The Great Cover-Up

“Mom, did you know spiders don’t have butts?”

“No, Hayden, I did not know that. Or should I say I never thought about it.”

This is typical of any conversation with my 6-year-old boy. It involves body parts and/or going to the bathroom. The babycenter.com newsletter emails tell me it’s a normal phase. I hope for his future dating life it is.

Humans? We have butts. Raise you hand and give a whoop-whoop if you are excited about going to the beach in what is basically your underwear? No? No takers? If I was doing  cross-fit  I would be walking around naked just to show off my hard earned rockin’ bod. But I am doing wine-and-cookie-unfit these days and I do not get super-psyched about the idea of stripping down to my skivvies around fellow parents and neighbors. Bathing suit shopping and fitting is a whole another issue, one left best addressed when I have a psychologist on hand. In the meantime I prefer to focus on the abundance of cute-cover-up options. I get far more excited about wearing a new cute cover up than I do a bathing suit.

Here are some of my favorite places to find the perfect piece.

1.  Old Navy

They have tons of cute dresses you can slip on quickly that won’t break the bank.

I know, pants as a cover up? But I really hate to be cold at the beach or pool. These pull-on linen pants from Old Navy are the perfect low-key option to stay comfortable and chic. And I can slip a cute tank over the top and be ready for lunch or shopping.

2.  Surf Shops

Don’t be intimidated or think you have to know how to surf  just to shop in a surf store.They have the best flip-flops and cutest beach accessories.  The original girl surfer brands like Roxy always make something that is just perfect for the beach because it is a little more funky and casual.

3. Vintage Stores

all pics below via Pinterest

I love any kind of global or international store. It just seems so much more fun to shop for that piece that looks so uniquely different. A vintage or resale shop gives you access to beautiful embroidered Indian made caftans and tunics.  So you can at least look the part of the world traveler even if you’ve never left your home state.

*Insider Tip –  

Want to get more bang for your buck? I recently attended a fashion show fundraiser for a local elementary school. One of the boutiques there that night was local favorite Ashley Austin. They showed the most beautiful cover-ups. They also showed how they can look equally as cute with leggings or with skinny jeans. So make sure to play around with your purchase and don’t just limit it to over your bathing suit.

* Insider Tip – 

Think out of the box. I found an adorable print on a sale rack in H&M. Turns out it was actually a maternity shirt. But I scored it for about $5 on clearance and the oversize fit was just what I was looking for in a cover-up.

* Insider Tip – 

Not in the mood to go trolling through the shops? Give me a call or shoot me an email and I will do the personal shopping for you. I can drop it off right to your doorstep and return what you don’t want.  I can also do an online shopping board for you and you can shop directly from my selections.

One last note. Please don’t get me wrong and think I have body issues. I think we all think we look much worse than we do. The truth is no matter how self conscious I feel I will go in the pool and to the beach. I am grateful for a healthy body that works just fine and lets me have fun with my kids. I am going to do my best to stop obsessing about what my body looks like in a bikini. Time in the water and in the sun nourishes my soul. I want my kids to remember me running around the beach playing with them, not hiding out for fear of putting my lumps and bumps on show.  However I will always do my best to take the steps when exiting a pool so I can avoid any potential awkward movements like the one below.