The Styling You Annual Swimsuit Edition 2025 – Styling You

The 2025 Styling You Annual Swimsuit Edition is here. If you’re new, my annual campaign which started in 2013 is at the core of everything I subscribe to on my social media platforms and in my business. I simply want to see more woman of all ages, shapes, sizes, colour and abilities wearing fashion so that more women can visualise themselves in clothes and, in this case, swimwear. I curate my social media feed by following a diverse range of women and I suggest you do too. There absolutely isn’t just one standard of beauty and the more you intentionally celebrate that, the more you are less likely to dial into your own inner critic.

And, boy oh boy, that inner critic can be VERY loud, particularly when it comes to putting on a swimsuit. There’s a definite and understandable vulnerability that comes from being as near to naked as legally allowed when stepping outside the house. Over many years, I’ve done the internal work to be ok with being at the beach or swimming publicly in a pool. And at 58, it honestly helps that the older I get I give less f&$ks about what anyone thinks about how I look. They’re not looking anyway!

But don’t be fooled by the photos and videos of me in swimsuits on social media each summer. There is greater level of self empathy required to silence my inner critic when I’m editing photos and creating videos of me in swimsuits for for a brand campaign. I “see” everything. I “see” things no-one else would see. And I “see” all the negative things I’ve ever been told about my body.

When you’ve had a lifetime of these thoughts swirling around your head, you’re kidding yourself that you can switch them off. Like Bec (@ilovethatskirt) says below, the inner critic is as loud at any size. That’s certainly been my experience. Since the first Styling You Annual Swimsuit Edition until now my swimsuit size has ranged from size 12-16. Feeling good in a swimsuit has never been about my size. It’s been about what that swimsuit allows me to do. 

I’m happiest near and in water. Always have been. It’s calming for me. It’s nostalgic. It’s cooling over a long hot summer. I made the decision a very long time ago to not sit on the sand or by the side of the pool and miss out on all the things I love about swimming just because I might not be happy with my body.

As Jas (@prettychuffed) sadly reminds us below, life really is too short. We don’t know what tomorrow, next week or next year will bring. Is missing out on another summer getting wet because you don’t like how you feel in a swimsuit worth it? Not for me.

Take inspiration and confidence from the women below. Read their messages. Follow them on Instagram. Check out the swimsuits they’re wearing and their reasons why. It just might be the gentle coaxing you need to make a splash this summer.

[Please note: each of the content creators included below submitted their own photo and decided which swimsuit they wanted to share with you. I didn’t have a say in their choice. I wanted their choice to reflect who they are and what they need their swimsuits to do for them.]

Wearing Une Piece

Wearing Contessa Volpi

Wearing Sunseeker

Wearing Sea Level from Swimwear Galore

Read what the these content creators have to say

Emelia Morris @emeliamorrisstylist

I really love the asymmetrical neckline with this swimsuit style, it feels really interesting. What I love most about it, is how versatile it is. I can pair it with high waisted linen pants or a skirt etc, and works so effortlessly into my everyday/resort wardrobe. I’m all for swimwear that works hard for me and also helps me feel comfortable, confident, and myself. And as a self-confessed chocolate brown lover, the Mocha colourway is also absolutely divine.

There was a time when I held myself back from wearing swimmers. I skipped beach and pools days and moments I wish I’d been part of because I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin. Looking back, I realise how many enjoyable moments I missed, not because I didn’t want to be there, but because I didn’t feel ready to wear swimmers in public. I don’t want any woman to feel she has to miss out like that. You deserve to enjoy the season exactly as you are. Most people are focused on making their own memories, not watching what anyone else is doing. If being in the water or on the beach brings, for example brings you joy, you’re allowed to claim that joy, no conditions, no waiting. Step in, have fun, and let yourself be part of the moment.

Emelia wears Bondi Born

Kirsten Smith @kirstenandco

Kirsten wears Jantzen

Jasmine Hunt @prettychuffed

One thing that has become even more apparent to me this year after losing my precious mum is that life really is too short. The time you waste worrying about getting into a swimsuit or getting “beach ready” is just that – a waste of time. NO ONE thinks about your body size, your shape or how you look in a swimsuit. After you are gone they will miss your warm hugs and they will miss the time you spent having fun with them in the pool and at the beach. Get in there and make memories x

Dominique wears Active Truth

Kate Cooper @itskatejanmaree

This new Une Piece style is one of my new favourites for embracing my baby bump. The crinkle fabric embraces and moves with my changing body, it’s soft on the skin and super comfortable. I also love this v-neck style with a little ring detail. As someone with a bigger bust, it feels super supportive and I don’t feel like I’m too exposed or going to fall out, but it still makes me feel super feminine.

