From the Lido and Monte Carlo to the beaches of Southampton and Malibu, this has to be the greatest summer ever—provided the sun keeps shining. For four years, the trend in bathing suits has been to expose more and more skin, and the designers are not yet quite done. There is still an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny more bikini to be pared, even if it means shifting to materials like the loosely crocheted fishnets that got started in St.-Tropez.
On the other hand, there is a school that believes the female torso is already as stripped down as it can get this side of decency. Supporters of this view have decided to replace mere bareness with well-designed scantiness. Their favorite is the one-piece bathing suit. But if this summons up images of yesteryear's skirted models or even the tank suit, look again (see color pages). The one-piece advocates are using all kinds of current high-fashion tricks, including plunging necklines, ruffles, open sides and cutouts.
Eyebrow Plucking. Leader of the bareness-now, right now, school is still Rudi Gernreich, whose 1964 topless set off the exposure explosion. In his 1968 collection, he compromises slightly by using see-through vinyl to hold together the tops and bottoms of his bathing suits. He says: "Only the areas that must be covered are covered—with wool knit." But at least he concedes that coverable areas exist, which for Gernreich is something.
Donald Brooks is another designer who admits that he has "stripped the bikini down to the bare essentials"—gaily colored scraps of cloth in flowered or geometric patterns. Bill Blass keeps on turning out bikinis because he finds that women, for variety's sake, like a whole wardrobe of them. But the models must be updated. "A bikini has to be connected," he says, "to look appealing and provocative this season." Blass's answer is a chain that links bras to bottoms.
The fact is that many designers and their clients are getting a bit bored with the bikini. Ann Cole, of Cole of California, notes that bikinis used to account for some 45% of bathing-suit sales, but now have only about 20% of the market. "The bikini will never vanish entirely," she predicts, "but it can't be bikini year in and year out." Tom Brigance, who has created more bathing suits over the years than anyone else in the business, complains: "There is very little a designer can do with a bikini. It's like plucking an eyebrow." He now concentrates on one-piece suits with wide belts to draw attention to waist and bust. "A belt," he explains, "is like a hatband. Without it, the true shape is lost."
Sex & Conservatism. Some designers are trying to win both sides of the argument. In addition to his bikinis, Blass, for instance, offers a one-piece suit with a high-rise belt attached just under the bosom to give a modified Empire look. He has also experimented with a belted suit that laces loosely down the front. This one anticipates another coming fashion trend—to leather. It is made out of a new material that looks like leather, "breathes" like leather, but can get wet all over. "It's fantastic," he says, "water rolls right off it." Just like human skin.