I love a good clamshell bikini top as much as the next mermaid, but let’s be real, they maaaay be a tad cliché. Your classic vision of a mermaid comes complete with long flowing hair cascading down her chest, a shiny, scaley tail, and the seashell bra, of course. They are the traditional option for mermaids, but not all are in favor of this popular top.
People like me who don mermaid tails are also like to get fully dressed up with seashell accessories and hairpieces and a top that only a mermaid would wear. There are many different options for mermaid tops now. I myself wear a clamshell bikini frequently, but it's nice to have the option to switch it up once in a while.
Whether you’re a professional mermaid or a hobbyist mermaid, here is a list of the best mermaid tops that aren’t clamshells, including the best brands!
*This article includes some affiliate links. This means I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you buy from certain links.
Aquariuz is an Etsy shop that sells unique painted mermaid tails, tops, and dresses. The shop owner recently came out with a scale-print painted corset-style top with grommets and strings to lace up. It has some fringe at the bottom that resembles fins, with their shape and the stripe design.
I love this top because it is something refreshingly different. It’s also well made with style and quality in mind. It has a double lining of fabric and is made with chlorine proof material. It comes with lacing down the front center and on the sides. The paint job is very well done with lovely shading. It’s cute and can be made to complement your tail, with the option for four different styles:
· Twilight- An indigo colored top with a pattern similar to snake scales, containing accents in purple
· Swamp witch- Natural shades of green and a large scale pattern with accents in black
· Peacock- Colored with two different shades of turquoise, a lighter shade and darker shade.
· Siren- For a darker siren look, a black top with large scales in a speckled white shade
These tops are made in five different sizes, with a precise measurement chart so you can get the perfect fit. A nice touch the owner added is that the plus sizes are named “queen” and “goddess.”
The tops cost $165, but you can Pay in 4 installments of $41.25
This pearly top is perfect for a more elegant mermaid look! It is simple yet glamorous, made of a corset style bra with pearls and rhinestones sewn all over the front.
This top is perfect for an Audrey Hepburn or Coco Chanel mersona style. Or just for wearing to clubs, raves, and parties. It is sleek and shimmery, eye catching, and flattering with its padded bust.
It runs in sizes up to large, comes with removable straps, and an adjustable clasp. This top costs $46.99.
Magictail is one of my favorite mermaid companies, and I was so excited when they released their new line of mermaid tops! They go far beyond their other tops, which are bikini tops in a mermaid scale print.
These new tops are inspired by different patterns of fish, with designs that could easily match your mermaid tail, especially if it is by MagicTail. They are triangle cut bikini tops that have a flowy layer of fabric draping down the sides of your stomach with a long tie going down the middle for a cute and strappy look. Their shape resembles the long side-fins you might see on a Mertailor tail, but also matches the curved shapes of Magictail’s pro mermaid tails’ fins and flukes.
There are so many options too! They have eight different tops, all with gorgeous color combinations and options for different shading and prints with speckles, stripes, and spots.
And the best part, is they are super affordable! They are priced at $48.96. Not sure why I haven’t purchased one yet!
If you’re a mermaid who is obsessed with the shows H20: Just Add Water, and Mako Mermaids, I have some good news for you! You can now wear a top that looks just like the scale ones they wear in the shows. I was only able to find one option for this and it is by Haley Mermaid, whose Etsy shop is MadeByAMer. She sells silicone, hybrid, and fabric mermaid tails, along with some smaller products like soaps and silicone squishy toys.
The top is made from skin safe silicone with a similar design around the edges as in the shows, and includes hand placed shimmery sequins in an orangey-beige color. The top costs $375, but you can pay as low as $32 a month if you don’t want to spend the money upfront. If you want one of the tails from the shows to go with your top, get one from MadeByAMer, Magictail, or Mertailor.
Seaweed tops
Seaweed tops give you a realistic mermaid look, as if you’ve just swam through a kelp forest under the sea. You can get them made from silicone for a shiny and durable top . I personally love using seaweed in my look. I make accessories with seaweed in my Etsy shop that would match some of these tops. These are my favorite seaweed tops.
Siren Allure is a mermaid shop that makes beautiful silicone tops. They have seashell tops, scale tops, and seaweed tops like this one. They are all iridescent tops with elements like fishnet and pearls.
While the shop currently has no listings, check out Siren Allure's Instagram to see what they offer and reach out to the shop owner if interested.
Finfolk is known for their amazing silicone tails and their very realistic fabric tails. They also have some beautiful tops for sale!
The picture shown is called the Te Fiti silicone top. They cost $495 and come in a wide variety of colors.
These tops remind me of something a fairy would wear. They include seaweed, but also flowers for some extra elegance.
Merbella has the most elegant and well-done looking tails and tops, in my opinion. There's just something about Merbella, a certain je ne sais quois.
Their seaweed tops are shiny, colorful, detailed, and have an extra opulence with the pearl accents.
Email MerbellaStudios@gmail.com to find out about pricing.
While ferns may not be seaweed, it still has the overall look of a seaweed top.
This top is made faux ferns that have been hand stitched to a bra, for a simply adorable mermaid look. Since they're sewn on you can bet this top is good for swimming in! You can also get added features such as fishnet!
The top costs $65 and comes with customizable options for size.
Starfish tops
Starfish are almost as classic as the clamshell when it comes to mermaid tops, but they are not quite as popular in the mermaid community, though you can still see many mermaids wearing beautiful starfish tops, usually made out of silicone.
You can’t use real starfish for a top because they get destroyed by the water. I used a starfish on a hairpiece I made and after swimming in it it became waterlogged and mushy and produced an unpleasant odor...
