designer price tagā, if you will. They cut out the middle man and designed, produced and now sell directly to you, saving you money and them margin! Seems win-win to me; however, Summersaltās brand is about much more than just saving a buck or two. Let me explain. What makes Summersalt different?
No Middleman. Like I mentioned above, there isnāt a further up-charge for these pieces, as they are producing them, themselves. Save money, look cute!
Fitted for YOU. Summersalt assessed the bodies of 10,000 women to find their perfect fit. They range from size 2-24. Itās not a full size run for every suit, but itās a broader sizing than most swimwear brands, that is for sure.
Eco-Friendly. Iāve talked about it a lot (see my most recent post on eco-friendly jeans here!) , but the fashion industry is actually really polluting and in most cases not a sustainable business. Summersalt uses recycled materials, in addition to leftover fabrics left for waste. Learn more about their practices here.
Made to Last. Iāll go more into the fit and how the suits made me feel in a sec, but they really are so well madeā¦ something I questioned when I initially saw the price tag. They held me in, dry quickly, offer UPF 50 and are pretty much wrinkle free. They did wear tests and these suits can withhold over 100 hours of wear, chlorine, etc and still come out on the other side, looking great! A girl in my home group at church has worn Summersalt for a couple years now and she says that hers all still look good as well. A true testament! Iāll also note that all of their swimsuits are very well lined!! Most swimsuits arenāt lined unless they are designer.
Marketing. I love that they model on all different sizes, races, and ages. Their images are a breath of fresh air!
Summersalt prides themselves on not only having sizes for most humans, but also having specific fits like long torso swimsuits! I wasnāt sure which size Iād be, so I ordered a size 4 and a size 6. In the bikinis I only ordered a 4 in the tops and they fit great. I could have worn a 6 in the one pieces and bikini bottoms, but I ultimately went with the 4, because they are designed with more compression and meant to be more snug. Plus, have you ever had your bikini bottoms fall off in the lake or somewhere? I have and not looking to re-live it! I liked most of the fits, but Iāll go into detail on each suit I tried on and what I did and didnāt like about them a little later. Just a side note, they have a style and size finder that is pretty helpful. They also have a butt coverage guide, which I Ioved!! As far as ordering goes, they have discovery packs which are made for you to try on a bunch of different styles. I didnāt go this route, because there were several suits I wanted to try on that werenāt a part of the pack. I just ordered the sizes and styles I wanted to test and returned the rest. You have to go online to file the return and print out your own return label, but it was free and really easy to do. PLUS, I was notified of the money being transferred back to my card less than a week of my shipping the returns. Obviously it has to process back on the card, but stillā¦ that is pretty dang fast as far as returns go.
Before I dive into the suits though, here are some of their fit recommendations:
I am 5ā7.5ā and typically wear a 4 top and a 4 or 6 bottom depending o n the garment! Iām usually a size 28 in jeans.
The Deep Dive in Sea Urchin and White Sand (sizes 2-14, wearing a 4)
I wanted to love this swimsuit. I wish that it would tie around the neck, so that the straps could be shorter. There was a bit of gaping fabric around the back of my shoulders and the neck drop sat kind of weird. It was SO chic though. I also thought the little cups/pads didnāt really fit on my boobs and looked awkward from some angles.
The Marina in Atlantic / Sea Urchin / White Sand (sizes 2-22, wearing a 4)
I LOVED this suit. It fit perfectly and was full coverage. Would love this in a solid red, because it made me feel like a sexy lifeguard.
The Cove in in Sea Urchin and White Sand (sizes 2-22, wearing a 4)
This fit fine, I just thought it looked kind of blah on me. It reminded me of Audrey Hepburn, so I really thought Iād like it, buuut not my fave. The cups fit a little weird as well.
