5 swimwear trends to buy right now (that aren't jungle prints)

The past two weeks of fashion coverage have been unusually clear about what summer 2026 swimwear actually looks like. After Miami Swim Week wrapped in early June, the same five signals kept repeating across Refinery29, ELLE, and Harper's Bazaar runway reports — each confirming the others. Here's what's actually worth buying right now, and what each trend looks like to wear in practice.

Two seasons ago, you couldn't walk a runway without snake prints and leopard spots. This year, chevron and thin horizontal stripes moved in and didn't apologize about it. Refinery29's runway correspondent, who attended Paraiso Miami Swim Week for the third consecutive year, called stripes and chevron "the prints of summer 2026," noting they showed up across brands from the playful (Gengi, Kulani Kinis, Oh Polly) to the refined (Oséree, Melissa Odabash, Etnia).1 The sailor end of the spectrum — nautical stripes, Missoni-adjacent chevron — is the stronger commercial direction right now. It's not a niche micro-trend; this one is in mass-market and luxury at the same time.

What it looks like to wear: thin-stripe triangle tops pair cleanly with high-waist bottoms in a solid from the same color family. A bold multicolor chevron one-piece works as a top tucked into wide-leg trousers at lunch and then worn as a swimsuit again at the beach. The pattern reads as elevated, not loud — there's a reason ELLE included Indah's classic stripe Dixie Triangle Top in its May trend round-up alongside zebra prints.2

Entry pick: Kulani Kinis Knit Micro Short ($48, kulanikinis.com) — pairs with almost any stripe bikini top. Mid-range pick: Montce Devin Bikini Top ($98, Free People) and Lulu Bottom ($96) — a two-tone stripe set that photographs beautifully. Aspirational pick: Oséree's Missoni-style chevron pieces from the Miami Swim Week runway, stocked at Farfetch.

The most counterintuitive development at Miami Swim Week was how many brands committed to neutrals in a season dominated by neon jungle prints. Monday Swimwear, Fae, Luli Fama, Melissa Odabash, and Oséree all showed ranges described by Refinery29 as "shades of nude that complemented many of the models' skin tones" — from pale peach to deep brown, presented with intention rather than as a fallback.1

The reference point is obviously Skims. Kim Kardashian's brand spent years building a secondary market for skin-matched shapewear, and the logic has now migrated wholesale into swimwear: instead of a suit that contrasts with your body, one that extends it. More than half of Monday's Miami collection was in this palette. What makes it work — rather than disappear — is the cut. Barely-there fabrics and clean silhouettes make the nude palette feel deliberate. A pale peach bandeau with high-cut bottoms reads as a statement in a way that a same-color triangle bikini might not.

ELLE's May 2026 trend report confirmed the neutrals direction from the spring/summer runway season separately, noting "designers embraced a more restrained approach, leaning into neutral palettes and barely-there aesthetics that shifted the focus to the silhouettes themselves."2

Entry pick: Skims Mesh Cover-up Mini Dress ($78, skims.com) — the gateway piece for the full skin-tone layering look. Mid-range pick: Monday Swimwear Ibiza Top ($109) and Bari Bottom ($95, mondayswimwear.com) — both in their Espresso colorway, for darker skin tones. Aspirational pick: SPANX Sculpt Swim Square Neck One Piece ($200, spanx.com) in Caraway — structured enough to stay put, skin-toned enough to disappear.

A fabric belt worn over a one-piece — or slung low on the hips over a bikini — is a very specific kind of styling detail. It has almost no function. But at Miami Swim Week, it appeared on brands like Luli Fama, Monday Swimwear, and Oh Polly, and Refinery29's runway reporter called it out as a standout trend: "Whether they cinched the models' waists over coverups or hung low on their hips, like Halle Berry's iconic James Bond swim look, they were a standout decorative detail."1

The execution that works is the low-slung version: a wide, slightly structured fabric belt sitting at the hip, not the waist. It borrows from the fringe skirt territory but reads as more intentional than a sarong. The Halle Berry reference is actually useful — it pins the mood to old-school Mediterranean glamour rather than festival styling.

