Not only did the height of the waist feel perfect, but the material makes them hug you in all the right places and adds to how flattering they are as well. The sweet spot for me is just below my belly button, so it’s higher than usual, but only by a few inches-and that’s exactly where these fell. While the high-waistedness is something I look for, I like them to hit a specific part of my torso, so that I can avoid them hitting too high and looking like a diaper. I’m generally a size 4 in jeans and I ordered a size small, which were true to size and fit perfectly. After a few days of waiting, it arrived in the mail and was ripped open and tried on without a moment’s notice.įrom the second I put this on my body, I knew they were the most flattering bottoms of all the high-waisted bottoms I have. There are dozens of accompanying bikini tops to choose from if you want a matching bikini set, and I went with the scoop neck top, as I already have it in another color and really like it on my body. After an embarrassing amount of deliberation, I decided on the light blue, shine option, imagining the gloriousness of the color popping against a tan this summer. Off the bat, they had a ton of cute prints and fabrics and colors to choose from, and it was hard to decide which one would accompany me to the beach all summer. Since so many had claimed the shape and fit of the crossover bottoms were so flattering in leggings, I figured the same rule had to apply to bikini bottoms. Since then, they’ve expanded the range to include bike shorts, yoga pants, and now, bikini bottoms. They were sold out constantly for months, so much so that you had to get on a waitlist to be notified of when they would be back in stock if you wanted a shot at getting a pair. The OG of the crossover products, the leggings, went viral at the pandemic after countless TikToks showed them off and claimed they were the most flattering leggings the wearers had ever tried. I couldn’t tell you why it took years after realizing high-waisted pants are by far the most flattering to realize the same was true for my swimsuit bottoms, but the discovery made me toss all of the low-rise, ghastly bottoms I had hanging around in my underwear drawer for ones that hit just below my belly button-so when I saw that Aerie had made a high-waisted crossover bikini bottom, I knew they had to be mine for summer 2021.

If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.Last summer, I dabbled in the wonders that are high-waisted bikini bottoms for the first time. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. Mental health would be so much better for these girls.”Īt Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. “That’s why I like Aerie so much - they love everybody for who they are and they don’t retouch anything. “It’s a pretty common thing for middle schoolers to look at themselves and compare themselves to all of these beautiful women on social media - when in reality they don’t look like that,” Schlenker explains. (With the latter, “you’d see these skinny, slender girls no cellulite, no blemishes, no stretch marks.”) She also recognizes that the supposed “realness” of social media can have a detrimental effect on the body image of young women, and appreciates Aerie’s focus on inclusive representation and body positivity. The partnership with Aerie is a long time coming for Schlenker - who grew up buying swimwear from the brand when it was contained to “just the back wall” at the American Eagle in the Mall of Georgia - and recognized the stark difference between the way Aerie chose their models and the portrayal from traditional retailers.

Aerie leggings crossover