The Sidestroke in White Sand / Mango / Deep Sea (sizes 2-14, wearing a 4)
SPOILER ALERT: I LOVE THIS ONE. I didnāt want to love it, because it was one of the most popular, but the fit is amazing! It held me in so well and is so flattering on any body type. They also have several versions of the Sidestroke so youāre sure to find one that is for you! This one felt like it had more compression and it didnāt have any weird boob cup issues either. #LOVE
The Sidestroke Bikini Top and The High Leg High Rise in Deep Sea and Stingray (sizes 2-12, wearing a 4 in both pieces)
I really liked this one! I initially wasnāt sure how I felt / didnāt know if it was too plain? BUT I really do like itā¦probably because it is literally the two piece version of my favorite swimsuit. If youāre not a fan of the bottoms, you can also pair it with different bottoms! All of these should work!
The Plunge Bikini Top and The High Leg Mid Rise Bikini Bottom in Seaweed (Top is sizes 2-12 and Bottoms are sizes 2-22 - Wearing a 4 in both pieces)
I was mostly in love with the deep sea color. I wish it came across more suits! I did like this swimsuit though! Just wasnāt my number one.
The Plunge Bikini Top and The Tie Belted High Leg High Rise Bottom in Terra Cotta (sizes 2-12, wearing a 4 in both pieces)
I thought this looked so chic, but the bottoms hit me weird, or so I thought.
āUPDATED 8/25/2019
The Gilder Bikini Top in Leopard (c/o) | Mesh High Leg High Rise Bikini Bottom in Sea Urchin (c/o) (Top sizes 2-12 and Bottom sizes 2-14, wearing a size 4 in both pieces)
UPDATE because this is my favorite two piece for sure! The top has underwire and I LOVE the leopard. The top has adjustable straps and an adjustable closure. The bottoms has a fun mesh striping on the front midsection and I actually liked these high leg high rise bottoms better than the previous I tried. The mesh just med them fun!
__END of UPDATE
Something I bought, but didnāt take a picture in is the long all buttoned up cover up. At $95 a pop, I was hoping to wear this to the pool AND as a great transitional weather piece; however, it was very see through. The fabric was great, I just wanted more coverage.
SOā¦What did I keep? In the end I kept the Sidestroke One Piece and the All Wrapped Up Scarf in leopard. My other contenders were the Sidestroke Bikini Top and High Leg High Rise Bikini Bottom and the Marina One Piece. Another favorite (but not as much as the ones listed above) was the Plunge Bikini Top and the High Leg Mid Rise Bikini Bottom. I really wanted to try the Current Bikini Top, but I wouldnāt have received it in time for my trip.
Nowā¦What did I think? I love Summersaltās brand and their whole basis for building the company. They are doing it for the right reasons, in an area that desperately needs them. The pricing is steep. I know not everyone can just plop down $100 for a swimsuit. I think I would probably tell you to for sure shop at at Summersalt if you are looking for a quality one piece and maybe for a two-piece. I feel like two-piece customers are looking for something different sometimes? I leaned more toward their one pieces, for the sheer reason that those are more basic and youāll be more apt to wear them year over year; however, with two pieces, those seem to lean more trendy and buy new every year? I DO think Summersalt does a good job with staying classic and adding small trendy touches though. I wore this in Mexico on the last day and not only did it make me feel pretty even though I felt bloated, but I also received a slew of compliments!
Yes, Summersalt pretty much sticks with basic silhouettes (which means you can wear them for longer!), but I have to applaud them on their limited editions and new patterns. They just launched a Guiliana Ranic collection that is an adorable lemon print, in addition to a wildflower print for the Marina swimsuit that I wish was out before my trip! They also did a collaboration with Modern Citizen and it is super chic. And ok, not a swimsuit, but they did a towel collaboration with Boll and Branch which is such a good brand!
Overall, yes I recommend them and I do think you are getting great quality for the money you are paying. If you could wear it for 3 seasons, that alone should cover its cost per wear! I now want to try all of their non-swim related products. They have really cute travel apparel that Iām sure is just as good as their suits! That is one of the reasons I bought the scarf. I love it because yes of course you can wear it as a sarong or as a cover up around your neck, but you can also style it in your hair, make it a belted scarf, and more! Versatility, people!!!
Have you tried Summersalt before? What did you think?! If you want to try it for yourself, use code REDWHITEBLUE for free ground shipping! Order by 6/26 to receive in time for 4th of July!!
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