Here are some Etsy shops that sell artificial starfish mermaid tops.
This one could almost be categorized with the seaweed tops! But it also has starfish with a detailed texture. There are pearls all throughout and a shell in center with some fishnet hanging . This top costs $90.
This top brings in extra nautical vibes with the rope straps. I love its large shiny starfish, seaweed, shell accents. This beauty costs $200.
This top is different from the others, as the starfish are not as flat against the chest. It really stands out in a sea of starfish tops with its spiky silicone starfish and two different types of fake seaweed.
The starfish look like real starfish to me! This piece of art costs $95.
Siren Allure makes these elegant starfish tops of silicone. The starfish and the seaweed are both silicone. This one is unique because you don't usually see purple starfish tops. I love the shimmering paint job on this. I couldn't find the price for this. If interested email sirenallureshop@gmail.com.
I love the strappy fishnet look of this. It comes with detailed starfish with
shiny paint job with shading. The bra base can be customized to your skin tone. The starfish come in many different colors, including black, purple, and red. This top costs $135.
Make your own by buying silicone starfish from shops on Etsy, such as MadeByAMer and KoraltheMermaid, who sell silicone starfish alone for DIY projects, such as making a top.
You could also use real starfish for a top, purely for dry events and photos, thought be aware that starfish are living creatures and when you wear a real starfish top it is actually a dead sea creature.
Decorated bra tops
A common mermaid DIY is to make a top by decorating a bra with things like shells, pearls, fake seaweed, and fishnet. I’ve made several myself! They are gorgeous and elegant, straying from the typical top but still paying homage to your classic mermaid attire.
Here is a good example of one. This was made by Bells Unique Creations and is $95.
It includes everything you'd expect to see on a mermaid. Fishnet, shells, pearls, and even a starfish.
Embrace the seductive siren look with these tops. They are relatively easy to make. You need materials like seashells, pearls, fishnet, fake seaweed, and a bra or bikini top. I use E6000 glue to secure the materials onto the base. You can have fun and get creative with it, playing around with where to place things and seeing what works. Pearls make a beautiful accent and I like to add some fishnet as the straps or have some draping from the bottom of the top. I’ve also glued pearls onto the fishnet before, that looks lovely.
Here is a video where I show you how to make a mermaid top out of a bra.
Scale tops
I myself am not the biggest fan of these, but I will still share about them! It doesn’t seem anatomically correct to have scales on my chest, but mermaids are fictitious creatures that can be depicted in many ways. Some mermaid visages include scales covering their body. Don’t get me wrong, I still think mermaid scale tops are gorgeous, they're just not my preference.
There are tops that are made of the same silicone scales that tails are made with, there are sequin scale tops, scale print fabric bikini tops, and then there are FinFolkProductions mythic scale tops.
Best Silicone scale mermaid tops
Their tops take the shape of a bra and have realistic looking silicone scales that are slightly pointed and have details engraved into each one. The scales going around the bottom edge sort of flare out on the sides, almost like fins. They cost $285.
Shiny 3D scale tops made of dragon skin silicone. Customizable to match your tail. Comes in bikini style for $72.56
Custom to size and color, with options for embellishments. Unique with its inclusion of fishnet and seaweed. It costs $175.
Mernation and Merbella are two more companies that have made silicone scale tops. However, I can’t find where to order on the website so they may not be selling them anymore, but I would check by emailing them if you want one.
Digitally printed mermaid scale fabric tops
These scale printed fabric tops are a great way to match your tail without looking too glitzy, if that's not your style. They are also just great as bathing suit tops and some also work for everyday wear.
Courtney Mermaid (Vancouver Mermaid) makes custom crop top style mermaid scale tops to match your mermaid tail for 65 Canadian dollars.
Finfun has a nice range of mermaid scale swim tops. They have bikinis, tankinis, rash guards, and crop tops. Their tops start at $20 for adult tops. You can get a simple scale bikini or one with frills like in the picture.
Detailed scale bikini with may options for colors. I like the variation of colors on their tops. This particular top has a fire or dragon look. Find one that matches your Magictail fabric mermaid tail. They cost about $30.
Halter top style bikini in many pretty colors with a matching bottom. Perfect if your tail is by Suntail. They have a nice color gradient and some little white specks that resemble water droplets. They come in every color, including rainbow! They cost $34.95.
This long sleeve mesh shirt gives you a topless look, like a real mermaid in the sea. Get it to match your skin tone and have that scaley mermaid look all over your torso. Love the colors that fade from pink to teal to blue. It costs $80.
These tops are a whole other category of mermaid scale tops. They aren't made of silicone or fabric. They are detailed and shiny resin scales that look iridescent in the sunlight and create a realistic 3D effect. They use these scales for mermaid tails, but they even have a mermaid top with them. There are the original mythic scales, but they also came out with a line of Mermaid Kariel scales, which are similar in style but are more instead detailed sequins. These tops cost $100.
So there you have it! The best mermaid tops that aren't clamshells. Hope you found this helpful in your quest to find the perfect mermaid top for you!
About the author
Shello! My name is Mermaid Liv, a professional mermaid and content creator. I share my love of mermaiding through this blog, along with my Youtube channel.
If you've never heard of it before, mermaiding is a hobby, profession, and sport that involves wearing mermaid tails made for swimming.
I began making tails in 2013 and have continued my mermaid journey, starting my Youtube channel, working at a mermaid festival, performing at gigs, and being featured in the Netflix Docu Series MerPeople.
Follow me on Instagram for mermaid photos and videos: @the_real_mermaid_liv and be *shore* to check out my Youtube channel.
Have a magical day!