Pool Party Accessories That Are Waterproof and Look Stunning
The right pool party accessories can elevate an outfit from swimsuit-and-cover-up to genuinely pulled-together. The wrong ones end up at the bottom of the pool, ruined by chlorine, or spending the entire afternoon in your bag because you were too nervous to wear them.
The key distinction at a pool party is between waterproof, water-resistant, and water-adjacent. Some accessories belong in the water with you. Some belong near the water but not in it. Some belong on the towel by your chair while you swim.
This guide covers all three — and tells you honestly which category each type of accessory falls into, so you can get dressed without spending the afternoon anxious about it.
Jewellery: What Survives the Pool and What Doesn’t
Chlorine is harder on jewellery than most people realise. It reacts with metals, degrades coatings, loosens settings, and discolours stones over time.
A single pool party won’t destroy most pieces, but regular exposure adds up — and losing an earring to the filter is a straightforward heartbreak that’s entirely avoidable.
Solid gold
The best metal choice for pool party jewellery. Solid gold — 14k or 18k — is genuinely resistant to chlorine and won’t tarnish, discolour, or react with the water.
Small solid-gold hoops, a thin solid-gold chain, or a simple gold cuff can go in the pool and come out looking the same as when they went in.
The caveat: solid gold is an investment. If the cost makes you nervous about losing it, that nervousness is a sign to leave it at home and choose something else.
Stainless steel
The practical, affordable alternative to solid gold for pool party wear. Stainless steel doesn’t react to chlorine, doesn’t rust, and doesn’t tarnish.
A stainless steel chain, a pair of stainless steel studs, or a simple stainless steel cuff looks clean and contemporary and costs a fraction of solid gold.
Most “waterproof jewellery” marketed specifically for pool and beach wear is stainless steel. It delivers exactly what it promises.
Silicone and resin
Increasingly popular for pool and beach jewellery. A silicone cuff bracelet or a pair of resin drop earrings in a colour that complements your swimsuit are completely water-safe, lightweight, and won’t be missed if they end up at the bottom of the pool.
This is the right category for statement pieces at a pool party — a large colourful hoop, a chunky cuff, an interesting pendant. The financial stakes are low enough that you can actually enjoy wearing them.
What to avoid in the water
Gold-plated jewellery — the plating wears away when exposed to chlorine. Sterling silver — it tarnishes quickly and turns skin green over time in pool conditions.
Any jewellery with stones in prong settings — chlorine can loosen the prongs. Pearls — chlorine damages the nacre permanently.
Jewellery with significant sentimental or financial value.
Sunglasses: The One Accessory Everyone Needs
Sunglasses are the most important accessory at a pool party and the one most likely to be lost, scratched, or sat on during the afternoon. The smart approach is to treat them accordingly.
The wear-without-worrying pair
The pool party sunglasses rule is simple: wear the pair you’re comfortable losing. Not your best pair. Not the pair that costs more than your grocery budget. The pair that, if it fell in the pool or got sat on, you’d be mildly annoyed rather than genuinely upset.
A classic frame — aviator, wayfarer, or round — in tortoiseshell or black works for every pool party outfit ever assembled. These styles are broadly flattering, photograph well, and never read as dated.
Polarised lenses
Worth having for a pool party specifically. The glare off water is significant, and polarised lenses eliminate it. You’ll see the party more comfortably, and your eyes will be less tired by the end of the afternoon.
Most decent sunglasses in the $20–$60 range include polarised lenses if you look for them.
Floating sunglasses and retainer straps
If you plan to be in the water with your sunglasses on — or near the water’s edge — a floating strap that attaches to the temples keeps them on your face and off the pool floor.
Neoprene straps cost $5–$10 and are worth the aesthetic compromise if the alternative is a lost pair.
Floating frame sunglasses that stay on the surface if dropped in are also available and worth considering if you’re prone to losing things in the pool.
What to avoid
Sunglasses so architecturally interesting that they’re uncomfortable to wear for four hours. Very small frames that provide no meaningful sun protection for your eyes or the skin around them. Anything you’d genuinely regret losing.
Hats: Sun Protection That Looks Good
A hat at a pool party is both a style choice and a practical one. Several hours of summer sun without head and face coverage takes a real toll by the end of the afternoon.
The wide-brimmed straw hat
The gold standard of pool party headwear. A wide-brimmed straw hat — panama, rancher, or floppy brim — protects your face and shoulders, looks genuinely beautiful in photos, and communicates effortless summer dressing in a way that very few accessories can match.
Look for a hat that holds its shape rather than one that collapses every time you set it down. A structured brim is worth the slightly higher price. A hat with a chin tie or interior elastic is more practical near the water, where a breeze can send an unsecured hat into the pool.
The bucket hat
A structured bucket hat in a solid neutral — white, cream, navy, or sage — is a more casual alternative that’s completely appropriate for a relaxed pool party.
It sits closer to the head, stays put more reliably than a wide brim, and has a laid-back quality that works well with more casual swimwear.
The oversized version in terry cloth or cotton has had a significant style moment in recent years and remains very much in play for 2026.
The baseball cap
Practical for an active pool party — volleyball, games, and a long afternoon in direct sun. A clean, structured cap in a solid neutral colour looks appropriately casual without looking like an afterthought.
