How to Style a Long Sleeve One Piece Swimsuit Beyond the Beach

Your long sleeve one piece doesn’t have to retire after your swim. With the right pieces, it can be a core part of your travel wardrobe. Here’s how to stretch your swimwear further.

As a Bodysuit

Pair your Ocean Soul long sleeve one piece with wide-leg pants, linen shorts, or a high-waisted skirt for instant chic. Add sandals and you're good to go.

Under a Sarong or Wrap Skirt

Our sculpted suits flatter your waist and enhance your shape. Pair with a simple sarong and you’ve got an outfit fit for island dinners.

With a Denim Jacket and Sneakers

Going from the beach to brunch? Layer it up for a casual coastal look.

For Active Days

Whether you’re on a SUP, yoga on the beach, or hiking coastal trails, the long sleeve one piece supports and protects - without ever looking out of place.

Bonus: It's also ideal for travel days - especially when heading to your next surf or dive spot.

Why the long sleeve one piece is the most useful thing in your suitcase

Most swimwear has one job. You wear it in the water, you peel it off, and it hangs on the bathroom door until tomorrow. A long sleeve one piece is different, and once you start treating it like clothing rather than swimwear, you will wonder why you ever packed five tops for a ten day trip.

The reason is simple. A good long sleeve one piece covers your shoulders, arms and torso, it holds its shape, and it sits close to the body like a fitted bodysuit. That is exactly what a stylist would reach for to anchor an outfit. Add a bottom half and you are dressed. Take the bottom half off and you are ready to swim. No changing room, no wet bikini in a tote, no second outfit.

Think of it as a bodysuit that happens to be UPF 50+, rather than a swimsuit you are trying to disguise.

A day in Bali, one swimsuit, four looks

Here is how one of our team wears her Sulawesi on a typical Canggu day. It is not a styling exercise. It is just how life works when the ocean is part of your routine.

7am: the surf

Straight into the water. The long sleeves mean no sunscreen battle on the shoulders and back, and the suit stays put when she duck dives. If the morning is cooler or she plans to stay out longer, she adds surf leggings for the reef and the sun.

10am: coffee and errands

Rinse, towel off, and pull on wide-leg pants. The suit reads as a fitted long sleeve top. A woven bag, flat sandals, hair in a low knot. Nobody in the café knows she was in the ocean an hour ago.

2pm: boat or beach club

Swap the pants for a sarong tied at the hip or the waist. This is the most classic way to wear a one piece out of the water, and it works because the suit does the structural work while the sarong adds movement.

7pm: dinner

Dark colours do the heavy lifting here. A black long sleeve one piece with a long skirt or tailored pants looks deliberate and elegant, especially with a statement earring and your hair down. The low back is the detail that makes it feel like eveningwear.

Which colour styles most easily?

If you only own one, choose the colour that matches the rest of your wardrobe. Midnight black goes with everything and looks the most like a regular top in town. Nautical, our navy and white stripe, has a relaxed coastal feel that pairs with denim and white linen. Snow white looks fresh against a tan and with neutral linen, but treat it with care around sunscreen and red dirt.

The everyday hero

Long Sleeve Swimsuit: Sulawesi Midnight

Our best-selling long sleeve one piece in black, UPF 50+, made in Bali from Italian ECONYL.

$230 AUDShop the Sulawesi →

What to pair it with

• Wide-leg pants for the most polished bodysuit look. Breathable fabrics like TENCEL feel cool over a damp suit.
• A sarong for beach to lunch. Tie it at the hip for a relaxed line or at the waist to highlight the shape of the suit.
• Denim shorts or a denim jacket for a casual daytime look on a cooler evening.
• Joggers for travel days, so you can step off the plane and straight into the sea.

Made to pair

Wide-Leg Lounge Pant: The Nusa

A wide-leg TENCEL pant that turns a long sleeve swimsuit into an outfit.

$85 AUDShop the Nusa →

How to keep it looking good when you wear it all day

A swimsuit that does double duty needs a little more care. Rinse it in fresh water after every swim, even if you are going straight to lunch. Salt and chlorine are what fade colour and tire the fabric. Wash by hand in cool water, never wring it, and dry it flat in the shade. Rotating two suits on a longer trip also helps each one last.

Questions we get asked

Can you wear a long sleeve swimsuit as a top?

Yes. A fitted long sleeve one piece looks like a bodysuit once you add pants, shorts or a skirt. Darker colours look the most like everyday clothing.

What do you wear over a one piece swimsuit?

A sarong, wide-leg pants, denim shorts or a long skirt all work. Choose breathable fabrics so you stay comfortable if the suit is still a little damp.

Is a long sleeve swimsuit good for travel?

It is one of the most useful pieces you can pack. It covers swimming, surfing, snorkelling and sun protection, then doubles as a top for the rest of the day.

How do you stop a swimsuit fading when you wear it often?

Rinse it in fresh water after every swim, hand wash in cool water and dry it in the shade. Avoid leaving it in direct sun for hours.

Keep reading

• Why I Designed the Sulawesi - A Long Sleeve One Piece That Finally Stayed On
• Rash Guard vs. Long Sleeve Swimsuit vs. Crop Rashguard: Which One Actually Suits Your Day in the Water?
• Why Every Woman Needs a Long Sleeve Swimsuit