New swimwear label Ward Whillas has long pushed the idea of the pared-back rash guard as ready-to-wear, creating them in solid colors and mesh. “We applied our bonding technology to enhance performance, added chic signature details, and tweaked the fit to create a cool, desirable piece,” says cofounder Rosie Ward Densen, whose cofounder, Alicia Whillas, wore their rash guard as a top all winter.

Louis Vuitton Resort 2017; Hood By Air Fall 2016 Photo: Luca Tombolini / Indigital.tv; Marcus Tondo / Indigital.tv

Pret-a-Surf cofounders Jillian Demling (_Vogue’_s Entertainment Editor) and Karen Mulligan introduced the idea of a chic rash guard as a solution for women looking to cover up on the beach back in 2010. “When we first started our surf line there were high-fashion designers like Nicolas Ghesquière who were experimenting with surf fabrics like neoprene but the pieces they were designing were far from appropriate beachwear,” says Demling. “Then there were designers finding inspiration from the surf world, but nothing in their collections would have made it out of the surf in one piece. We were the first to offer women the opportunity to buy a functional rash guard that could be worn as fashion.” Demling would wear Pret-a-Surf designs out in the Hamptons, but knew it was a hit when she saw them on the street back in the city. “I remember attending a fashion show when we first launched as a ‘surf’ line six years ago, and seeing a woman at Bryant Park wearing our first-season long-sleeve Mondrian rash guard with cigarette pants, and thinking ‘We got it!’ ” says Demling.

And so can you! It turns out, the rash guard is something of a perfect summer transition piece, both as a compromise between a stringy bikini and a hefty wetsuit, or as an option to wear after a quick dip with a pair of denim shorts and ballet flats in the daytime, or a wrap skirt and heels for night. Here, see six ways to style the look.