I Tried on (Almost) All of the Swimsuits at Andie

This was my first Andie swimsuit, and it has beenmy constant. I got it because I liked the simple lines of the thin straps, which are, crucially, adjustable, and the fact that the back of the suit goes pretty far up. (I have feelings about my back.) It (and every Andie one-piece) also comes with an underbust elastic that’s sort of like a shelf bra but attached that provides additional support, plus soft shaping cups, which I always remove. I have a nicer, more expensive one-piece that I wear when I’m on vacation or if I’m doing more lounging than swimming, but the Amalfi is what I wear in more casual situations and when I’m with my kids because I don’t have to be precious with it. I put it through the wash in a net bag and always hang to dry.

I called this one in last February to test because I was curious about the cross-back straps and liked how sleek and sophisticated it looked, especially in black. Putting it on again this week, I forgot how comfortable and compressive it felt. It made me realize that it might in fact be time to retire the Amalfi, because in comparison to a newer suit, it did feel much looser and thinner. Like the Amalfi, the Tulum provides a decent amount of coverage. The neckline is higher and the back is obviously open because of the criss-cross strap, but the butt and thigh are cut similarly conservatively.

I wasn’t sure that I’d like something in a ribbed material, but this ended up being my favorite out of the bunch. Also, because I am small- to flat-chested, I thought a button-up style like this would not do me any favors in the bust area, but it was actually so cute. It has more coverage than the Amalfi and Tulum since the top is kind of like a wide-strap tank top and covers the entire back. You can decide how much cleavage to show (in my case, I have none) depending on how many buttons you close. I left about four of them open and loved how sporty it looked (and my chest didn’t completely disappear, either). The ribbed material feels very nice and held me in all the right places. While trying it on, I had to sit at my computer for a few minutes to address something, and it was so comfortable that I wouldn’t have minded keeping it on even longer.

Another fuller-coverage one-piece that’s also sporty, thanks to the racer-back strap. Love the scoop neck. It feels very compressive since it has more fabric overall, and I like feeling hugged everywhere. Very flattering. A solid option for someone whoswims laps, I imagine, but also for regular folk!

This is the swim-dress version of my original swimsuit. I wanted to like it, but I don’t think it quite works. It’s made of two layers: the suit underneath and a dress over it. The suit just isn’t compressive enough and doesn’t smooth as well, and then the overlaying dress kind of clings to everything. I was hoping it would look and feel more like aworkout dress, but on me, it ends up feeling matronly. Overall, it feels thin even though it’s two layers.

This didn’t look as bad on me as I thought it would considering I have no boobs, but it’s definitely loose in the chest and shoulders. It would look much better on someone better endowed than I am since that is where the focus of this suit is. The plunging V-neck silhouette is very Old Hollywood glamour. On me, it looked a bit matronly, but on the right body, it would look stunning.

I prefer a solid-colored swimsuit but wanted to try this paisley number. The print is not my favorite, but the suit itself looks a bit like the Amalfi in the front with the thin straps; the straps extend to the back and criss-cross and are then tied near the lower back. You can get a bit of a halter-neck effect here. The straps felt like they were digging, but then I loosened them and it was better. The thigh and butt are cut higher and felt a little wedgier, but it’s a cute suit, just not my style. And it’s surprisingly not as fussy to put on than I initially thought, as long as you adjust it to your liking the first time you wear it and keep it tied.

I love this top. It has a sporty, sexy low curved neck and thin straps that cross in the back that give it a slight triangle-bikini look. This style works for me as a small-chested person.

The Essex is similar to the Valencia but has slightly more coverage in the bust with a higher scoop neck. There is also darting on the bottom of the cups, which I think would work better on bigger chests. I tried it in the pink, which is a nice bubblegum pink, but I think I generally prefer darker colors like black and navy blue.

This looks and feels like a sports bra more than the other bikini tops I tried on. The product description calls it longline, but to me it looks normal-length. There’s a lot of coverage in the front and back and provides a lot of support. But I think I prefer something with a deeper neckline.

None of the bikini bottoms really worked for me, but only because I don’t normally wear two-pieces — they’re too exposing of my problem areas (stomach and hips). The classic bikini is pretty low-cut in the front with decent seat coverage, but the sides felt tight and made me look bulgy in the hips.

The Signature bikini bottoms are similar to the Classic but with narrower sides, which somehow made me look less bulgy.

Since I didn’t like the way the Standard bikini bottoms cut on me, you would think that I would have better luck with a high-waist option. The ’90s high-cut look wasn’t flattering in the legs and was way too revealing in the seat. And because I have a very short torso, it wastoo muchcoverage and so cut me off at a weird spot on my trunk. I realized that I hadn’t called in a standard high-waist option, but from past experience trying that style from other brands, I just don’t think I like that look and would rather wear a medium- to low-rise bikini bottom.