Picture the scene. You’ve landed somewhere on the Italian coast, the sun’s already doing that thing to the water, and you open your case to find three tired swimsuits and a cover-up you last liked in 2022. We’ve all had that little sink of the heart. What you wear on a beach holiday matters more than we admit – it’s in every photo, every seafront lunch, every evening passeggiata. So this year I did the planning for you.
I went through the whole F**K beachwear range – it’s an Italian label, all confident prints and proper Riviera colour – and pulled the seven pieces I’d genuinely pack for a week away. Some are obvious. One or two surprised me. Each comes with the honest reason it made the cut and a direct link so you’re not hunting for it later. Fair warning before we start: the best prints sell through fast, so if you spot your one, grab it. Here’s the full F**K collection if you want to browse the lot first.
The quick seven
1. The everyday printed bikini · 2. The monokini for real swimming · 3. His printed shorts · 4. The go-with-anything military shorts · 5. The beach-bar bowling shirt · 6. The hardworking pareo · 7. The nylon sack that carries it all. Start at the F**K store.
1. The everyday printed bikini – the one you’ll live in
Start with the workhorse. A good printed bikini is the piece you’ll wear four days out of seven, so it needs to earn its place – hold up in the water, sit comfortably through a long lunch, and look brilliant in a photo you didn’t plan. The F**K printed tops with a fixed American-cut slip do exactly that. The print carries the whole thing, and the coverage is that easy sweet spot between sunbathing and actually moving.
My tip: pick the print first, fit second – the cuts are consistent across the range, so once you know your size you can shop by pattern. Grab the everyday printed bikini here before your favourite colourway goes.
2. The monokini for when you actually swim
Here’s the one I underrated at first. A monokini gives you a touch more coverage than a bikini but keeps the playfulness through its cut-outs, and crucially it stays put when you dive in. If your holiday involves real swimming – sea, pool, a boat day – this is the piece that lets you forget about adjusting straps and just enjoy it. It also flatters a wider range of shapes than a triangle bikini, in my honest experience.
The prints get room to run across one continuous piece, which is why they look so good on. Have a look at the printed monokini in the store and see if one speaks to you.
3. His printed shorts – the matching-holiday moment
Time to pack for him too. The men’s printed swim shorts are, quietly, one of the strongest things F**K makes – real fabric, an adjustable waist, and prints that often echo the women’s swim. Yes, that means you can do the subtle matching-couple thing on the beach if you fancy it. No judgement. It’s a holiday.
They photograph as well as they wear, and the mid-length cut suits most builds. Pick his loudness level on the men’s printed shorts page – there’s bold, and then there’s very bold.
4. The military-green shorts that go with everything
Every case needs a plain pair, and this is it. Where the printed shorts are the fun, the military green (or a clean white, if you prefer) is the sensible backbone he’ll reach for again and again. It dries fast, doesn’t clash with a single shirt, and quietly survives long past the holiday to become a default. The adjustable waist gives a bit of forgiveness on fit, too.
If you only buy him one pair, honestly, make it this one – then add the print later. Grab the plain swim shorts here.
5. The bowling shirt for the beach bar
This is the piece that takes him from sand to spritz without trying. A short-sleeve printed bowling shirt, thrown over the swim shorts, is the easiest way to look put-together at a beach bar – relaxed, a little bit Italian, done in one move. It’s the male equivalent of a woman’s cover-up, and far too many men forget to pack one.
Match it loosely to his shorts or go contrasting – either works. Take a look at the printed bowling shirts and pick one that’ll get worn all evening, not just on the beach.
6. The pareo that does the heavy lifting
Back to your side, and to the most underrated item on this list. A pareo weighs almost nothing, takes up no space in the case, and does about five jobs – a skirt over your bikini, a beach-mat, a shoulder wrap when the breeze picks up at sunset, even a scarf. The printed F**K ones coordinate with the swim, so the whole look reads as considered rather than thrown together.
If you buy one clever thing for a beach holiday, make it this. Add the printed pareo here and thank yourself at sunset.
7. The nylon sack that carries it all
Last one, and it’s the practical hero. A lightweight nylon drawstring sack is the bag you actually want on a beach – it swallows a towel, sun cream, a book and your phone, it doesn’t mind sand, and it packs flat inside your case on the way out. The military green is understated enough to double as a gym or day bag when you’re home, which is exactly the kind of quiet value I like.
It’s the least glamorous pick here and probably the one you’ll use most. Grab the nylon beach sack and you’ve basically packed.
Get yours before the prints sell out
So there’s the seven – the everyday bikini, the swim-ready monokini, his printed and his plain shorts, the bowling shirt, the hardworking pareo and the sack that carries the lot. You don’t need all of them at once. But if even one just replaced something tired in your head, that’s your starting point, and the season’s colour is fresh right now.
One honest note to close on: the only real catch with F**K is that the best prints come in small runs and don’t always restock, so dithering is the enemy. Sort your sizes, pick the pieces that matter most, and pack a summer you’ll actually want to photograph. Start right here at the F**K collection.