Two approaches at the beach or pool: match the belt to your swimwear exactly (Monday Swimwear sells them as sets), or add contrast — a natural raffia or woven belt over a solid-color suit.

Entry pick: Zara Wide Striped Woven Belt ($49.90, zara.com) — works over a swimsuit or a resort dress. Mid-range pick: Same Tassel Rope Belt ($68, samelosangeles.com) — the low-slung fringe version. Aspirational pick: Belletage Swimwear Kai One-piece ($178, Wolf & Badger) — comes with a built-in belt detail so you're buying the whole look at once.

The surf rash guard has been edging toward fashion for a few years. This season it arrived. ELLE's comprehensive 2026 swimwear trend report dedicated an entire category to "Sun-Protective Styles," with Watskin's leopard-print harper bodysuit ($345, Bloomingdale's) and Hunza G's Tyra UPF 50+ Swim ($255, hunzag.com) as lead picks.2 Harper's Bazaar's June 2026 trend guide echoed this, noting "sporty rash guards, zip-front suits, board shorts, and surfer-adjacent layers have moved beyond performance wear, providing extra sun coverage and a cool-girl edge."3

What shifted is how the rash guard is being styled. Previously it meant a plain surf brand top worn purely for function. Now the best versions are cut and colored like fashion pieces — bold prints, interesting sleeve lengths, worn loosely over high-waist bottoms rather than zipped tight. Hunza G has been building UPF swimwear since 2024, and this season's bubblegum pink Tyra model has the same cult-favorite status as their signature crinkle bikini. The trend also has obvious cross-appeal: it's functional, it genuinely protects your skin, and it photographs well.

Entry pick: free-est Hali Surf Rashguard ($168, Free People) — earthy sand tones that go with any bottom. Mid-range pick: Sheila Ash Cropped Rash Vest ($145, sheilathelabel.com) — the Australian label that's been doing this right for years. Aspirational pick: Hunza G Tyra UPF 50+ Swim ($255, hunzag.com) — bubblegum pink, full UPF protection, unmistakably fashion.

This is the quietest trend on the list — which probably makes it the most wearable. Harper's Bazaar's June 2026 round-up opened with contrast-trimmed swimwear as its lead minimalist direction: "solid-colored one-pieces and bikinis feel fresh again, thanks to details like contrasting trims, graphic piping, and subtle color-blocking."3 That framing is accurate. The contrast-trim one-piece is basically the same silhouette that has existed for decades, upgraded with a single deliberate detail — a white edge on a black suit, a terracotta band on a cream top — that signals intentionality without requiring a print or pattern.

Hailey Bieber's Calzedonia campaign, released in May, illustrated exactly this: a butter-yellow triangle bikini with black piping and a nude sequin set.4 Both styles are still in Calzedonia's current inventory. Her stated philosophy — "the fit is the most important part. Fit is everything" — is the practical argument for this trend: a well-cut contrast-trim suit flatters because the trim draws the eye to the silhouette, not to the person inside it.

The scoop-neck top variant is worth flagging separately. Who What Wear noted in late May that scoop-neck bikini tops are "the chic, minimalist swimwear trend defining summer style right now" — the higher neckline provides more coverage without sacrificing the two-piece format.5

Entry pick: COS Contrast-Trimmed Triangle Bikini Top ($45) and Tie-Side Briefs ($39, cos.com) — a brown-terracotta set that's clean and earthy. Mid-range pick: Calzedonia Triangle Swimsuit Top Bicolor Piping ($65, calzedonia.com) — the exact style from the Hailey Bieber campaign. Aspirational pick: Johanna Ortiz Salt and Saddle Halter-Neck Swimsuit ($350, Mytheresa) — the elevated end, with an architectural halter neck and contrasting edge.