What's In My Beach Bag This Summer

Every summer I tell myself I’m going to become one of those effortlessly put-together beach people, the ones with oversized shirt thrown on just right, chic sunglasses, and hair that somehow looks better after swimming, not worse.
And it looks like I have it figured out by now! So this summer I’m keeping it really simple and sticking to my tried-and-true beach essentials, and these are some of them.

Oversized Shirt

If there’s one thing I’m always packing for the beach, it’s an oversized shirt. Preferably white or light blue, slightly wrinkled, a piece I can throw over anything. It works over swimwear, with shorts, even buttoned up with a belt if you’re going somewhere straight from the beach.
It’s just one of the summer essentials that goes well with anything and that makes everything feel instantly more put together without any effort.

The Perfect Swimsuit

I feel like every summer is a new search for the one swimsuit. I would always recommend getting a maximum of two swimsuits that you will actually wear the whole vacation - one in neutral tones, maybe black, cream, or a soft color like butter yellow or olive green, and another one in a bolder color or with an interesting pattern.
While I do love shopping, I think it is better to invest in one or two high-quality pieces like these than get a dozen of different bikinis from Shein. Because
honestly, when the swimsuit works, everything else is easy.

Big Woven Bag

This has always been a non-negotiable for me because I need a bag that can fit sunscreen, water, snacks, sunglasses, a book I may or may not read, and about five other things I don’t actually need but will always bring anyway.
Woven or straw bags just make everything feel more summery, and they give me that cool retro vibe which makes me feel like a stylish lady from an old French movie.

A Good Beach Towel

For years, I would just take any beach towel I stumbled across, but then I realized you do need a soft, reliable towel if you plan on spending the whole day there!
I like having one that feels a bit special instead of just “whatever I found at home”, and I tend to get a new one every other season.

Sandals I can Walk In all day

There’s nothing worse than beach shoes that are cute but painful. And while I know people are going crazy over flip-flops this year, I’m still a fan of simple sandals that go with everything and don’t require any effort to break in.
Flat, comfortable, slightly minimal - the kind you thats so comfortable that you forgot you actually have anything on your feet! Beach days always end up being longer than planned, so it is very important to have a cool shoe that you can also wear later during the day, in case a beach date turns into a dinner by the sea.

A good Book

I always bring a book to the beach with the best intentions. I imagine myself getting completely lost in it, turning pages for hours without even noticing the time passing. In reality, I usually make it through a few pages, get a bit distracted, put it down for “just a second,” and then end up just watching the ocean for the rest of the afternoon.