This week in swimwear: lace trim, poolside pants, and bombshell drops

This week's swimwear signal is that the suit is doing less of the outfit work. The freshest looks are being built around it: a lace edge instead of another cutout, a loose trouser instead of denim shorts, a football jersey instead of a gauze cover-up, and sunglasses strong enough to make a plain black bikini look styled.

Khy and Frankies Bikinis are bringing back their collaboration with a new capsule called Fever Dream, scheduled to go on sale July 14 at KHY.com and FrankiesBikinis.com. The collection includes Frankies' Cloud Cups in the Cherish and Camila tops, ruching, leopard prints, cobra and camo motifs, pink and black solids, string triangle tops, cheeky bottoms, and new one-pieces. 1

The useful part is not the celebrity packaging. It is the return of a very specific bombshell shape: soft cups, ruching, animal print, and glossy black or candy pink. That is a sharper direction than another plain triangle bikini, but it can get costume-y fast.

Entry move: choose one piece with the detail you actually want, probably a top. A Cloud Cups shape or a cobra-print triangle gives the effect without locking the whole outfit into a matching set.

Aspirational move: if you already wear swimwear as eveningwear on vacation, the black one-piece is the safer fashion buy. It can sit under balloon pants, a sheer skirt, or an open shirt without looking like a pool-only item.

Dua Lipa pushed lace-trim swimwear into the celebrity-beach lane with a canary yellow string bikini edged in salmon pink lace, shown in a June 29 honeymoon photo dump. InStyle described the look as a lingerie-inspired swim set, while Hello identified it as Mars The Label's Taliyah Bikini in Orange. 26

The practical read: lace trim gives a bikini the same softness people wanted from ruffles, but with less volume. It works best as a line detail on a familiar cut. Once the suit has lace, shine, beads, and a micro cut, the eye has nowhere to rest.

Entry move: look for contrast trim on a triangle top or bandeau, then keep the bottom simple. Yellow with pink lace is high-summer; black with cream lace is easier to wear again next year.

Aspirational move: use lace trim as the detail under clothing. A bikini top can replace a bralette under an open linen shirt or a loose beach trouser outfit, which is where the trend looks intentional instead of overly sweet.

Vogue's summer trend edit calls balloon trousers a directional alternative to linen pants, with billowy, lightweight versions shown at Michael Kors, Brandon Maxwell, and Altuzarra. Its shopping edit includes H&M broderie anglaise balloon trousers at $85, Loulou de Saison silk pants at $380, Tory Burch balloon pants at $495, and Chloé cropped pants at $2,090. 3

For beach dressing, this is the easiest way to make a bikini feel like an outfit without reaching for another crochet dress or caftan. The pants do need movement. If the fabric is stiff, the look becomes resort cosplay rather than something you can actually sit, walk, and eat in.

Entry move: start with the H&M-style broderie anglaise or any cotton pull-on shape in white, black, or sand. It should be loose enough to pull over damp swimwear and opaque enough for a cafe.

Aspirational move: silk or designer balloon pants make sense only if you already wear wide-leg trousers in summer. Otherwise, buy the cheap test pair first. The silhouette matters more than the label.

Agua Bendita opened July with a Colombia-inspired World Cup capsule. ELLE's launch report says the limited-edition release included a blue long-sleeve, a woven blue-and-yellow polo, and standard football jerseys in blue and yellow, with Colombia lettering, floral motifs, themed patches, and an AB monogram on the back. 4

This is the sport signal to pay attention to if you already skipped rash guards and board shorts. A jersey over a bikini does not pretend to be elegant. That is the point. It gives a plain suit a bit of World Cup color, then still works with denim cutoffs or a white skirt away from the beach.

Entry move: use a jersey as the cover layer over a solid swimsuit. Blue, yellow, green, and red all look better when the suit underneath is quiet.

Aspirational move: look for printed polos or long-sleeves from swim-adjacent brands rather than team merch. The better versions have a little fashion shape: cropped length, open collar, or a print that reads beach rather than stadium.

Harper's Bazaar's 2026 sunglasses report puts shield frames, oversized bug-eye shapes, rose-tinted lenses, color-rim acetate, sharper cat-eyes, and skinny wire frames in the summer mix. The same edit frames shield sunglasses as a sporty choice for swimwear and linen separates, with options ranging from H&M shield sunglasses at $25 to Oliver Peoples polarized shields at $619 and Bottega Veneta flat-top frames at $730. 5

This is the lowest-commitment update in the whole list. If you have already bought the suit, the pants, and the cover-up, sunglasses can change the tone without adding another garment to the suitcase.

Entry move: choose one strong frame and keep the rest simple. A $25 shield with a black bikini and white pants will read cleaner than five small accessories fighting each other.

Aspirational move: spend more only if the frame works with regular clothes too. The best pair here should look right with swimwear, linen trousers, and a tank dress, not just one vacation photo.

If you want swimwear itself, British Vogue's latest swimwear-brand edit has a useful spread: a Marks & Spencer printed scoop-neck swimsuit at £16, a COS bandeau bikini top at £35, a Whistles textured ring bikini top at £45, a Damson Madder Lilibet swimsuit at £70, a Hunza G square-neck swimsuit at £175, and Melissa Odabash's Cancun leopard-print bikini top at £120. 7

That range is a good reminder: spend on fit, not on novelty. Lace trim and animal print can be fun, but the piece that earns the suitcase space is still the one that stays put, dries well, and works with the clothes you already packed.

If you are buying one thing: make it the balloon pant. It changes the most outfits and avoids repeating last week's caftan-or-crochet lane.

If you are buying two things: add a lace-trim bikini top in a color you already wear. Black, cream, red, or soft yellow will go further than a full novelty set.

If you want the fashion piece: wait for Khy x Frankies on July 14 and pick one item, not a matching head-to-toe look.

If your swim drawer is already full, buy the sunglasses. A shield frame or colored acetate pair will make last year's black suit look current without pretending you need another bikini.