Are you beach ready? - the fashion edit

Ladies, I am sure that many of you feel the same as I do about the beach. It's a love-hate relationship: you love to feel the sunshine bronzing your limbs, going for a dip in the sea, and relaxing with a good book or some summer music; but what about your wobbly bits? What if someone sees your cellulite? What if something pops out of your bikini in the waves? What about your post-lunch tummy? Now, I'm not going to claim that I have a miracle cure to these worries, but what I can do is suggest some beautiful beach pieces, and give some top tips so that you can feel your most confident on the beach this summer. I've planned to do two posts on this one, one for beach fashion and one for beach beauty (pre-beach and on the beach), so have a read and see if any of my top tips can make you feel your best on the beach this summer.

THE BIKINI

NEXT

leopard print bikini top

£14 (matching hi leg brief £10)

www.next.co.uk

I bought this bikini for my holiday at the end of May, and it was so great that I bought it in black too! Bikinis can be really tough to get right, especially if you are more "curvy" as I am. Often bikini tops and bottoms are sold as a set, which seems ridiculous to me (you would never be sold a bra and knicker set unless you were under 10 years of age!), but there are some shops which do separate bikini pieces very well, and Next is one of them. They understand that their customers will rarely be the same size on the top as they are on the bottom, and thankfully their bikini tops are labelled by bra size rather than dress size. What's more, they have a great selection of styles, patterns and shapes, so it's easier to find something you'll like. If you like to shop online, Asos is also good for separate bikini pieces, and they also have a great DD+ section for ladies with a fuller bust. 

THE COVER-UP

NEXT

yellow knitted kaftan

£22

www.next.co.uk

Next also do some great beach cover-ups. For my holiday I didn't buy this particular kaftan, but one similar, and Next cover-ups are always of a good quality, designed with their customer very much in mind. I've gone for this beautiful yellow one because if you can't wear bright colours on your summer holiday, then when can you wear them? Cover-ups are essential on a beach holiday as they are a beautiful way of hiding all the bits you don't want exposed, whilst making you look and feel summery and gorgeous. 

THE FLIP-FLOPS

HAVAIANAS

black slim flip-flop

£21.99

www.office.co.uk

Havaianas are the holy grail of flip-flops, so why buy any other? Brazilians know how to do beach, and we should all embrace that and spend our annual beach time solely in Havaianas. They're comfortable, they're cool, they come in loads of different colours - what's not to love?

THE ACCESSORIES

TOPSHOP

chevron revo sunglasses

£16

www.topshop.com

TOPSHOP

zig zag duffel backpack

£32

www.topshop.com

RIVER ISLAND

orange striped sunhat

£15

www.riverisland.com

Every girl needs some trusty staple accessories for the beach, and I love these three colourful pieces. The sunglasses by Topshop are incredibly "now" with their orange reflective lenses, and they go perfectly with the yellow Next kaftan. Sunglasses are an important part of your beach wardrobe as you need to protect your eyes, and they'll also prevent you from frowning in the sunlight, keeping those pesky crows feet at bay! I also think that the green and white duffle bag from Topshop is just gorgeous, and makes a difference from your usual beach bag. Backpacks are perfect for holidays where you'll also be doing some walking, as it's ideal to whack everything in a bag and carry the weight on your back. The River Island sunhat is a holiday must - no one likes to get sunstroke - so you might as well wear a hat which is girly and gorgeous. 

What's in your beach wardrobe? And what are your top fashion tips for the beach?

Love Lucy x