Only Kate Moss Could Pull Off This Bikini-Styling Trick

The possibilities when styling a classic triangle bikini are quite literally endless. However, just when we thought we had covered adequate ground in the area, Kate Moss said “hold my cuppa” and showed us how a true fashion legend hits the August beach circuit.

The multihyphenate (legendary face, Zara collaborator, TheRealReal vintage hawker) fled the cloudy skies of England for some R&R on Formentera with the whole family, and meshed two of our favorite things (bikinis and belts) in a way only a Saint Laurent muse could. After hopping off a boat, she threw on a white peasant blouse and what looks like her Zara collaboration sunglasses, and slung a simple black belt with a gold buckle over her bikini bottom. Como se dice “glam as f*ck” in Spanish?

The look couldn’t be complete without a few kilograms of shiny bangles, rings, necklaces, and yes, a beat-up Hermés Kelly bag. There are TikToks going around of style mavens stomping all over their precious Hermès bags to achieve what Moss has done with hers. Sorry, folks, you can only have such patina and lived-in effect from actually using said handbags. After she stepped into the shade, Moss threw on a maxi skirt (also très Saint Laurent) and put her hair up out of her face. Lila, for her part, wore a classic black bikini and switched into a white-and-blue lace slip, the modern-day Gen-Z cool counterpart to her mom’s bohemian maximalism.

Kate’s deathly cool style is enviable in its insouciance, and any attempts to recreate the look might feel disingenuous. Simply put, there is only Kate. As her Saint Laurent campaign costar Chloë Sevigny gushed on Instagram about the super, “I could stare at images of her for hours. No one wore clothes like her.” This couldn’t be more true, but it couldn’t hurt to at least try slinging a belt over your bikini when you go from the pool to lunch on vacation.