I Implore You To Wear An Actual Cover-Up This Spring & Summer

Tina, here.

Let's be honest. The cover-up has joined the ranks of the funeral dress. Everyone needs one, but few of us have a nice one that makes us feel stylish.

So if you're planning to wear a raggedy cover-up that you accidentally bought on sale (because it didn't sell through at full price - your first clue it might have been a bad purchase), don't. Photo credit Mark Baylor.

We usually find in closets some old stained excuse for a dress that its owner doesn't mind wearing to the pool or beach because it might get sandy or dirty. But it's usually already in a pretty sad state. It just takes a little effort to find a great cover-up that doesn't cost a fortune, that will flatter your figure and allow you to do what you need to do. Ok, maybe a medium amount of effort, but it can be done.

This doll has got it going on: matching swimsuit, cover-up, hat and bench. She must have hired help to wax her legs and do her makeup and hair for a day at the beach. Photo source.

Actually, I have you covered (ha) inside the Style Vault this month. There is an entire bonus Spring Edition devoted to swimsuits and cover-ups for every age, size and shape. And I included pool shoes, sunglasses, beach bags, towels, the whole nine yards. Even a waterproof phone case. You can get inside the Vault and shop to your heart's content by clicking here.

I'm really pleading with you to do something about your pool uniform and cover-ups this spring and summer. It's time.

Moms, no more t-shirts and shorts as "cover-ups" at the pool or beach. Photo credit danielboard.

You're not a camp counselor anymore who can get away with gym shorts and a tee. Nor are you allowed to wear that old stained muumuu of a dress that is pilled and, like the broken dishes that get relegated to the lake house, these stained cast-offs become your cover-ups. Not after today. You'll feel terrible about that decision when you see why you need a proper cover-up and how fab it can make you feel.

It's not that hard to make a good cover-up happen in your life. Soon you'll be walking into the sunset in yours. Photo credit John St. John.

Here's why you have no excuse: walk into your husband's closet (and you single dolls, hold your horses), find the white shirt you wish he never wore because it's getting a bit dogeared, give it a good wash, now wear it over your swimsuit. I, being single, marched myself down to the Good Will a few years ago and bought me a man's white dress shirt, a really soft one, for $4.99. Sometimes I'll even sleep in it.

If you don't have etiher option available to you, be on the lookout for an oversized white button-down, and be the chicest thing at your pool this summer.

Here's what you want in a cover-up. First it must actually provide coverage.

Echo makes some of my fave cover-ups that will also do double-duty as a tunic with white jeans. You learned about that last week when I was packing you for your vacay. Monkee's of Nashville has this one for $58, and you can call them at (615) 678-1851.

The whole point of wearing a cover-up is to shield your almost naked body from the environments that aren't natural to wear a swimsuit in, like a poolside cafe where there is food, or the parking lot you have to walk through, or the hallways of the club, on the way to the bathrooms, or at the gas station or grocery store on the way to or on the way home. Or how about when you're chasing kids and really don't want to worry about hiking up your suit every time you have to run to the water or quickly pick up a toy, a child or their sandwich.

Here's a casual cover-up in an easy cotton/spandex mix that can be washed to your heart's content over and over without ruining it. If your swimsuits are all colors and patterns, opt for a neutral cover-up so you can wear it with any of them.

A good cover-up also makes an excellent sunscreen when walking on the beach. If you are sensitive to the sun, I have provided some great rash guard options inside the Swimsuit & Cover-Up Style Vault.

Second, your cover-up can be another way to present your stylish self if you don't like being in a swimsuit in front of everyone. It's your armor that still looks like you're actually at the pool and not mowing the lawn or cleaning house. Cause that's what your shorts and tee look like.

A leopard print cover-up brings a different touch to the usual array of florals and stripes. Yes, animal print is fitting for summer. This Echo tunic is also at Monkee's of Nashville, (615) 678-1851.

Does your cover-up have to match your swimsuit? No, but it does need to relate.

You can have a family cover-up and a resort cover-up. This is my "good" cover-up I wear when I'm at a resort. Ha. As if. It's been a loooong time since I was at a resort. Anyway, it keeps me dreaming and I know I'm prepared.

So now what are you supposed to do with the old stained knits you were planning to wear this summer? TOSS THEM. They are considered house-cleaning clothes. They do not see the light of day.

Interested in what my favorite swimsuits and cover-ups are this spring, and where you can get them? Lucky Style Vault Insiders have been shopping them this March, and you can too. I mentioned I devoted an entire Spring Edition inside the Vault to just this, and there are savings in every category from the swimwear to the accessories we all need at the water.

Join the Style Vault Now!

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our personalized Nashville wardrobe consulting services for men and women. Experience the luxury of having us in your home and shopping the stores for you, then putting it all together. We’re in our 8th year of making the world a better place, one good outfit at a time.

Best,

Tina