A cotton sundress is your best beach-to-lunch cover-up.

Yes, that’s the one. Throw it on over your swimsuit, and when you walk into a casual lunch spot, you’re dressed. No awkward changing in a public restroom, no sarong slipping off halfway through your salad.

Most beach cover-ups (sheer kaftans, mesh tunics, that one see-through crochet thing) look exactly like what they are: something you wear on the sand. A cotton sundress reads as a real outfit. Linen works too, but it wrinkles in a way that reads “I slept in this” rather than “I just came from the beach.” Keep it simple: solid color, knee-length or a little above, nothing too fancy. You can even wear it as your actual swimsuit cover if you pick a quick-dry fabric.

Get one that buttons down the front or has a loose enough neckline to pull on over a wet bikini. That’s the only spec that matters.

Don’t overthink it.