Fashion I'm a Fashion Writer, and These Are the 4 Swimsuit Trends Actually Worth Buying This Summer Trust me, I’ve done the research. By Tara Gonzalez Tara Gonzalez Instagram Website Tara Maria Gonzalez has been a fashion writer and editor for more than 6 years. She was most recently the style commerce writer at InStyle, where she covered celebrity looks, fashion week trends, and everything you don’t need but probably should buy. InStyle's editorial guidelines Updated on May 23, 2022 @ 09:06AM Pin Share Tweet Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Photo: Frankie's Bikinis Like nearly everyone on this planet, shopping for swimsuits fills me with insurmountable dread. For years I hated it so much, I succumbed to wearing the same baby pink Juicy Couture bathing suit I had bought in high school — which looking back, was unintentionally very on-trend. But then last summer, I was so excited about getting to travel again and go on vacation, I voluntarily spent an extremely hot couple of days sweating while looking at thousands of swimsuits at Paraiso Miami Beach's famous Swim Week. Beauty is pain — especially when it comes to swimsuits. Maybe it was the fact that I had been locked up in my New York City apartment for what felt like an eternity, but seeing models decked out in retro Emilio Pucci print swimsuits, layering with sarongs at Poster Girl, and sporting gold belts at Bfyne made me actually want to invest in swimwear that I truly love for the first time in forever. So this summer, I've vowed to not only invest in bikinis and one-pieces that'll stand the test of time (not unlike my Juicy Couture swimsuit, to be fair) but in swim trends that make me want to pull up to the beach in a full look. From cutout one-pieces that will give me weird, but worth-it tan lines and string-y bikini tops I can wear all year-round, here are the four swimsuits I'm adding to my cart — and four trends worth investing in this season. Ottolinger Black Laced One-Piece Swimsuit Courtesy Shop now: $325; ssense.com Ever since I saw models at the Nia Lynn show wearing bikini tops with so many loose ties that could be worn around the torso, I've been beyond obsessed with the look. And then while scrolling on Instagram, I saw Rosalía wearing a strappy bikini by one of my favorite emerging brands, Ottolinger; it was unlike anything I've ever seen before. I immediately bought a similar two-piece by the brand and I can barely make it a couple feet down the beach without everyone asking me a million questions about it. The best thing about the top is that it has so many strings that can be worn an infinite amount of ways. It's a piece I keep in my wardrobe rotation, even when I'm not on a trip because it's so great to layer. I need to add this Ottolinger one-piece to my collection, along with any other tie-around swimsuit. It's one of the only trends you can wear differently every time, which basically means you're investing in more than one swimsuit for the price of one. Best Tie-Up Swimsuits Isa Boulder Sculpture Bikini, top, $150, nordstrom.com; bottom, $150, nordsrom.com Frankies Bikinis Indy Satin Halter Bikini, top, $125, frankiesbikini.com; bottom, $80, frankiesbikini.com Milumia Two-Piece Heart Ring Linked Lace-Up Bikini Set, $26; amazon.com Frankies Bikinis Tatum Floral Triangle Bikini Top, $80, frankiesbikinis.com; bottom, $90, frankiesbikinis.com Soly Hux Two-Piece Wrap-Up Bikini, $23; amazon.com Isa Boulder Vines Twisted Bikini, top, $185, net-a-porter.com; bottom, $138, net-a-porter.com Solid & Striped the Nina Belt One-Piece Courtesy Shop now: $158; solidandstriped.com Swim week wasn't the only place I pulled inspiration for my swim looks this year. Look 40 from the Blumarine spring/summer 2022 show is basically my entire mood board for summer. The second I saw the model walk down the runway