One of the biggest TikTok trends of the past six or so weeks is definitely the rise of the bikini styling hack. There are tons and tons of videos of people showing “1 bikini, 7 ways” or how to transform your bikini bottoms into tops and vice versa. We’re all in for a good fashion hack, but just how wearable are these clever styling tricks? I set out to test a handful of, shall we say, interesting options, but found just one I’d categorize as an actual game changer. Unsurprisingly, it’s also the most popular hack touted on the platform. Here’s how to try it yourself.

Two Bottoms = One Top

This hack suggests that you can take two bikini bottoms and layer them over your chest to create a brand-new color-blocked swim top and basically double your swimwear options. And luckily, it requires no complicated criss-crossing of straps or knot tying.

How to do it: Choose any two bikini bottoms with a decent amount of coverage in the rear (thong styles won’t work here). Slip one bottom over your head so that one leg hole fits under your bust and the other goes around your arm with the butt of the suit going over your boob. Repeat with the second bottom on your other side.

THE FINISHED LOOK:

How well it works: As mentioned, this is definitely the most popular bikini hack on the app, likely because it requires no complicated tying and in theory should work well for any and every body type. And indeed, it was super easy to pull off once I figured out the logistics of slipping each bottom over my head in the correct orientation. And it offered a surprising amount of support for my chest. I did have to play around a bit to find two bottoms that worked well together in terms of color, fabric and size, but I’d totally rock this one out in the real world. (Pro tip: Use string tie bottoms if you find yourself wanting or needing to adjust the layers, i.e. if your bust is considerably larger or smaller than your hips and bum.)