Cutout Swimwear: 9 Best Styles & Trends for 2026
A single side cutout can do what a personal trainer can’t in a weekend: it carves a visible waist. That’s the quiet reason cutout swimwear keeps outselling plain maillots season after season — it’s the rare trend that reads as “fashion” and “flattering” at the same time. Below is the full breakdown of the styles worth buying in 2026, who each one suits, and how to keep the shape looking sharp after twenty trips to the pool.
What Is Cutout Swimwear?
Cutout swimwear is any swimsuit built with deliberate openings in the fabric — a slice at the midriff, a keyhole below the bust, a gap along the hip — while the rest of the suit stays connected. That last part matters. A cutout suit is not the same as a string bikini held together by ties, and it’s not a full monokini panel either. The fabric stays structured; the skin shows through engineered windows.
The style traces back to the “monokini” experiments of the 1960s, but the current wave owes more to the athletic, sculpted cuts that brands like Norma Kamali and Hunza G revived. Today the term covers everything from a subtle waist notch on a one-piece to a bold underboob opening on a bikini top.
Why Cutout Swimwear Flatters Almost Every Body
The flattery isn’t marketing. It’s geometry. Your eye follows lines and lands on contrast. When a suit opens up at the smallest point of your torso, that gap becomes the focal point, and the brain reads the whole silhouette as more hourglass than it might be in a solid suit. Diagonal side cutouts do this best because they add a slimming vertical-ish line on top of the skin contrast.
This is the same principle behind a wrap dress or a peplum. The difference is that swimwear has almost no fabric to work with, so every design choice counts more. A cutout is one of the few tools a swimsuit designer has to sculpt a shape, and when it’s placed right, it works on straight, curvy, pear, and apple figures alike.
The 9 Best Cutout Swimwear Styles for 2026
Not every cutout is created equal. Some flatter, some just expose. Here are the nine cuts leading the season, roughly from most wearable to most daring.
1. Side-Cutout One-Piece
The workhorse of the category. Two openings — one on each side of the waist — turn a plain maillot into a shape-carving suit. It gives you one-piece coverage up top with bikini-level flair, which is why it’s the single best entry point if you’re new to the trend.
2. Underbust Keyhole
A small window sits directly below the bust line, drawing a clean horizontal frame under the chest. It reads as elegant rather than revealing and pairs beautifully with a high-neck halter. If you like the support of a fuller top, look at our full bust bikini guide before choosing a keyhole cut.
3. High-Leg Monokini
The leg line hikes up toward the hip bone, and cutouts open along the waist to connect top and bottom visually. This is the leg-lengthening champion — nothing makes a torso look longer faster. It’s a favorite for shorter frames.
4. Asymmetric One-Shoulder
A single strap plus a diagonal cutout across the midriff creates an off-balance line that the eye loves. Asymmetry is inherently slimming because it breaks up the body into uneven, more interesting sections.
5. Plunge Cutout
A deep V at the chest meets a small connecting panel at the waist. It’s the boldest neckline in the category, and it works best with a suit that has real side support so the plunge stays put.
6. Ring-Linked Cutout
Hardware — an O-ring or a gold hoop — bridges two panels of fabric, leaving a gap on either side. It’s the jewelry of swimwear, and it dresses a plain suit up instantly for a resort dinner.
7. Back-Cutout One-Piece
All the action happens behind you: a low scoop or a lattice of openings down the spine. From the front it looks like a modest one-piece; from behind it’s pure drama. Great for a suit you want to wear under a cover-up and then reveal.
8. Underboob Bikini
The most daring top of the season. A slim band under the bust leaves an open stripe of skin above the ribcage. It’s not for everyone, but on the right day it’s the most talked-about suit on the sand.
9. High-Neck Cutout Halter
Coverage up at the collarbone, then a surprise gap at the sternum or waist. This contrast — modest neckline, unexpected opening — is the most sophisticated version of the trend and the one most likely to survive past this year.
How to Choose Cutout Swimwear for Your Body Type
The trend works for everyone, but the placement should change with your shape. Match the opening to the part of your body you want to highlight, not hide — cutouts frame, they don’t cover.
