Swimwear
Buy and sell swimwear in Costa Rica.
On the Pacific coast a bikini has to survive a wipeout as well as an afternoon of sun, which is why small workshops in beach towns like Jacó sew surf suits with crossed backs that stay on in the waves. Alongside them come bikinis bought as separate tops and bottoms, one-pieces and tankinis, new with tags or pre-owned. Most come out of a drawer cleared after a holiday or a change of size. Nobody tries a suit on before paying, so the size of each piece and a flat measurement count for more than the photos.
A bikini sold as two pieces:
that is how most are sold new, top and bottom priced apart, so a small below and a large above is no problem. Tops come in three shapes. The triangle ties at the neck and back and suits a smaller bust. The bandeau is a strapless tube that leaves no tan lines and slips the moment you dive in. The underwire or balconette top is sized like a bra, by band and cup, and holds a fuller bust. Bottoms run from high-waisted through the classic brief to the cheeky cut, and tie-sides give a size of play. The enterizo, or one-piece, often has a firmer front panel for tummy control, and a tankini pairs a longer top with a bikini bottom. Suits cut for a bump belong in maternity wear, sarongs and beach dresses worn over a suit in dresses, and long-sleeved surf licras are often listed under women’s sportswear.
The surf bikini that stays on in a Pacific swell:
small labels in the beach towns from Jacó down to Pavones make little else. A top tied at the neck pulls loose when a wave rolls you over. A surf top has fixed straps that cross at the back, and the bottom gives more coverage and has a waistband you can tighten. Many are sewn by hand, and some are reversible. For laps in a pool the fabric matters more than the cut: polyester, and above all polyester blended with PBT, keeps its shape and colour in chlorine far longer than the nylon and elastane most fashion suits are made of, which feels softer but sags sooner.
A ₡25,000 mall suit against one priced in dollars:
new, a bikini or bathingsuit from a department store or a lingerie brand costs around ₡20,000 to ₡35,000. The handmade surf labels on the coast price in dollars, at about $50 a piece, so a set runs past $100. Used, the gap opens wide: most buyers mark down any suit that has been in the sea, so a worn mall bikini fetches little, while a handmade surf set in good shape holds more because the alternative is paying dollars for a new one. A suit with the tags still on is the one that sells close to new.
Where a worn swimsuit gives itself away:
start with the seat. Sitting on pool edges and rocks pills and roughens the fabric there long before anywhere else. Stretch a section over your hand against the light: fabric worn thin goes sheer, and a pale suit that looks fine dry can turn see-through wet. Compare a print with its inside face for sun fade. Metal rings, sliders and hoop trims can rust or stain the fabric around them after salt water, and plastic clasps crack. On an underwire top, feel for a wire working its way out of its channel, and check that moulded cups are not creased and removable pads are still there. A polyester suit sold as pool-worn may still have years in it; a nylon one far less.
Swimwear nobody tries on before paying:
few buyers will try on a bottom and few sellers would offer it, so the listing has to do the fitting. Give the top and bottom sizes separately and, for an underwire top, the band and cup. Lay the bottom flat and measure across the hips, and say whether ties or adjustable straps give extra room. Say whether it has been worn in the water and whether the tags are on. Photograph it flat in daylight, front and back, with the fabric label, and both faces if it is reversible. Swimwear is mostly passed on after a change of size or a switch to a suit built for surfing, and a buyer coming from Ciudad Quesada to collect one will want to see the seat and the cups in good light before handing over the money.