The approach of summer holidays has sparked some passionate conversations in the Ensemble office about the best swimwear – and our very particular summer requirements. The search for the perfect one-piece or bikini continues, but below, our swimwear preferences – and where we find them.

Fun and thotty

I’m not normally a print person; I find them too much of a headache to style in my day-to-day life, but when it comes to togs I’m a sucker for fun and nostalgic prints (besides nautical stripes and polka dot - not my thing). The last bikini I bought was a brown and gold chequered set by Emma Mulholland on Holiday. It’s not so bold that I’ve got over it after one summer, and the warm tones really set off a tan. They have some fun camo designs on sale (note the sizing on the bottoms run really small, I went two sizes up). Other brands doing unique swimwear prints are Wellington-based Astro Princess (sold at Bizarre Bazaar), Melbourne-based Kiwi designer Annie Enoka, and Australian label Sauce Swim, who often collaborate with artists like Lucia Canuto.

Because I’m obsessed with being bronzed, I’m partial to a carefully designed swimsuit (read: skimpy bikini) that allows me to get an even suntan. New Zealand swimwear is a lot more modest than the thong-style bottoms you see everywhere in Europe or Australia, so prepare to have the most exposed (but flawlessly tanned) backside on the beach. The reversible Romesco bikini bottom from Sauce Swim gives you two options of coverage and a love heart tramp stamp tan line - hot! Niche internet brand Praying also offers swimwear with a cheeky spirit; they made the Holy Trinity bikini famously worn by Addison Rae (and Kiwi legend Ash Williams on her Heartbreak Island stint).

Also fits the brief:

Sauce Swim Hawaii print briefs, $130

Annie Enoka swim bikini top, $90

Glassons bikini bottoms in Magenta Check, $20

Rachel Mills Easy G swim brief, $99, and bikini top, $119

Emma Mulholland on Holiday butterfly camo bikini top, $33 approx

High coverage, low price point

As chosen by Tyson Beckett, journalist 

“Do you think I could squeeze into a pair of children's size 16 togs?” I asked the group chat after spotting this pair of $15 togs from The Warehouse recently. 

Multiple reviews from parents mentioning what a tight fight they were on their literal children suggested this wasn't a body image challenge I needed to inflict on myself - but the fact remains they represent my swim personality as succinctly as an 82% recycled nylon one-piece marketed towards 'growing groms' can: simple, sturdy and cheap as (fish and) chips.

I swim so infrequently that I cannot justify spending much on togs. I'll laze by the pool, or paddle to calf depth in the sea - but you don't need expensive swimmers to do either of those. Last summer I splashed about in a hand-me-down pair of Nisa togs that Rebecca gave me and if it weren't for a pair of sporty Marks and Spencer suit I bought on a whim last month, I'd be doing the same this year.

I take a medication that means I'm extra susceptible to sunburn, so a high coverage suit is another priority for me - I would spend $$ on a rash shirt.  Remember that burkini Nigella Lawson was mocked mercilessly for wearing in Australia a decade ago? That's actually the ideal. 

Also fits the brief:

Nisa rashie, $149

Marks and Spencer swimsuit, $89

H&H swimsuit, $25

Good American rash guard, $190

Form and Fold swimsuit, $120

‍High-needs and well-worn

As chosen by Rebecca Wadey, Ensemble co-founder

I’m a high-needs swimwear girlie. Preferably a one piece (although I still wear and love a Kowtow bikini from the brief period in which they did swimwear, RIP), definitely something that’s practical for living in the ocean, as I am want to do all year ‘round. From body surfing, to paddleboarding, to hauling myself in and out of boats and rock pools. I also wear my togs all day every day in summer, or even vaguely summery weather, as I have a rule: if you see glorious water you need to be able to immerse yourself in it. Togs covered with some kind of hard wearing sundress that can also do double duty as a towel is my summer go-to wardrobe.

The other thing that makes my swimwear choices high-needs is the bust. I had a very fancy designer mastectomy my parents had to remortgage their house for 20 years, and then a very cheap freebie on my remaining side five years ago. So my bust is decidedly different and both sides have needs of their own, meaning I can’t wear anything low cut, cupped or wired, or too flimsy. 

The best swimsuit I’ve ever owned is one I randomly stumbled across on Instagram from a US brand, Denizeri, who are helpfully stocked locally now by Mei Lan. It’s starting to wear after four summers of thrashing, a reminder that when I find something that works I should buy it in multiples. Locally, last year I got one from Rachel Mills that ticks all my boxes (although I bought it online and wish I’d bought the size up), and this year I’m considering another one from her (only this time I will try on in-store first).

If money was no object I would buy all my swimwear from Eres, who I think do the best swimwear in the market, but money is most definitely an object so that remains an unfulfilled dream. Solid and Striped do good basics I’ve bought in the past, but they only last a couple of years of my thrashings. I’ve always wanted a designer like Ingrid Starnes to take on the swim market locally, but it’s like they knew summer was too fickle a business for the NZ market.

Also fits the brief:

Sunseeker cross back mastectomy one -piece, $199

Moontide mesh neck one-piece, $130

Hunza G metallic seersucker one-piece, $398

No fuss, no frills

As chosen by Zoe Walker Ahwa, editor

The best bikini I’ve ever bought was from Uniqlo in Tokyo in 2019: it was black, basic and high-waisted, with no wire, seams, ties or buckles. I still have and love it but wore it in a mud pool in Rotorua earlier this year, and the faint scent of sulphur has stuck – so I am in the market for a new extremely plain set. Sadly, Uniqlo’s swim offering seems to no longer exist (online anyway, where it’s also hard to find evidence that my style actually exists) and its absolute minimalism is hard to replicate.

My swimwear preferences are the opposite of the rest of my wardrobe, which is full of print, colour, bows. I hate unnecessary embellishments, patterns, ruching, strings, straps and logos. I prefer black or other darker shade (I let loud hats/towels/sunglasses do the rest of the work). I want to put it on and forget about it; free to lie, sit, swim, play, do whatever, without the fuss of strings, cut-outs and high-cut briefs that ride up. I need styles that work with my flat chest and ample bum and thighs, and know that is triangular tops with no strings, ties or clasps (like a bralette or training bra, basically) and briefs that are high-waisted with no hint of that 80s/90s high-cut leg. I get tempted by retro prints – I keep getting targeted this brand on Instagram – but I know that I always return to my reliable minimal swimwear. 

Matteau’s simple scoop maillot is my dream suit and embodies all of that but it’s $405, so for summer I bought Emma Mulholland on Holiday’s black bikini top with small white bow (and zero clasps) – a compromise between my penchant for plain and pretty.

Also fits the brief:

Rachel Mills boy-leg brief, $119

Sunseeker ‘Wave’ high-waisted briefs, $92

Hakea high-waisted bikini bottoms, $155

Baserange bikini top, about $220

Gottex scoop-neck one-piece, about $120