You’ll only ever regret the things you didn’t do. Don’t regret summer. Don’t miss out on the joy, don’t miss out on the memory making. Find a swimsuit that makes you feel good, that makes you feel comfortable, that feels like you and focus on the moments, cause that’s where the magic is. 

Kate-Jan wears Une Piece

Bec Nolan @ilovethatskirt

This swimsuit is from Baku and the mesh dress is from Ghanda. I love the bright blue colour and crinkle fabric of the swimsuit. It provides enough coverage for me to feel comfortable while at the pool or the beach. I actually spotted another mum wearing the mesh dress on the beach and asked her where it was from because I loved it so much! Such an easy piece to throw on over swimmers. 

I have been many different sizes in swimwear over the years and no matter the size I have had insecurities while wearing swimwear. We are only human after all! But what I will say is that I have never regretted a day on the beach or in the pool with friends and family. Throw on the swimmers, get in the water and make some memories!

Bec wears Baku

Jo Bartley @icurvy

I love that this bikini makes me feel like everybody else, which is something I never got to experience growing up. As a plus-size teen, and even as a kid, bikinis just weren’t available in my size, and I always felt out of place. I’d be the one hiding in an oversized t-shirt, trying to make myself invisible, and somehow feeling even bigger and more conspicuous because of it.

Standing on a beach in the Bahamas in this swimsuit was the complete opposite of that. Because of the incredible size range and style options we have now, I get to wear the same kinds of pieces my friends wear, and that feels huge. I felt confident, comfortable, happy and bright, and completely present in the moment. Not thinking about my body. Not worrying about how I looked. Just living. This is genuinely the best I have ever felt in swimwear, and that feeling of belonging, of finally getting to show up as myself, is everything.

I promise you that people are not paying nearly as much attention as you fear they are. Most of us are too busy living our own lives to scrutinise anyone else’s body. And if someone is judging, that is a reflection of their own insecurities, not a truth about you. Other people’s opinions are not your business. Your joy is. Life is too short to sit on the sidelines because of fear. Wear the swimsuit. Make the memory. Get in the water. You deserve to experience summer in your body exactly as it is today.

Jo wears Une Piece

Maddy Zanatta @maddyzanatta

The size of your body has never determined your worth and it definitely shouldn’t decide whether you get to feel the sun on your skin or jump into the ocean with your kids, your friends, or whoever makes you feel alive. The memories you’ll make splashing, laughing, and just existing will always matter more than what you think anyone might be looking at.

Maddy wears Saint Somebody

Sonia Koroma @sonish_space

I love the style of this swimsuit and the way it hugs my body and curves. It makes me feel confident and feminine.

Life is happening right now. You only get one lifetime, one moment, and no experience is ever the same. So don’t let self-doubt about your body steal any of it. If wearing a swimsuit is part of your joy, please wear it. You are more than ready to show up, feel the sun, and make that splash.

Sonia wears Une Piece

Karen Suzanne @karen_suzanne_

I’ve loved Une Piece swimsuits ever since I tried my first one years ago. The fit is amazing—especially the square neckline, which is my favourite because it holds everything up and in place. The fabric has just the right amount of support, the leg isn’t cut too high, and the higher back gives me the perfect level of comfort. The red on this suit is so vibrant; it makes me feel happy and confident every time I wear it—exactly how you want to feel in your swimmers.

My advice for getting out there in a swimsuit this summer is simple: just go for it. If we wait until we have the “perfect” body, we’ll never do it—perfection doesn’t exist. Sometimes I think we need to think more like kids; they don’t care what they’re wearing, they just want to swim, splash around, and have fun. It’s so easy to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else enjoy themselves, but life is far too short not to join in with the people we love. This summer, I’m definitely getting out there and making memories with my family and friends.

 

 

Look, I could give you the polite list about this swimsuit … beautiful fabric, great cut, yada yada. But I’m going to be honest. The real magic is The bust support. Whatever engineering wizardry is happening in there, this swimsuit makes it look like I’ve bought my boobs. The rashie, I love because I’m a sunsafe girlie. 

If you’re waiting to feel ready, you’ll miss the whole summer. Invest in a great swimsuit that makes you feel supported (engineering wizardry optional), and makes you feel comfortable. Just remember, no one at the beach is analysing your body, we’re all too worried about our own wedgie situation. Life’s too short to sit on the sidelines. Make the splash now, the confidence will come later. I promise. 

Stacey wears Une Piece

Stacey wears Une Piece

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Styling You Annual Swimsuit Edition archive

 

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