What are the best one-piece swimsuits?

If you’re looking for versatile swimwear that’s just as well-suited to a day at the beach as laps in the pool, you might be considering a one-piece swimsuit. Many people feel more comfortable in a one-piece than in bathing suits that show off more skin, plus they look relaxed and timeless.

What to consider when buying women’s one-piece swimsuits

Style

A classic one-piece swimsuit with a tank-style top and a bikini cut bottom is known as a maillot, though this term is rarely used. The maillot is the most common style of one-piece swimsuit, though others are available.

You can find styles with short-cut or skirt bottoms and styles with high necks and sleeves. Specific offerings are usually listed as women’s one-piece swimsuits, but people of any gender can wear one-piece swimsuits if they want to. Some styles are more deliberately gender-neutral.

Size

It’s essential to get the sizing right when purchasing a swimsuit to ensure a proper fit. In most cases, you can simply select your usual dress size and get a good fit, but some swimsuits can run large or small, so it’s best to check the sizing chart before buying.

Unfortunately, many manufacturers only make their swimwear up to a size 18, which is frustrating for those who wear larger sizes. However, some companies offer more inclusive sizing, and there are plenty of great plus size brands.

Neckline

You can find one-piece swimsuits with a range of different necklines, so you should be able to find one you love. Some have reasonably conservative tank-style necklines, others have low scoop or plunge necks, and others sit above the collar bones.

What to look for in a quality one-piece swimsuit

Color choices

It’s nice when a swimsuit is available in a range of color choices, so you can pick the color or print you like most without sacrificing the style. A black one-piece swimsuit is a classic choice that will never go out of fashion, but some people prefer brighter colors or bold prints.

Elastane content

Swimsuits typically use a blend of nylon and Lycra or elastane. They must contain enough elastane to maintain their shape but not so much that they feel uncomfortably tight. An elastane or Lycra content of around 20% seems to be the sweet spot.

How much you can expect to spend on a one-piece swimsuit

Essential one-piece swimsuits start at around $20, while designer bathing suits can cost $400 or more. You shouldn’t need to spend more than $100 on a one-piece swimsuit that isn’t from a designer brand.

One-piece swimsuit FAQ

Are one-piece swimsuits fashionable?

A. Some people worry that one-piece swimsuits appear unfashionable or dated. The fact is that many people prefer one-piece swimsuits, and they can be extremely stylish. When choosing a swimsuit, we’d recommend buying something you like the look of and feel comfortable wearing, rather than worrying about what’s in vogue. What’s fashionable is constantly changing, whereas a simple, classic one-piece swimsuit will never go out of style.

Can you machine wash a one-piece swimsuit?

A. Some one-piece swimsuits are machine washable, but the majority are hand wash only. The heat from washing machines and harsh substances in some laundry detergents can cause bathing suits to fade and sag. Even those listed as safe for machine washing are better hand-washed. That said, if you’re extremely pressed for time and want to wash your swimsuit in a washing machine, do so on the lowest temperature setting with a gentle detergent and air dry it.

What’s the best one-piece swimsuit to buy?

Top one-piece swimsuit

SUMMERSALT The Sidestroke One Piece Swimsuit

What you need to know: This viral one-piece swimsuit was called “the unicorn of swimsuits” on The Today Show.

What you’ll love: It’s comfortable and flattering on any body type. The stylish one-shoulder, front-lined design provides just the right amount of compression and support without needing padding or cups. It’s also made from 78% recycled polyamide.

What you should consider: Some people were not happy that it didn’t have cups or padding.

Top one-piece swimsuit for the money

Women’s Lands’ End Tugless Sporty Chlorine Resistant One-Piece Swimsuit

What you need to know: This is great for buyers looking for a high-quality swimsuit that’s affordably priced.

What you’ll love: It’s available in a wide range of colors, has a built-in shelf bra for chest support and UPF 50 sun protection.

What you should consider: It can fade over time.

Worth checking out

Dolfin Color Block Aquatard Swimsuit

What you need to know: With short-style legs, this is a practical, contemporary swimsuit.

What you’ll love: It’s highly durable, stands up well to regular use without stretching or fading, is fully lined with a shelf bra for chest support and has a scoop back design.

What you should consider: Pay attention to chest size in the sizing chart, as some buyers find it too small on the chest and others too large.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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Courtney Williams bounced back with a 23-point performance, Alanna Smith added 16 points and seven rebounds, and the Minnesota Lynx improved to 5-0 by beating the Seattle Storm 82-77 Tuesday night at Target Center.

Kayla McBride, an all-star guard who missed the first four games for personal reasons, provided an early spark at both ends of the floor and was clutch with four late free throws to secure the win. She finished with 15 points, including a trio of treys, in 30 minutes.

Napheesa Collier finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five first-quarter steals. It’s her first time scoring fewer than 20 points this season.

It wasn’t always pretty, but a win is a win.

The Lynx led by double digits early, but midgame offensive inconsistency, especially from outside, allowed Seattle to stay within striking distance for much of the second half.

Williams missed all 11 shots she took in Friday’s win over Connecticut but was not shy about letting it fly. Nine of her points came in the final 10 minutes, including back-to-back jumpers for a 76-69 lead with 2:16 left.

