Kimono Cover Up

Kimono Cover Up for Beach and Pool Days

The walk from the pool to the lunch table always feels longer in just a swimsuit, hair still dripping onto warm deck boards. Those few damp steps are what our Kimono Cover Up collection is for. At Zen Kimono we chose light layers that cover you without making you feel overdressed. An open beach kimono goes on over damp swimwear in a second.

Why a Kimono Cover Up Beats a Towel

A towel is fine for drying off, less so at the café or in the hotel lobby. A kimono swim cover up fills that gap: a bathing suit cover that reads as real clothes, then folds small beside your sunscreen.

Unlike a kaftan, a tunic or a hooded poncho, the open styles have nothing to pull over wet hair. No knot to redo each time you stand up, as with a sarong or a beach wrap. You slide your arms in and go.

A knit pullover or a hoodie is far too warm by the water, and the jackets and sweaters you rely on the rest of the year can stay home. One light garment does the job and takes almost no room in a summer wardrobe.

In Japan, kimono made for the warm months are left unlined, a style called hitoe, so they stay cool. A beach layer asks for the same lightness, so we kept to fabrics that feel breezy in the heat.

Beach Kimonos, Open Cardigans and a Few Dresses

These are all beach and pool cover ups, made to go straight over your bikini or one piece:

• Open kimono cardigans, the easiest to throw on. Think of a cardigan made for heat instead of cold.
• Beach kimonos that sit over a bandeau top or a high neck swimsuit.
• A handful of kimono dresses: a cover up dress at noon, a beach dress at the seafood shack by sunset.
• Prints: florals, paisley swirls and clean geometrics. Love paisley? You may like ikat and batik too, and the bolder mood of our Boho Kimono collection.
• Colors: pink, green, white, orange and beige.
• Many pieces are one size, with hems from hip to ankle: short and flirty or a full maxi.

What a Swim Kimono Feels Like on Warm Skin

The fabrics are all light: cotton, rayon and polyester.

Cotton breathes and feels dry on warm skin. A sheer chiffon wrap lifts at the first sea breeze, while cotton hangs a little calmer. Rayon is the fluid one: it falls in a soft, draped line, so even a long style keeps a flowy silhouette. A polyester cover-up is the traveler, light and easy to roll up beside your beachwear.

A crochet dress looks lovely in photos, but it snags on every deck chair. The most flattering bikini cover up is the one you forget you have on.

Styling a Kimono Cover Up from Lunch to Sunset

• Leave a hip-length piece open over a halter swimsuit, then add strappy sandals and sunglasses. That covers lunch.
• Knot the front at your waist over high waist denim shorts and a crop top for drinks at the beach bar.
• When the evening cools, wear an ankle-length style over a sundress or a sleeveless maxi dress. With a maxi skirt or a wide leg linen pant and a striped tee, it goes to dinner too.
• Keep the swimsuit plain when the print is busy. A solid one piece under a floral print is hard to get wrong, while tie dye, zebra or neon underneath is a lot. A small polka dot can work. For more blooms, browse our Floral Kimono collection.
• Off the sand, wear it over tees and drawstring shorts, a t shirt dress or a jumpsuit, and walk into town. Plain summer outfits look more fashionable with it on.
• Let it slip off the shoulder, hair tied up in a scarf. Flip flops or beaded sandals, a woven bag with a tassel and one of your summer hats are plenty.

A Bathing Suit Kimono for Three Kinds of Days

A slow pool morning. You swim early, before the poolside loungers fill up, then pull on a swim kimono and order coffee at the cabana while your hair dries. Back in your room, it doubles as a light robe over your loungewear.

A weekend away. Two swimsuits for Tulum and little else. A bathing suit kimono goes from the pool to the market and back without a change.

A long beach day. The surf gets louder after four and the wind picks up off the turquoise water. A kimono beach cover up over your shoulders is suddenly the most useful thing in your summer beach bag. For a darker evening look, see our Black Kimono collection.

Kimono Coverup Fit and the Swimsuit Underneath

Which kimono coverup length should I pick?

With so many one-size pieces here, the length is what you are really choosing. A hip-length piece skims your hips, while an ankle-length one falls like a long dress. With a long torso, the shorter styles may end higher. Shopping plus size, or just unsure? Email us Monday to Friday and we'll help.

Which swimsuits work under a kimono cover up?

As a swimsuit cover up, it works with almost anything you swim in. An open front frames a v neck or plunge one piece swimsuit nicely, and a strapless bandeau bikini or a racerback one piece sits neatly underneath. A tankini works too. So does a triangle bikini top with a high waisted bikini bottom, and any pretty straps get to show. Heading to a surf lesson? Keep your long sleeve rash guard and board shorts on, then slip the kimono over them for the walk back.

Salt drying on your skin, dinner still hours off. That slow stretch of afternoon is where a Kimono Cover Up feels most at home. Find yours, and keep it in the beach bag until the last swim of the season.