Types of Swimwear: 10 Styles and How They Fit
Swimwear is worn for regular pool sessions, beach holidays and water sports. Familiar choices include bikinis, one-piece swimsuits and swimming shorts, with longer garments providing coverage over the arms and legs.
01One-Piece Swimsuits
A one-piece swimsuit joins the upper body and bottom through the torso and crotch. Its front can extend continuously from the neckline to the leg openings, with lining beneath the outer fabric. Built-in shelf bras, cups and underwires are among the support options. On swimming styles, crossed straps or a racerback bring the attachments toward the center of the back, allowing movement around the shoulders.
Length through the body affects where the bust section, waist shaping and crotch sit. Long-torso versions provide additional length between the upper and lower sections. During a fitting, raising and rotating the arms shows how the suit moves through the torso and whether the straps remain comfortably positioned.
Cutout designs expose selected areas of the front, sides or back. Larger side openings can leave a narrow panel down the abdomen, and rings or gathered sections may connect the remaining fabric. Monokini is commonly used in contemporary collections for these connected, cutaway one-pieces.
02Bikinis
A bikini consists of a separate top and bottom. Separately sold pieces allow each part to be selected in a different size.
Waist Height and Bottom Coverage
A high-waisted bikini bottom extends toward the natural waist, covering the lower abdomen. Its leg openings can rise over the hips, exposing the upper thighs. Seafolly’s Urban Geo bottom combines this high-waisted, high-leg shape with cheeky coverage at the back. The back panel ends across part of the seat, leaving the lower curves exposed.
The width and lower edge of the back panel determine seat coverage. Fuller-coverage briefs carry fabric farther across the seat and beneath it; the waist can still sit high on the abdomen. A lined front adds another layer inside the garment, including power-mesh panels used in some high-waisted bottoms.
Triangle, Bandeau and Bra-Style Tops
The cups of a sliding triangle top gather along a cord beneath the bust. Moving the fabric along that cord changes the width of the cup base and the spacing between the cups. Straps extend from the upper points toward the shoulders or behind the neck. Convertible versions can change their strap arrangement, and a tie-back fastening adjusts the band around the torso. Removable cups sit inside the lining.
A bandeau places a broad band of fabric across the chest. Its upper edge may be straight or shaped around the bust, with gathering or a central detail drawing the fabric inward. Support components sit inside the band: Seafolly’s Bandwave design contains removable cups, side boning and gripper tape, together with an optional strap. The boning helps hold the sides upright, and a clip closes the back.
Bralette-style bikini tops use the shape of a soft bra, often with shoulder straps and a visible underbust band. Crossed straps can connect the upper cups to the back of the garment.
Underwire tops have shaped support beneath each cup. The wires follow the lower curve of the bust inside sewn channels, and adjustable straps position the cups from above. This construction can sit beneath triangular outer panels: Seafolly’s Kaleidoscope underwire triangle top combines that shape with adjustable shoulder straps and a D–DD cup fitting.
03Tankinis
The lower edge of a tankini top can overlap the waistband of its separate bottom, covering the abdomen where the two pieces meet. The top extends down the torso like a tank and can be paired with briefs, swimming shorts or a swim skirt. Separately sold pieces allow the bust and hips to be fitted in different sizes. In a blouson tankini, the outer fabric falls loosely below the bust before gathering into a band around the waist or hips. The gathered fabric forms soft folds above that band. Inside, a shelf bra or soft cups provide support close to the chest. Lands’ End’s blouson tops include a built-in soft-cup bra and adjustable shoulder straps, so the bust fit can be adjusted within the loose outer body.
04Swim Dresses
A swim dress has a skirt over a swimsuit body or separate brief. The skirt extends around the hips and upper thighs, with the brief providing coverage beneath the moving fabric.
In Swimsuits For All’s Sweetheart Flyaway design, the top is selected by band and cup size. Molded underwire cups sit beneath the sweetheart neckline, and an internal hook-and-eye fastening closes around the back. The skirt hangs below this fitted bust section, with loose panels that can separate around the body. Its detached high-waisted brief has a power-mesh front lining and a separately lined back. The bottom uses its own numbered size range, allowing it to be fitted independently of the bra-sized top.
