The New Swimsuits: More Is Less

Since the czars of haute couture took over the swimsuit business, the world's girl watchers have zeroed in on the Diaper, the Thong, the String, the Monokini and now the Maillot. Unlike dryland, drawing-room fashion, which seeks to conceal and suggest, wisps for sun and surf can only show and tell. Therefore they are limited to a very few Gorgeous Girls who really have no need to advertise. En tout cas, as they say in Saint-Tropez, the GGs this summer can be seen supporting (barely) bikinis in stripes, or strapless, or black and white, or red-white-and-blue numbers and even an all-black job with a ring at the hip.

The standard bikini has not been neglected. The Italian version below by Anna Club is done up in gold lame, guaranteed to cast a glow even on overcast days. Next to it is Fiorucci's red string bikini, which has attractions of its own. But the new maillots (French for both baby clothes and bathing suits) are something else. Ashore, these clinging one-piece numbers are pinafore-demure. Wetted, they become second skins, as close to the body as sun tan oil. They are also practical. Halston says of his hot-pink strapless model on the next page: "It gives a perfect tan sans strap marks." Coty Award Winner Monika Tilley, a pioneer of the one-piece suit, has focused on thighs, figuring that bosoms have had their day in the sun, and it is high time owners and watchers of GG legs get a chance. Tilley's jade mini-maillot adorns Model Cheryl Tiegs in the surf at right.

Another maillot variation appears alongside Halston's hot pink: Norma Kamali's shirred-front, low-cut version in red Spandex. Maillots are less substantial than they seem. Says Tilley: "I wanted to see how little it took to hold the maillot together. It took a mere half-inch of thread--about as much as a string bikini." The jade model worn by Cheryl weighs 3 oz. "The maillot reveals the best and conceals the worst," says Halston. "It's sexier than an unruly curve." Many curves will be covered this summer but more visible than ever. Pace Mies van der Rohe, more is less.

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