Halter tops and body suits

Shirts of the summer

If last week’s dispatch posited that the summer dressing vibe is surf beach for a metropolis, call this a tribute post to the first target area (tops). Here, halters and bodysuits (often née bathing suits) run wild, free and a la galore.

What makes a good one and how to wear them below —

Bodysuits

Are practically bathing suits, and vice versa. But while not all bodysuits will snap at the crotch (thus making a bathroom visit more seamless), you can rest assured NO bathing suit will do this. Which means they’re less amenable to your bathroom dalliances, and that if and when you have to go, you’ll probably want to sideline it. Personally fine with it but not everyone is. Mentioning this only in the interest of disclosure.

But anyway —

Ray-ban sunglasses, Christopher Esber net dress, Lido tie-dye swim suit (this one’s on sale)

Why the bodysuit, why now? It’s a perfect storm that has something to do with:

• the return of the 70s

• our bottom-half garments getting bigger (see: balloon pants) and the proportional play that a tighter top offers

• the bodysuits that launched for Fall 24 at Prada, and continued with their fashion-sport aesthetic for Spring 25 with:

  • Tory Burch

  • Miu Miu

  • Dior

Dior x 2 at furthest left, with Tory burch at Center and two cases of Miu Miu to the right

Et al.

But as we’re also gearing up for a surf girl summer, there’s something to be said for the silhouette in the context of a look featuring low rise drawstring.

Closest current comp to the pictured pants is these. Alternatively, you can do these on the more expensive end, or these look Dries-y and awesome. Some sandals for you —

You can really nail this expression with a bathing suit — something like this or this but there are some exceptions that make a bodysuit worth it.

Tory Burch bodysuit, Matteau fisherman pants, a market tote from Etsy

Gianvito Rossi sandals (the thongs are cool too)

Not surf at all but to bring this back around to Tory, do you remember the croc suit from Fall 2024? The fisherman pants I’ve styled it with give off an air of nautica, while the jewelry roots the outfit back in the spirit of the other forthcoming dressing vibe: tacky girl summer.

Here’s your mixed metal collar alt 1, 2, and in the good grace of summer, 3. Ring is by me — lab grown and shoppable via Aflalo later this week!

Also slightly fisherman-y is actually the interpretation above it, with the tie dye suit to harken back to surf (+ low rise drawstring), styled under a net beach dress —

The net dress again, and another tie dye strapless here. This tankini could honestly be a great alt too. Proper pj pants are not out of the question. Kind of love these from Negative in the blue

You always have the option of forgoing the surf implication all together to try your hand at something more delicate, more stylistically all encompassing and PRESENT.

Caro Editions bathing suit (a subtler alt), Emilia Wickstead skirt — or dress. Idk what to call it , Tory Burch monkstrap shoes, Hunting Season straw tote

Miu Miu sunglasses; I love a swimsuit like this or this here too; but the u-neck really does give it something

I wouldn’t call this work appropriate necessarily but it’s definitely more applicable for a day in midtown. Or a flirty date night if the vibe you’re going for is millennial ingenue.

I saved the best bathing/body suit alt for last

Last up features the Pucci suit from last week’s dispatch, this time fashioned into the underlayer between a sheer white button down (if you’re in the market for one, she is it), and terry cloth shorts.

Aflalo shirt, Pucci suit (dropping in the Staud striped tankini as a potential alt again), Cap d’Antibes terry, track-style shorts

Jude shoes, and a tennis (but really racquet) bracelet I made (that is khaki knotted string keeping it together!), fashioned onto the ankle

Footwear of choice makes this all about Carrie. And any anklet of your choosing works. I like these around the ankle too.

Let’s move on to halter tops?

Halter tops

Maison Krasnova cap, Khaite halter top (try this one from Nili Lotan if you’re in the market, or this is more delicate but the shape is perfect, and I will always defer back to Mango’s bodysuit. Cannot understate how fool proof it is), Flowze sandals

Here’s a very simple rendering with a black halter that could be swapped out for a black body suit (see: Mango). We will call this the bridge look.

It’s styled simply, with very tiny shorts that could be swapped out for any number of black bottoms: capris, full blown knee cap leggings, silk flowy pants, a skirt. The personality comes through in the details —

Doen’s ‘Lula’ short is def the one to get this look; some beads to mesmerize you

Straw bag and similar-color hat, bright beads/stones for the jewelry.

Another black halter top with a completely different character structure would be —

Aflalo halter top, Belle shorts (nice alt for a more polished vibe; here for ones that read more board; here for ones that are more board), The Row sandals, Dries van Noten bag

For a darker tone, here she is.

This guy. Silk and flowy (as opposed to tight), styled with low rise, long-line, board-ish shorts.

This top’s great in the poppy print too.

The halter top makes the look more cosmopolitan thanks to the shape and fabrication while the shoes provide an uptown-empty-nester-home-from-the-Hamptons-for-a-day vibe you did not set out to infuse. But it works.

Also surf-y but more MNZ-coded is this —

Pucci mesh top, Kap-sul halter top (good alt), Esant light blue capris, The Row sandals

Weird and good bag alt, or something satin here. Why is this one still in stock? Khaite’s is the most similar in shape

Striped bodycon halter styled under sheer, mesh bodycon and balloon shorts. Also low rise, also drawstring. Brought that uptown empty nester into this look too for a mid-meal palate cleanse.

Another top combo that works: this or this with this or this (respectively). Also, re pants, wow.

Speaking of halters that tie around the neck, here’s a totally different way to layer a halter that leans on the same strategy —

Pucci silk halter top styled under fisherman knit from Attersee, with crochet shorts by Doen (these are back in stock too) and The Row’s ‘Emi’ clogs (are you the lucky sz 37.5?)

Could these Dries chartreuse shorts stand in for you?

Something you’d wear to do anything that doesn’t include an office or funeral or co-op board meeting. Ideal for a lunch time hang?

She comes like this too

A lil fishy from Year of the Flood

And I saved the best for last.

A defacto silk scarf tied like a halter, with Zara balloon pants (really like these too), a black satin clutch, diamond hoops from Isabel (bracelet’s hers too) and simple black sunglasses

More genie pants are this way (I’m kind of into these too); shoes are here

I call this one: the ecstasy of nailing an outfit. It’s here to demonstrate that you can make your own silk halter top (pretty similar to the Pucci one before it), with the right-size scarf. This one is 90cm wide and long (square), and is tied around my neck and waist.

You can adjust the waist tie to make it more or less cropped. I like the way it balloons and exposes lower stomach above the waistline of the pants, then ties back to the balloons at hem-length.

It was great last week when the sun was out for a bit, huh? Thanks for tuning in…,

Leandra Shot on iPhone by Charlie Rosen