30+ Chic Swimsuit Cover-Ups for the Beach and Beyond

Reported by Vogue.

There is a version of the beach vacation that lives entirely in your head: the one where you materialize from the waves looking effortless, throw something gorgeous over your swimsuit, and walk directly into a cliffside lunch without a second thought. That version is achievable. It just requires better packing decisions than you've probably been making.

According to Vogue, the cover-up category has quietly expanded well beyond the trusty tunic — and the range is genuinely worth paying attention to. Maximalists should be looking at Johanna Ortiz and Dries Van Noten for the kind of joyful, saturated prints that make an airport carousel worth standing near. Minimalists, meanwhile, are well-served by Matteau and Toteme, both of which understand that restraint is its own kind of luxury. And if you've clocked the boho revival — you have — Escvdo and Staud are delivering crochet maxis and minis that feel current rather than costume-y. Crochet is to summer what mohair is to winter: textural, cool, and entirely the moment.

The Pieces That Actually Travel

The oversized button-up has serious fashion lineage — Lauren Bacall in Key Largo, Audrey Hepburn in Two for the Road, the late Peter Lindbergh's iconic beach photography — and it's still earning its keep. Matteau and Sanderlak offer versions that can be tied, cuffed, or left open to the wind, and critically, both survive re-entry into your regular wardrobe after vacation ends. For something equally low-effort, pull-on shorts from Faithfull, Matteau, and Posse carry the same ease as wide-leg pants with far more tolerance for heat. Bode's printed tap shorts add a flash of vintage nostalgia if you want your poolside look to have a little personality. And the coordinating set — cotton or crochet — remains the smartest carry-on investment you can make: it does double duty as beach and dinner wear, cutting the number of decisions you have to make in half.

The sarong also deserves its moment here. Tied as a skirt, knotted as a dress, draped or wrapped — there is no wrong answer, only better fabric choices. Lido's bold stripes and Toteme's towel-adjacent take are both worth the luggage space. And if you forgot your actual towel, Lisa Marie Fernandez and OAS make terry cloth separates that solve the problem without sacrificing style.

The best cover-up is the one you can walk directly from the sand into your afternoon without thinking twice — so stop treating it like an afterthought.

Read the original at Vogue.