- Pear shape: Side waist cutouts balance wider hips by widening the visual midsection. Keep the bottom coverage fuller.
- Apple shape: A single small keyhole below the bust is friendlier than a wide midriff gap. Vertical cutouts beat horizontal ones here.
- Straight/athletic: Diagonal and asymmetric cutouts fake curves by breaking up a linear torso.
- Hourglass: You can wear almost anything, but a simple side cutout amplifies the waist you already have.
- Short torso: High-leg monokinis and vertical cutouts add length; skip wide horizontal bands that cut you in half.
Whatever your shape, the wrong size ruins a cutout faster than any other suit — gaps gape and edges dig in. If you’re between sizes, size up on the piece with the opening. For fuller busts especially, structure matters more than a plain suit; our take on underwire swimwear support covers how to keep a cutout top secure.
Cutout One-Piece vs Cutout Bikini: Which Should You Buy?
A cutout one-piece is the smarter buy if you want the flattery of showing skin with the security of a full suit — it stays put through waves, volleyball, and chasing a toddler. A cutout bikini gives you a better tan line and more mix-and-match freedom, but the openings can shift when you move.
My honest take: for a first cutout suit, buy the one-piece. It’s more forgiving, more supportive, and it photographs better because the design lines are continuous. Save the cutout bikini for your second or third suit, once you know which openings you actually like wearing.
How to Style Cutout Swimwear Beyond the Beach
The best cutout suits pull double duty as bodysuits. A black side-cutout one-piece under high-waisted linen trousers is a legitimate dinner outfit, not just a poolside look. Add a gold hoop earring to echo any ring hardware on the suit, throw on a gauzy shirt left open, and you’ve built a resort evening outfit around a swimsuit.
For the beach itself, keep the rest simple. Cutout suits are already doing the visual work, so a plain sarong or a solid crochet cover-up lets the suit lead. If you want a second trend to pair it with, a classic triangle bikini in the same color family gives you a lighter option for the days you don’t feel like the full cutout moment.
Watch: A Real Swimwear Try-On
Seeing how cutouts sit on an actual body beats any flat product photo. This try-on haul shows how different openings move and where they land in real light:
How to Care for Cutout Swimwear So It Lasts
Cutout suits live or die by their elastic edges — those bindings around each opening are the first thing to warp. Rinse in cold water the moment you’re out of the pool; chlorine and salt break down elastane fastest at the seams. Hand wash, never wring, and dry flat away from direct sun. Machine drying is what turns a sharp cutout into a floppy one.
Rotate two suits if you swim often — elastane needs about 24 hours to recover its shape between wears. For the full routine that keeps any suit tight for years, see our swimsuit care guide.
Cutout Swimwear FAQ
Are cutout swimsuits good for larger busts? Yes, if the top has real support — underwire or a thick band. Choose a keyhole below the bust rather than a plunge, which can strain without structure.
Do cutouts cause weird tan lines? They can. A one-piece with many openings leaves a patchwork tan. If even tanning matters to you, pick a suit with one or two clean openings, not a lattice.
Are side cutouts flattering on tummies? Often more than a plain suit — the opening draws the eye to the narrowest point and the vertical line elongates. Go for a single mid-height cutout rather than a wide horizontal band.
Can you swim laps in a cutout suit? A cutout one-piece, yes. Cutout bikinis and underboob styles shift too much for real swimming — save those for lounging.
The Bottom Line
Buy the side-cutout one-piece first. It’s the version of this trend that will still look right in three summers, it flatters the widest range of bodies, and it moonlights as a going-out bodysuit the second the sun goes down. Once you trust how a cutout sits on you, branch into the bolder keyholes and rings. Start with the one that carves a waist — then let confidence pick the next one. Ready to find yours? Browse the full swimwear collection and grab the cut that fits your shape.
Sources
- Vogue — The Best Swimsuits Guide — trend reporting on cutout and sculpted swimwear.
- Harper’s Bazaar — Fashion Trends — seasonal swimwear and resort trend coverage.
- Textile care guidance — general elastane and swimwear fabric care principles.
