Style on the beach – what Ramsgate’s wearing on the sand and in the sea this season

Michelle wears wearable blanket by Sittingsuits and insulated mug by One Green Bottle both from Harbour & Tide. Scarf by ROVE

STYLE ON THE BEACH

Fashion & words Katy Lassen @weseafaces Photographer Ed Thompson

Models Becky, Stella, Michelle, Ala, Corrie, Hollie, Trudi &Bettina Thanks to Emma Lewer

Icould count on one hand how many times I had swum in the cold seas of the United Kingdom before I moved to Ramsgate. Childhood dips in Portobello and North Berwick, that one time in Brighton with a hangover during a heatwave… that’s probably my lot. And then 15 years later I moved to the seaside. I have a very strong memory of my first swim in Ramsgate. My daughter was only a few weeks old and had spent most of her life to that point on my chest. It was a hot August bank holiday and we were hosting some friends. I managed to peel my daughter off me, get into a swimsuit and fling myself in the sea. For the 10 minutes that I sploshed around and floated on my back I felt the freest and most lucid I had in months. What I could not have predicted was that jumping in the sea in the colder months could be even more of a hit.

The winter of 2020 was memorable for many reasons that are too miserable to recount. But, for many, it was the first winter of cold-water swimming. Like many others I decided to just keep going from the summer and see how long I could keep going for. The exhilaration of the cold water, the peacefulness of the sea and the horizon, the hilarity of trying to get dressed as fast as possible when you can’t feel your toes and you have sand stuck to you everywhere, and the friendships solidified while halfnaked on a freezing beach, all of us wondering what on earth we were doing – all of this was addictive.

Fast-forward two years and there is a fully fledged trend for cold water swimming and, unsurprisingly, a whole host of paraphernalia to go with it. For this issue I wanted to celebrate the women who throw themselves into the sea year round, and highlight some of the brilliant products that you can buy locally to make the most of your winter dip. There are UK-made merino hot water bottles and jacquard woven throws by Margate-based Beatrice Larkin, wearable blankets aka Sittingsuits made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled wool blankets from Harbour & Tide. Another Margate brand ROVE offers sustainable and Britishmade knitwear from hats and scarves to gloves and socks. Ramsgate’s growing roster of independent shops are also a great place to pick up some pre-loved knitwear, colourful accessories and stylish winterwear. And for the dip itself, there is sustainable swimwear made from recycled fibres by Davy J, whose double-layered suits and long-sleeve tops will give you a welcome bit of warmth in that wonderful, freezing cold sea.

roveknitwear.com | beatricelarkin.com harbourandtide.com | positive-retail.com thesaltworkscompany.com instagram.com/no.36_bysp_addingtonstreet

Corrie wears jumper by YMC from Positive Retail, knitted hat by ROVE, and wearable blanket by Sittingsuits from Harbour & Tide

Becky wears blue knit jumper and trousers by Beaumont Organics from Positive Retail, green scarf from No.36 by SP and hot water bottle by Beatrice Larkin Stella wears jumper by Acne Studios from Positive Retail, jersey trousers by Saltworks and recycled wool blanket by Tweedmill from Harbour & Tide

Ala wears jumper and trousers by Saltworks, blanket by Beatrice Larkin and hat by ROVE