wearing a sheer pink top with the brand name bedazzled across her chest, a small pink bikini bottom, butterfly buckle belt, and tall pink boots, I knew I wanted to channel her for the rest of my life. Of course that's easier said than done, and while I will be looking for a vintage version of the belt to style for an Instagram photo this summer, I'm not quite sure of the practicality of an actual belt at the beach. Yet, at the Chanel spring/summer 2022 show, models similarly walked down in two-piece bikinis, accessorized with gold belts worn around the stomach and below the belly button. Thankfully, belted swimsuits are everywhere, with built-in belts and buckles that you can swim in. Although I'm definitely going to recommend being as extra as possible by investing in a couple of belts to style on top.. Best Belted Swimsuits Solid & Striped the Anne-Marie Belted Reversible Swimsuit, $198; net-a-porter.com Beach Riot Sydney Belted One-Piece Swimsuit, $168; amazon.com River Island Scoop-Neck Chain Belt One-Piece Swimsuit, $70; nordstrom.com Noire Swimwear Belted One-Piece Swimsuit, $309; farfetch.com Cupshe High-Waisted Belted Bikini, $33; amazon.com Lisa Marie Fernandez Yasmin Belted Seersucker One-Piece Swimsuit, $395; nordstrom.com Isa Boulder Gather One-Piece Swimsuit Courtesy Shop now: $330; nordstrom.com The most controversial of swim trends is still going as strong as ever; at the Simonett swim show last summer, nearly every swimsuit had major cutouts. It's honestly never been harder to find a one-piece that makes you look like you fell asleep under a paper snowflake. And If I'm going to look as though I fell asleep out in the sun beneath someone's cutout art school project, I'd want it to be in head-to-toe Isa Boulder. The brand is redefining swimwear and making some of the most imaginative cover-ups, bikinis, and one-pieces out there right now, and nearly every piece has some kind of sexy twist (literally) that'll leave the cutest tiny tan lines all over your bikini line. But honestly, an even tan feels so 2010. Best Cutout Swimsuits Frankies Bikinis Gemma Wrap One-Piece Swimsuit, $180; frankiesbikinis.com Qinsen Scoop-Neck Cutout One-Piece, $29; amazon.com Cult Gaia Aster One-Piece Swimsuit, $258; shopbop.com Cult Gaia Aster Cutout Recycled Halterneck Swimsuit, $258; net-a-porter.com Cupshe One-Piece Scallop Cutout Swimsuit, $35; amazon.com Noire Swimwear Gathered Cutout Swimsuit, $247; farfetch.com Frankie's Bikinis Cash Terry One-Piece Swimsuit, $175; frankiesbikinis.com Isa Boulder One-Shoulder Metallic Ruched Swimsuit, $322; net-a-porter.com Emilio Pucci Bandierine Print Cutout One-Piece Swimsuit, $580; nordstrom.com Frankies Bikinis Phillipa Shine String Bikini Top Courtesy Shop now: top: $90; frankiesbikinis.com; bottom: $85; frankiesbikinis.com The most recent swimsuit and swimwear trend I can't stop thinking about involves one of 2022's most popular accessories: bows. Gigi Hadid's recent collection with Frankies Bikinis features so many adorable bikinis covered in the cutest little bows, and as someone who is constantly trying to look like a gift, I need it all. I love the trend because it feels fresh. There have always been one-pieces with cutouts and strappy bikinis, but bows and ribbons feel like details that are reserved for dainty vintage pajama sets and slips from the '90s. And if owning a bikini covered in them helps me look like an ethereal Hadid sister, what more could I ask for? Best Bow Swimsuits Frankies Bikinis Arabelle Bralette Bikini, top, $100, frankiesbikinis.com; bottoms, $95; frankiesbikinis.com Blooming Jelly Ribbon Bikini, $29; amazon.com Jacquemus Gingham Knotted Bow Bikini, top, $155, farfetch.com; $141, farfetch.com Frankies Bikini 23 One-Piece Bikini, $175; frankiesbikinis.com Self-Portrait Bow-Detailed Halterneck Swimsuit, $262, farfetch.com