Left on Friday Reviews Agree: This Is the Best New Swim Brand

Never have I ever thought the words “relatable” and “Gwyneth Paltrow” belonged in the same sentence. Everything changed when a photo crossed my desk of Goop’s chic executive officer lounging on a yacht—stay with me here—in a swimwear-trend-proof, black one-piece. The setting was miles and tax brackets away from my summer plans, but the full-coverage swimsuit was so familiar. I’d recognize the red ribbon tag and precise cut anywhere. She was wearing a Left on Friday swimsuit—the same, and only, swim brand passing my fashion editor quality check for the past seven summers.

I didn’t just identify the credit and guess why Gwyneth picked Left on Friday’s under-$200 take on the classic black one-piece for her getaway. (For the sake of our shared taste, we’re on first-name basis.) I know the brand story: Laura Low Ah Kee and Shannon Savage, co-founders and Lululemon alums, wanted Left on Friday to provide fits that can keep up with the reality of beach (or pool, or lake) trips for busy women. Cuts that won’t ride up; fabric that doesn’t pill on the pavement or fade in the sun. Five-star reviews praising Paltrow’s Sunday suit’s sculpting fabric and stays-in-place coverage prove they achieved their summertime mission. So does my firsthand experience.

From hopping between friends’ rooftop pools (2018) to roadtripping between Swiss lakes and the French Riviera (2024), I’ve never not spent summer in a Left on Friday suit. The fabric is so much softer than others I’ve tried; I don’t spend the day tugging at the bottom or adjusting the straps, because it stays in place no matter the itinerary. My gateway swimsuit, the Peak cut-out one-piece, lasted three years—and I only replaced it with an exact replica because I foolishly left my original at a hotel. In time, I branched out from a maillot to a high-rise bikini bottom and a plunge top, all with the same results: I feel good in every single one.