Avoid caps with large logos unless you’re happy being a billboard. A simple, clean cap in a colour that works with your outfit is all that’s needed.
What to avoid
Any hat so precious that you’ll spend the afternoon worried about it getting splashed or blown away. Very delicate woven styles that lose their shape when damp. Hats that are so large they make sitting and socialising physically awkward.
Bags: What to Carry and What to Leave in the Car
The bag you bring to a pool party needs to do one job well: carry your towel, sunscreen, phone, and cover-up without looking like you packed for a fortnight.
The canvas or cotton tote
The most appropriate pool party bag in almost every scenario.
Large enough for a full-size towel, a change of clothes, sunscreen, and your phone. Casual enough to leave beside a lounger without looking out of place. Inexpensive enough that a few drops of water or a splash of sunscreen doesn’t matter.
A plain white or natural canvas tote is the most versatile option. A woven straw tote adds a deliberately summery aesthetic. Both are correct.
The mesh bag
A large mesh bag is ideal for anything that comes out of the pool wet — a swimsuit cover-up, pool toys, a wet towel — because it drains immediately and dries quickly. Practical and purposeful over stylish, but completely appropriate poolside.
The waterproof dry bag
For a pool party where your phone and other valuables need real protection from splashing — a very active party, a party with kids, anything near a water feature — a waterproof dry bag or pouch provides genuine peace of mind.
The clear-front version lets you use your phone through the bag, a genuinely useful detail.
What to leave in the car
Your everyday handbag. Anything leather that reacts badly to water. Your wallet — take only the cash or card you need. Any bag that’s so valuable or structured that you’d be anxious about it near a pool.
Hair Accessories: Practical and Pretty
Hair management at a pool party is an underrated part of getting the look right. Wet hair and summer humidity will do what they do — the accessories that work are the ones that account for this, rather than fighting it.
Waterproof or resin hair clips
Large jaw clips in resin or acetate are both currently fashionable and genuinely functional near water. They hold hair securely, they’re easy to take on and off, and they come in colours and patterns that complement most swimwear palettes. Coral, tortoiseshell, and white are the most useful neutral options for a pool party.
Scrunchies in silky or terry fabric
A well-chosen scrunchie is a genuine pool party accessory in 2026.
A silky scrunchie in white, coral, or a colour that picks up your swimwear elevates a simple bun or ponytail into something that looks deliberate. Terrycloth scrunchies in neutral tones have a cool, casual athleticism that works particularly well with a more relaxed pool party aesthetic.
A floral or tropical hair pick
One small decorative pick — a fabric hibiscus, a small floral clip, a beaded tropical detail — worn at the side or back of an updo adds a theme-appropriate touch without requiring a full styling effort. It takes 30 seconds to put in and reads beautifully in photos.
What to avoid
Bobby pins that rust in the water and leave marks. Metal barrettes that react with chlorine. Any hair accessory so delicate or expensive that it needs to stay dry — pool party hair will be wet at some point, and your accessories need to be fine with that.
Beauty Accessories: The Practical Additions That Matter
Waterproof SPF and tinted moisturiser
The most important beauty addition to a pool party outfit is also the most functional. A mineral SPF 50 in a tinted formulation gives you both sun protection and a little evening-out coverage that survives water and sweat better than any foundation or concealer.
Apply before you leave home. Reapply every two hours. Use a separate spray SPF for your body and a dedicated face formula for your face.
Waterproof mascara
If you’re wearing eye makeup to a pool party, waterproof mascara is not optional — it’s the minimum viable standard. Anything else ends up on your cheekbones within an hour of a swim.
A tinted waterproof brow gel keeps brows defined through hours of water exposure. These two products are the complete eye makeup kit for a pool party.
A tinted waterproof lip product
A tinted lip balm with SPF is the right lip product for a pool party. It provides colour, hydration, and sun protection, and it can be reapplied throughout the afternoon without a mirror. A coral or berry tint that complements most swimwear palettes is the most versatile choice.
A waterproof phone pouch
Technically not a beauty accessory, but genuinely one of the most useful things you can bring to a pool party.
A clear, waterproof pouch that fits your phone keeps it dry, lets you use the screen through the plastic, and lets you choose between capturing the afternoon and protecting your device.
Hanging it around your neck on a cord or clipping it to a tote bag strap are both practical. Leaving it somewhere it can be knocked into the pool is not.
The Waterproof Rule for Pool Party Accessories
The cleanest framework for accessorising a pool party outfit is this: if you’re not comfortable with it getting wet, leave it at home.
Not because pool parties are inevitably chaotic — most aren’t — but because the anxiety of wearing something you’re worried about is a tax on your enjoyment of the afternoon. An accessory that costs you mental energy is not worth what it adds to the outfit.
Choose waterproof or water-safe wherever possible. Choose affordable over precious for anything that might end up at the bottom of the pool. And choose accessories that work with your outfit rather than for it — the ones that finish the look without asking to be noticed.
For women’s outfit ideas: The Best Pool Party Outfits for Women in 2026 →
For the complete pool party outfit guide: What to Wear to a Pool Party: The Complete Style Guide →
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