The best way to wear a tankini beyond the beach is to treat it like a top. Pair it with bikini bottoms for swimming, matching shorts for the pool or resort, and denim, trousers or a skirt when the day turns into dinner or drinks. An open back and halter neckline can keep the look closer to a bikini while the longer body gives you more ways to style it.
In this article
That was the idea behind the Ismê Tankini from the beginning.
We wanted something that still felt like the bikinis we love, but could stay on when swimming was no longer the plan.
For our second Tankini drop, we took that idea somewhere new.
Velvet. Sunset. Martinis.
Meet Areia, Menta and Onda.
The Tankini, after swim
The first Ismê Tankini was made to leave the beach.
This one has somewhere to be.
Our Velvet Tankini keeps the shape that defines the Ismê version: a sexy push up halter front, an open back and more coverage through the body than a traditional bikini top.
Then we made it in velvet.
The result sits somewhere between swimwear and the top you would have packed for later anyway.
Pool at 4. Martini at 6.
No outfit change required.
Can you wear a tankini as a top?
Yes. A tankini can be worn as a top when its silhouette and fabric work outside a traditional swim look.
That versatility is central to the Ismê Tankini.
The longer body gives you more to style than a bikini top, while the halter front and open back keep the silhouette sexy rather than coverage focused.
With the Velvet Tankini, the texture pushes that idea even further.
Wear it with its matching swim bottom and it reads as swimwear.
Add the matching velvet shorts and suddenly it is a set.
Style it with something from your closet and it becomes the top.
Technically swimwear.
3 ways to wear a Velvet Tankini
1. For the last swim
Start simple.
Tankini. Bikini bottoms. Water.
The open back keeps the feeling of a bikini, while the longer body gives the Tankini its distinct silhouette.
This is still swimwear, after all.
Wear: Velvet Tankini + coordinating bikini bottoms.
2. For sunset
This is where the Velvet Tankini starts doing something different.
Pair it with matching velvet shorts for a full set that can take you from the pool into the rest of the evening.
Add sunglasses. Wet hair is fine.
Wear: Velvet Tankini + matching velvet shorts.
3. For dinner and drinks
Keep the Tankini on.
Change everything around it.
Try denim, a skirt or trousers. Add jewelry, a good shoe and whatever bag made it into your suitcase.
The halter neckline and open back do most of the work.
Wear: Velvet Tankini + something that definitely did not come from the swim drawer.
Meet the Velvet Tankinis
Areia
Soft yellow velvet made for golden hour.
The Areia Tankini has a push up halter front, open back and extended body, with a color that belongs somewhere between the last swim and sunset.
Wear it with its coordinating pieces by the pool, then keep it on for whatever happens after.
Mood: sunset.
Menta
Menta brings a soft green into the Velvet Tankini collection.
Same sexy halter shape. Same open back. Same ability to make you question whether you are still technically wearing a swimsuit.
Pair it with matching velvet shorts and meet everyone downstairs.
Mood: martini hour.
Onda
Onda is our white Velvet Tankini and possibly the strongest argument for wearing swimwear to dinner.
The clean color lets the silhouette and velvet texture do the talking.
Bikini bottoms for the water. Something else entirely after.
Mood: technically swimwear.
What makes the Ismê Tankini different?
For us, a Tankini was never about making a bikini more conservative.
It was about giving a swim top more places to go.
The Ismê Tankini combines a push up halter front with an open back and an extended body. That means more coverage through the torso than a bikini top, while keeping the back open and the overall silhouette closer to the energy of a bikini.
With the Velvet Tankini, we added texture to make the line between swimwear and ready to wear even less obvious.
That is the point.
What should you wear with a tankini?
A tankini can be styled differently depending on where you are wearing it.
For swimming, pair it with a coordinating bikini bottom. For a resort or poolside look, try matching shorts. Away from the water, treat the tankini like a halter top and style it with denim, trousers, skirts, jewelry or whatever you would normally wear out.
The easiest rule?
Stop styling it like it has to be swimwear.
One last swim?
The Velvet Tankini is for the part of the day when nobody really knows whether the pool plans are over yet.
Maybe one more swim.
Maybe martinis.
Probably both.
Areia. Menta. Onda.
Three Velvet Tankinis made for the water and whatever happens after.
Meet us after swim.