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Even the relatively covered-up styles expose considerable areas of flesh, presenting many women with their annual moment of awful truth. "Next to going to a dentist, women most dread buying a bathing suit," says Ann Cole. Her calculated remedy: a new line of skin-colored suits embroidered with white flowers. The wearers look trim and nude —from a distance—while remaining covered and helpfully girdled. "It's sex and conservatism in one package," Miss Cole states. Another camouflage is a new version of that old favorite, the tunic, which hangs loosely to the hips and adds a touch of shadowed piquancy to the flab within.
Watching the Watchers. "The woman who walks away from the beach without a cover-up is out of her mind," says Designer Brigance. Even on the beach, girls are likely to feel the need of protection from sunburn, windburn, sandstorms and stares. To cope with the problem, some suits, called "stripper-dippers," come in three pieces—bra, pants and a removable midsection. Other cover-ups range from elongated sweaters that reach mid-calf (elsewhere called dresses) to Donald Brooks's coolie shirts, which just cover the suit at the hip line. Some of the most elegant are the ankle-length caftans, many of them without sleeves, designed by Italy's Emilio Pucci, who also turns out a full range of matching beach bags, hats, sunbathing mats and towels.
A new item in beach paraphernalia is oversized, clear-rimmed sunglasses known as "owl" and "moon" glasses. Most novel are "nudie" glasses, designed by London's Bernard Kayman. Their lenses are tinted at the top, to protect against the sun and replace missing eye makeup. They are clear at the bottom, permitting men to see the wearer's eyes. "Men hate to look at women with dark shades. After all, eyes are one of the things that men look at," explains Kayman. They are, to be sure, part of the total work. But on second thought, what good girl-watcher wants to know that he's being watched?