05Rash Guards and Long-Sleeve Swimsuits
For surfing and paddling, a rash guard places a lightweight layer over skin exposed to rubbing. Stretch fabric accommodates movement through the shoulders and arms. The garment is worn as a separate top, and sleeve lengths include short, three-quarter and full-length designs.
A full front zipper opens the top for dressing over a swimsuit. Lowering the slider separates the neckline and chest, allowing the rash guard to be removed independently of the swimming top underneath. Roxy’s New Essentials uses this construction in a fitted, long-sleeve shape.
Long-sleeve one-piece swimsuits continue through the waist and crotch into a fitted bottom. The legs may remain exposed below brief-shaped openings. Roxy’s Essentials one-piece uses stretch polyester-elastane fabric through the body and sleeves.
Sun-protective garments carry a UPF rating, which describes ultraviolet protection through the material. The protection applies to covered skin, so neck height, sleeve length and the position of the hem determine the protected area. Stretching can open spaces within knitted fabric and affect its UPF performance. Hats, sunscreen, sunglasses and shade provide additional sun protection.
06Swim Trunks
A mesh brief is often attached inside swim trunks beneath the waistband. The outer shorts hang around the thighs, and an elasticated waist gathers the shell at the top. An internal drawcord adjusts the opening around the body. Lightweight, quick-drying fabric is used for the shell, including the nylon fabric in Patagonia’s Baggies. Water also needs a route out of the pockets: Baggies have mesh corners in their side-pocket bags and a mesh bag behind the rear pocket. The rear opening closes beneath a flap with a low-profile snap.
07Boardshorts
A flat waistband and a lace-up front are familiar features of surf boardshorts. Stretch woven fabric accommodates bending through the hips and thighs, and pockets may sit on the outer leg. Quiksilver’s Cantina has a fixed waist, four-way stretch and a side cargo pocket containing a key loop.
The 19-inch length in that style’s name is an outseam measurement, running down the outside from the waistband to the hem. It includes the portion above the crotch. Quiksilver specifies this measurement for the medium size.
Short pull-on boardshorts can finish high on the thigh. Roxy’s Endless Summer has a wide foldover waistband and a 2-inch inseam, measured along the inner leg from the crotch to the hem. Four-way stretch continues through the shorts, and the folded band sits around the hips.
08Swim Briefs and Square-Leg Swimwear
A measurement such as eight centimeters on a swim brief can refer to the side depth at the hip. This section lies between the waistband and curved leg opening. Speedo’s guide includes five-, eight- and ten-centimeter examples. The fabric fits closely across the front and seat, with an internal drawcord securing the waist. Front lining adds a second layer inside the shell.
Extending the fabric onto the upper thighs creates square-leg swimwear, also called aquashorts. Its short, fitted legs have lower edges running across the thighs, with fabric continuing beneath the seat at the back. The inner leg seams meet at the crotch.
09Jammers and Kneeskins
Jammers are close-fitting swimming shorts extending from the waist toward the knees. They are used for pool training and racing. A front lining can sit inside the shell, and the waist may have an internal drawcord. Racing versions can incorporate compression and water-repellent treatments.
A kneeskin extends the fitted legs upward into a one-piece body with shoulder straps. The fit includes the length of the torso, so Speedo’s Fastskin sizing records a body-loop measurement alongside bust, waist and hip measurements. The tape starts at one shoulder, passes down the front and through the crotch, then returns up the back to the same shoulder.
On an open-back kneeskin, fabric continues around a cutaway section beneath the straps and into the waist. Compression can be concentrated through particular seams and layered panels. Speedo’s Pure Valor 2.0 has a compressive inner-leg seam and two layers around the abdomen, with the brand describing its overall compression as moderate. A water-repellent coating is applied to the fabric.
10Full-Coverage Swimwear
A long-sleeve tunic, swimming leggings and a coordinating hood can form a full-coverage swimming outfit. The tunic extends over the hips, with the leggings continuing down the legs. These pieces are also sold as modest swimwear and may be purchased separately.
Attachments between the garments help keep them positioned together in the water. Speedo’s Endurance+ modesty tunic has button connectors for its leggings and hood. Raglan sleeves include the shoulder within the sleeve section, with diagonal seams running toward the neckline. Soft cups sewn inside the tunic provide light bust support.
