Here in Australia, we always have a few last summer days once autumn starts and to grasp ahold onto the final hours of heat, I went away for a weekend in beautiful Pemberton and of course that meant visiting a few swimming holes. Given the choice between the beach or a pool, I’d choose a swimming hole any day. In preparation for this trip, I was lucky enough to collaborate with Bettie Page Lingerie and Playful Promises so I was sent a new swimwear set and it arrived just in time. I’ve reviewed Bettie Page Lingerie and Playful Promises before so head here to read all about that. For this particular trip, I was send the Eco Claudette Roses Padded Balcony Bikini Top and the Eco Claudette Roses High Waisted Bikini Brief.

As a vintage enthusiast, swimwear can sometimes be a challenge to find; especially swimwear that fits properly and is flattering. I was keen to try the swimwear from Bettie Page Lingerie as it looked great on their website but you never really know in real life. I have an average body shape with wide hips so I like something high waisted to cover my lower tummy which tends to flare up due to my Endo. I personally prefer a swimsuit where, upon diving into the water, my bosoms aren’t exposed when I come up for air. Let’s just say I need something to hold the twin in and make sure they’re behaving themselves at all times.

What drew me to the Eco Claudette Roses Bikini top and high waisted briefs is their shape. I love a balconette bra as it suits my shape really well. I really love floral prints so the rose print was something that appealed to me and I sometimes want some darker swimwear as opposed to bright colours. I was also drawn to the high waisted briefs as they looked flattering on the model and I hoped they would fit me. To determine my size, I used the size calculator on the Playful Promises site. Normally I would get a size 10 but I thought I’d take a chance on the calculator and it told me I needed the size 12. Not letting the sizing get to me (as every brand has different sizing no matter what the size number is). I trusted the calculator as it knows Bettie Page Lingerie’s sizing better than I do and then I awaited my parcel.

My parcel arrived with my new swimsuit and I eagerly tore open the package; I knew I had to try on the bikini top as this was the piece I was most nervous about. She fit perfectly and was quite flattering. I normally wear a 12C/D cup bra so the 12 was a great fit for me cup wise. I filled out the cup without too much spillage over the top; just enough for it to be classy and cute. She was perfect!

The Claudette set is a 50s inspired bikini that has a perfect vintage pin-up vibe. The Bettie Page swimwear collection is designed to accentuate your curves with classic silhouettes and this bikini top certainly does that. The Claudette bikini features wired and padded cups for extra support without you being too pushed up to swim around comfortably, a feminine pink rose pint and black hardware to match. The straps were nice and thick so they didn’t dig into my shoulders and they were also adjustable which is a fantastic feature. The bikini top is mainly made out of 83% Polyester 17% Elastane, and the two types of lining are 100% Polyester with 100% Nylon, excluding trims.

Whilst wearing the bikini top, I swam around the Pemberton Swimming Pool which is cut out in the Australian bush. Despite the water being pretty cold, I felt supported and safe within the bikini. I never felt like I was about to pop out of my top and expose myself. The only downside to theis bikini top was that I found the back strap a little tight sometimes and when I was sitting down, sometimes it would make me look quite squishy. This might not be a fault of the bikini as I know I’ve put on a little weight but if the back strap was slightly adjustable or had more of a bra hook style adjustable band, it would be the perfect bikini. This is only very minor as I know the tight strap made me feel very secure and it certainly wasn’t squeezing me or making me feel restricted. But I really wanted to loosen it by about half an inch especially when just sitting down.

The Eco Claudette roses high waisted bikini briefs were absolutely fantastic. When I first tried them on, I was so happy that they didn’t cut into my bum or legs which some swimsuits certainly can. When I wore them for a swim, they were super comfortable and durable. The rose print on this whole set is super stunning and I love how rich the colours are. The Pemberton Swimming Pool is in a natural setting so the water is stained from the tannins in the surrounding trees meaning it’s quite dark despite it being fresh and clean. I could still see my rose print briefs in the water despite not being able to see my legs. Oh and did I mention there were fish and marron in the water too? How cute is that?!

These briefs are the perfect amount of high waisted as they reached my waist perfectly without stopping at an awkward point. I felt well covered without feeling frumpy. The top of the waistline perfectly tapered in with my waistline without pinching in or sagging. As someone who would have ordered a size 10 without the calculator on the site, I’m so glad I listened to what the calculator said as I now think the 10 would have been a smidgen too tight and might have cut into me. I also really appreciate that the briefs are not ruched or gathered. I find that a lot of vintage inspired swimwear has fabric ruching or gathers which is some cases can be flattering, but it can also be ageing and a bit daggy if not done well. These briefs didn’t need any gathers as they lay just perfect on the body and I didn’t feel self conscious of my tummy even during an Endo flare up.

After my refreshing swim, even though it wasn’t an overly warm day, I found that the swim wear didn’t absorb a lot of water which is kind of a plus as I’m sick of doing the awkward boob squeeze to ring out as much water as possible on my other swimsuits. Due to the tannins in the water, I made sure to give my swimwear a really good rinse under fresh water and they were dry within a few hours. Whilst rinsing, I noticed that the underwire was really durable and I’m sure it will last longer than some of my other bikinis (RIP blue bikini). This swim set requires gentle hand washing and can’t be tumble dried. The next day, I went to check on my bikini set (I left them out overnight), and I was happy to note that they didn’t warp or stretch out of shape and they also didn’t feel ‘crispy’ (might just be a weird Aussie thing when we leave out garments outside in the blazing sun they can feel crispy from the heat). Overall, I’m pretty impressed with this set.

Now you might be wondering why this particular bikini set is called the “Eco Claudette”. This set is partially made out of recycled plastic bottles. Playful Promises really aims to be sustainable and as environmentally friendly as possible and one of the ways they are doing so is by using recycled plastics to create their garments. I’m not sure what percentage of their garment is made up of recycled plastic bottles but the fact it contains something that’s been saved from landfill and turned into a fantastic product is pretty exciting. Such an incentive really makes me want to shop with them more and you bet I have my eye on some of their cute pyjama sets!

The Eco Claudette Roses bikini set is absolutely wonderful. The bikini top retails for $56 and the high waisted briefs retail for $28 making the set total $84 which is pretty average for a good quality, wired and padded bikini. I know swimwear shops selling bikini’s with a lot less cover and support for a lot more dollars. If you have fallen in love with the rose print but aren’t a fan of a bikini, the rose print is also available as a one piece. Moreover, Bettie Page also have other styles and patterns in their eco range all of which are absolutely beautiful. I have my eye on the Red One piece as it’s giving me major Pamela Anderson vibes and I know I should just bite the bullet and give it a go but I might wait a little while to psych myself up.

I’ve really loved reviewing this bikini set for you all and I hope you all enjoy the images of the beautiful Pemberton Swimming Pool.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.