Plus-Size American Flag Swimsuits: Tankinis, Swim Dresses, One-Pieces

Plus-size American flag swimsuits come mostly as tankinis, swim dresses and one-pieces, in sizes from 1X or 14W up. Tankinis are the easiest to size because top and bottom can differ. Swim dresses give the most coverage. For a one-piece, check torso length as well as bust and hip, and wear sunscreen on bare skin.

A 4th of July at a lake, a pool or the beach calls for a swimsuit that carries the colors. This page compares the main styles by coverage and fit. For outfits on dry land, start at the women’s hub.

Which swimsuit style gives the coverage you want?

Swim dresses

A swim dress is a one-piece suit with a short attached skirt, often with a built-in short or brief. Flag-print swim dresses usually put the stars on the bodice and stripes on the skirt, or the reverse. They are a good choice if you want to walk from the water to a picnic table without changing.

Tankinis

A tankini is a tank-style top with a separate bottom. Because you choose the sizes separately, a tankini handles a bust size and a hip size that land on different rows of the chart. Pair a flag-print top with a navy swim short or skirt bottom. A longer tankini top that reaches the hip gives more coverage than a cropped one, so check the listed top length before you order.

One-pieces

One-piece flag suits range from simple scoop necks to wrap fronts. Their fit depends on torso length: Lands’ End explains that a standard suit is cut for an average torso, so a longer midsection can mean straps that pull and leg openings that sit too high. It measures torso from the shoulder, through the crotch and back up, and stresses that a long torso fit is about the torso, not overall height.

Plus-size flag tankinis, swim dresses and one-pieces

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• TankinisBrowse →
• Swim dressesBrowse →
• One-piecesBrowse →
• BikinisBrowse →

Which prints are there besides a full flag?

Flag swimwear ranges from loud to subtle, so you can choose how much of the theme you want:

• Full flag: stars on the bust and stripes below, or the whole suit printed as a flag.
• Stars only: white stars on navy, which reads as patriotic and suits a pool party or a family photo.
• Stripes only: red and white stripes, like the suit in the photo above, with a navy cover-up.
• Solid colors: a red one-piece with a navy swim skirt, or a navy tankini top with red bottoms.

Stripes and solids also suit a swim class or a beach trip later in the summer. If you swim often, a solid-color suit gets more wear the rest of the summer, and a flag kimono or sarong brings the theme on the day.

How do you size a swimsuit you cannot try on?

Measure three things in inches: bust at the fullest point, hip at the fullest point, and torso as described above if you are buying a one-piece. Compare all three with the chart in the listing. Swim charts are often body measurements, like Dia & Co’s general chart, which lists 3X as US 22/24 with a 51.5 to 54 inch bust. If the seller lists only S to 4X with no inches, ask for the chart before you buy.

Read the return policy before you order, and check whether it covers swimwear: some sellers set different terms for swimsuits than for other clothing, and a suit you cannot send back is a costly guess.

How do you protect your skin on a long day by the water?

The CDC’s skin cancer prevention advice for days when the UV index is 3 or higher is to stay in the shade, wear clothing that covers arms and legs, wear a wide-brimmed hat and wrap-around sunglasses that block UVA and UVB, and use broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. It adds that where protective clothing is not practical, you should apply plenty of sunscreen to all exposed skin, including the ears and the back of the neck.

What goes over the swimsuit?

A cover-up turns a swimsuit into an outfit for the walk to the food. A flag kimono, a white button shirt worn open, or a navy sarong all work. Kimonos hang loose, so they are among the easiest pieces to size, and they add sleeves for the sun advice above.

Flag kimonos and cover-ups in plus sizes

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• KimonosBrowse →
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What else helps on a beach day?

Long days in wet swim bottoms can bring chafing. The staying cool page covers what Cleveland Clinic and Consumer Reports advise, including snug bike shorts. If you are dressing a partner too, the big and tall shirts page lists flag swim trunks in 3XL and up. For a whole-day plan from cookout to fireworks, see the 4th of July outfits page.