Kimonos and Beach Cover-Ups.

So, I’ve been on a bit of a mission of late to find the perfect beach cover-ups. Partly due to the fact that my various resolutions to lose that extra stone of menopausal midriff fell through because life kind of got in the way of exercising 24/7. And partly because I quite fancy myself as one of those old Hollywood doyennes who swan about by day wearing robes for no particular reason. When you add on to these two compelling factors the influx of utterly delightful longline silhouette beach cover-ups which are currently flooding the market along with a proliferation of the cutest kimonos I’ve seen in a long while, you can begin to understand my new obsession.

In the early days of the beachwear fashion trend – (yes it is a thing and now everyone from high street to high end seem to have come up with a resort wear collection this year), I played it safe with the good old kaftan to cover up all those wobbly bits you would rather the rest of the world did not see. Fast forward to today though, and I’m getting my head around all of the fab new options available. These days you can head to the beach in anything from a maxi dress meant for the office right through to a lingerie-inspired diaphanous crochet negligee and anything in between.

So why, given all these choices does my stylista Geiger counter start kicking off when I spot a longline cover up or a kimono? The simplest answer is that it ticks a pile of on-trend boxes whilst covering you up at the same time. The beauty of a longline cover-up is that it gives us shorties the illusion of a little extra length – particularly if you pair it with dark neutrals underneath. With kimonos this season championing the ‘luxe by day’ trend as well as the floral/artisan trend they are a safe choice for nailing beach style nirvana. Just add your swimmers, a pair of cut-offs and a bottle of rose and you are off to the races.

This particular cutie is one I picked up at fabulous Baar and Bass on the Kings Road recently. They have the most unique edit of resort wear which has you drooling and reaching for your over-used credit card as soon as you’ve crossed the threshold. The vertical stripes are nailing this summers stripes trend whilst its blousy chiffon texture and simple cut ensure that the illusion of a slimline me underneath is achieved.

Kimonos and beach cover-ups… where to shop.

So where to snag your on-trend beach cover-ups this season? Well, you’ll be pleased to know that they are popping up pretty much everywhere at every price range you could imagine. Since living Stateside I’ve paid more attention to my resort wear items as when you have a guaranteed summer full of sun you know you are going to get your cost per wear out of them. These days back in Blighty, whilst I’m happy to throw a little extra expense at the season I’m definitely on the lookout for more affordable additions to my closet – a few faves being Anthropologie,  ASOS , Everything But Water and Beach Cafe. See my current faves below… click the images to shop.