Swimwear
Buy and sell swimsuits in Panama.
A bikini that stays put on a Pacific surf beach and a long-sleeve rash guard for an afternoon snorkelling off the cays in Bocas del Toro are different purchases. Both belong here, alongside one-pieces with tummy control, tankinis, lap suits for the building pool and the cover-ups that go over them. Bikini tops and bottoms are often sized and sold separately, so ask for each half’s size before you arrange to meet. Ask too whether the suit still has its tags and the protective liner in the bottom.
Swimsuit cuts, top half and bottom half:
a bikini is really two garments, and Colombian labels in particular sell the top and the bottom as separates so a small bust and wider hips can each get their own size. Tops divide by support: a triangle or bandeau holds very little, while an underwired or moulded-cup top does the work of a bra. Bottoms divide by coverage, from full brief and high-waist to the cheekier Brazilian cut and the thong. A one-piece ranges from a plain tank suit to one-shoulder and cut-out trikinis, and many add tummy control. Suits cut for a bump live under maternity wear, and the kaftans and beach dresses worn over a swimsuit sit with dresses.
A swimsuit for Playa Venao is not one for Bocas:
Panama’s two coasts ask for different things. On the Pacific surf beaches, Santa Catalina and Playa Venao among them, the waves dump hard and the currents pull, and a tie-side bottom or a strapless bandeau will not survive the first wipe-out. Fixed straps, a high neck or a sporty crop top and a fuller bottom stay on; so does a short-sleeve or long-sleeve surf one-piece of the kind Roxy makes. On the calm Caribbean side, snorkelling at Bocas del Toro or around Portobelo means an hour face-down with your back to the sun, and that is what a long-sleeve rash guard is for.
Pool chlorine and the elastane in a swimsuit:
most fashion swimwear is nylon or polyester blended with elastane, and chlorine attacks the elastane first. Someone who swims laps in a building pool several mornings a week will wear out a fashion bikini quickly. Training suits such as Speedo Endurance+ and Arena MaxLife are PBT polyester with little or no elastane, feel stiffer and last far longer in chlorinated water. The composition label tells you which one you are looking at.
Colombian labels and what a swimsuit costs:
Colombian brands lead the market here, from lingerie-and-swim houses to designer names such as Agua Bendita, whose pieces carry hand-sewn detail and are often reversible. A one-piece from a Colombian label runs from around $70 to nearly $200 new, and where a label sells separates, the top and the bottom each carry their own price. The tags and the protective liner still in the bottom are what show a buyer that a suit has never been in the water; without them, the elastic is all there is to judge it by.
The stretch test before you pay for a swimsuit:
pull the fabric over your hand in daylight. Elastane that chlorine, sun or a hot car has broken down shows as sheerness under stretch, slow recovery and tiny sand-like grains on the surface, and the seat sags first. On white and pastel suits, look for rust-coloured marks: some chemical sunscreens react with iron in tap water and the stain rarely comes out. Turn moulded cups inside out for creases from a washing machine, check that underwire has not worked through its channel, and look at metal rings and clasps for salt corrosion.
Tags, liner and the size of each half in a swimwear listing:
say first whether it has been worn, and if not, show the tags and the liner in a photo. Give the size of the top and the bottom separately, the cup or underband if the top is structured, and whether the two are sold together. Photograph the suit laid flat in daylight, front, back and the lining, plus the composition label, and say whether it saw the sea or a pool. Most buyers will only try a bottom on over their own underwear, if at all, so state whether a try-on is possible and meet somewhere with a restroom rather than in a car park.