Best of Boston

While everyone was gushing over its flashier neighbors—the new Barneys, the renovated Saks—underdog Lord & Taylor quietly cornered the city’s bikini market. (In fact, starting in early March, swimwear commands almost a third of the lower level of this Back Bay stalwart.) And though the department store may have an old-fashioned rep, its bikini selection entices with trendsetters like Trina Turk, Betsey Johnson, and Vix. More-modest one-pieces from Gottex and La Blanca are chic, not frumpy.