Recently I had the opportunity to photograph two of my favourite models, Ashley and Sami, on the same day. I photographed Ashley at sunrise and Sami at sunset, and they each brought along a myriad of bikinis, swimwear, swimsuits, bathing suits, and other summer fashions that I thought I’d highlight in this post. Below you’ll find a lookbook of 2018 summer swimwear and bikinis from Zaful, Forever 21, Urban Planet, and La Vie En Rose.
5:30am was the call time for my shoot with Ashley, and we found a small beach at East Point Park to photograph these one-piece bathing suits from Zaful. I also learned during my research that this beach in Scarborough is an unofficial nude beach, serving as the eastern companion to Toronto’s only official “clothing optional” beach at Hanlan’s Point.
In 2018, thankfully, bandeaus are out (praise Jesus, they were awful) and a myriad of new swimwear styles are in. Ashley is particularly fond of two current trends: high-waisted swimwear, and one-piece bathing suits.
This bathing suit below from Zaful might be my favourite of this whole series — it’s both conservative and revealing, which is no small feat, and it’s got an astounding 4.79 out of 5 star rating on Zaful.com.
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Because Ashley can never own enough black one-piece swimsuits, here’s another featuring a strappy look which has also crossed over from current lingerie looks. They’re not great for tan lines, but they’ll look great on Instagram. Check out Ashley’s summer swimwear lookbook on YouTube for more from this photo shoot.
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After a mid-day nap, I headed out at sunset to meet up with Sami, who has an extensive summer bikini wardrobe. She showed up wearing this amazing Forever 21 floral print surplice dress, and I was so enamoured with it that we had to snap some photos with it first. Isn’t it gorgeous?
I picked up this awesome black mesh crop-top hoodie from Forever 21 at the start of the season and it goes with just about anything (I also used it in this photo shoot). Here, Sami has paired it with simple black bikini bottoms from La Vie En Rose that have a bit of detail on the straps for some visual interest. If you’re not as brave as Sami to wear it with nothing underneath, you might want to pair it with a bralette, sports bra, or similar.
As you’ve probably seen on Instagram this year, Zaful has emerged as the most popular swimwear and bathing suit provider. Tie-front bikinis are hugely popular this year, and Sami had this red one with a scrunch-butt thong bottom. I’m not sure how I feel about them, but they have a little more character than your standard triangle string bikini.
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Continuing with Zaful, they’ve been all over the trend of textured fabric swimwear. While crocheted swimsuits are still popular, this type of corduroy-like fabric is also trending large for summer 2018. I think this type of cut can be flattering on just about everyone — it’s simultaneously got more coverage thanks to thicker straps/sides, while also being cut with curvy lines rather than straight edges. Normally the large seams would bother me but they work really well for this style of bikini.
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Lingerie at the beach? Yeah, why not? Lacy and mesh lingerie styles have been popular as everyday wear for a little while now, which can be seen in the immense popularity of bodysuits and bralettes, so a lace mesh thong bodysuit on the beach isn’t entirely out of place. I particularly like the floral details. It’s more risqué than your standard bathing suit, but totally worth it if you want to turn some heads.
Lastly, just in time for Canada Day is this adorable bodysuit from Urban Planet. The “Kiss Me, I’m Canadian” bodysuit in traditional red-and-white will turn heads no matter what kind of Canada Day celebration you’re at. It’s got an exceptionally narrow crotch, so beware of potential wardrobe malfunctions if you’re not pairing it with shorts or pants.
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What’s your favourite summer 2018 beach look? What do you think the top swimwear trends will be for 2019 and beyond? Let me know in the comments below or on Instagram.
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