She was 10 for 18 from the field and added five rebounds and four assists.

McBride made four free throws in the final 23 seconds, and Collier added a pair with 11.5 seconds to play.

Gabby Williams led Seattle (3-2) with 20 points, and Skylar Diggins had 18.

Seattle, which had 10 first-half turnovers against an aggressive Lynx defense that led to 17 Minnesota points, had just four in the second half.

The quintet of Collier, Smith, Bridget Carleton, McBride and Williams was last season’s most successful starting group, with the Lynx going 23-6 in such games.

Early on they played just like it was old times, as the Lynx raced out to a 26-11 lead after one quarter, making 11 of 19 shots and converting seven Storm turnovers into 13 points.

An 8-0 Seattle run got the Storm within seven before a Smith trey made it a 39-29 game at the break.

TAMPA, Fla. — Kody Clemens hit his fifth home run of the season, with father Roger Clemens watching from the stands, and the Minnesota Twins beat Tampa Bay 4-2 Tuesday night to stop the Rays’ season-high, six-game winning streak.

A 29-year-old son of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, Kody Clemens extended his hitting streak to a career-high eight games when he homered off leading off the second against Taj Bradley (4-4).

Joe Ryan (5-2) won his fourth straight decision, allowing one run and five hits in six innings. Jhoan Duran worked around a walk in the ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances, throwing six of 21 pitches 100 mph or higher.

Carlos Correa had three hits for the Twins, who went ahead on Brooks Lee’s first-inning sacrifice fly. Lee hit into a run-scoring forceout in the sixth, and Kameron Misner had a run-scoring groundout in the seventh.

Bradley (4-4) allowed three runs — two earned — and five hits in seven innings, matching his season high.

A crowd of 10,046 was the Rays’ 33rd sellout in 36 games at Steinbrenner Field, the Rays’ temporary home this season. Tampa Bay, which dropped back to .500 at 27-27, is 17-19 at home going into Wednesday’s finale of a nine-game homestand.

Key moment

Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe fielded Lee’s sixth-inning chopper with runners on first and second and sailed his throw to second over leaping shortstop Jose Caballero for an error that allowed Ryan Jeffers to score.

Key stat

Ryan’s walk to Misner in the second inning was his 10th in 11 starts the season. Twins pitchers have walked the fewest batters in the major leagues this season.

Up next

Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (3–4, 2.60 ERA) starts Wednesday against Twins RHP Pablo López (4–2, 2.31 ERA), who has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in eight of nine starts this season.

A community group is calling for Target to apologize and for St. Paul police to investigate the making of a false report after two young men were accused of having a gun at the retailer’s Midway store, leading officers to draw their guns and handcuff them.

Police said they found no weapons on the men and they were released.

“These young brothers clearly went through a traumatic situation,” said Nasiy Nasir X, national president of the Lion of Judah Armed Forces and national minister of information of the New Black Panther Nation, at a press conference outside the Midway Target on Tuesday.

Nasir said the “falsified” information provided to police could have led to the young men being shot by police.

Police: Staff made report about gun

On Friday, Terrence Gleason, 19, and Ronald Trice, 20, said they were passing out information about the auto detailing business they work for.

A St. Paul officer who was working contracted overtime at the Target on University Avenue was notified around noon about two people putting flyers on vehicles, according to Alyssa Arcand, a police spokeswoman. The business requested the two men leave. The officer asked them to do so, which they did.

“The officer was then told by business security that security staff had observed behavior that led them to believe one of the men was in possession of a firearm,” Arcand said in a statement. “The staff also told officers about statements they heard the men say.”

One of the young men was videotaping on his cellphone and, after the officer initially drove away, he videoed the other man lifting up his sweatshirt to show the business logo on his shirt underneath, which was to say “we’re just here at work,” Nasir said.

After the men left the Target parking lot, police stopped them in another parking lot along University Avenue.

Nasir said they’re demanding that the employee or employees who made the report about the gun be terminated and they also want to meet with the St. Paul Police Department about how false reports should be addressed.

“Why didn’t the St. Paul Police Department do a full, thorough investigation and why didn’t they look at the cameras … before they (approached) … these young brothers with their guns drawn?” Nasir asked. He also questioned how police would approach a person who had a permit to carry a gun, if they received a falsified police report.

In the department’s statement, Arcand said: “Because the information provided by security staff was believed to be true, officers had a responsibility to respond at the time.”

A Target spokesman declined to comment Tuesday.

Moms want safety for their sons

Trice said he thought he was going to die during the encounter with police. “I’ve been thinking about that all the time.”

“And this man has a child,” Gleason said of Trice, whose 6-month-old daughter was also at the press conference with him.

Gleason’s first cousin was Philando Castile, who was fatally shot in Falcon Heights by a St. Anthony police officer in 2016.

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“I don’t want my son to feel like he’s not safe here,” said Gleason’s mother, Nichole Castile. “We’ve been through this before in our lifetime feeling that way.”

Trice’s mother, Felicia Smith, said she was born and raised in St. Paul and has lived in the same house for 27 years.

“For my kids in my neighborhood to be targeted all the time when this is our Target,” she said. “… Target needs to be held accountable just as much as St. Paul police need to be held accountable.”