Summer solstice is just days away, and while this summer will be different than most, the good news is that people are and will be ready to get outside. If you’re like me, you may have gone through your closet during this extended time at home. I raided my swimsuit drawer and got rid of suits that I never wore, some that were too tight (thanks all you home-sourdough-bread bakers ;)), and some that were stretched out or old. I decided that it was time to get some new swimsuits.
Living in California, I’m in a swimsuit most days of the summer. Whether I’m meeting friends for a day at the beach, playing beach volleyball, or enjoying some quiet time with a good book at the pool, a swimsuit seems to be my go-to outfit. That being said, I’m tough on my suits – no matter how much I try, I seem to get more sunscreen on my suit than on my body – so I’m not looking to spend a ton of money on a teeny-tiny bikini. Especially one I’m going to stretch out and dirty up playing beach volleyball.
I’ve discovered that I really like Aerie’s swimwear. Aerie seems to have a sale always going on which is a plus, and the company has the Real Good collection which is made from recycled nylon fabric and plastic bottles. The plastic-bottle-recycled fiber used is named Repreve, which lots of companies ranging from Patagonia to Mara Hoffman also use. Thus far, over 20 billion (and counting!) plastic bottles have been repurposed to make Repreve recycled fibers. While I hate that there are so many plastic bottles out in the world, I love the idea of making our fashion practices greener and repurposing the used bottles for the Real Good line.
All of the suits that I’m wearing in these photos are from Aerie and all of the pieces are sustainable (with the exception of the black bikini top – sorry I needed something to go with the green bottoms!). I like that the site has high-waisted styles, lots of fun fabrics (cat prints are trending and I don’t hate it), and models that come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. I believe that it’s helpful to see how these swimsuits look on people other than the edited-Victoria’s-Secret-model body type, so I hope that it’s useful to see these suits on me (I’m 5’6″ for reference). I really appreciate how inclusive and empowering Aerie’s advertising is and how the company is making an effort to integrate sustainable practices. The company has also stopped retouching photos – something I believe in too (read my blog post about this here). Major props, Aerie. I hope that eventually the whole swimwear collection will be created using sustainable methods. Until then, the only plastic bottles I’ll be bringing to the beach are the ones that I’ll now be wearing!
