Word: swimwear
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...time and time again for the sake of a new hustle. In 1936 its mayor claimed that the Miss America Pageant was a "cultural event." (True, a contestant in last week's pageant -- the 63rd -- did sing an aria from Die Fledermaus, but the event is still more about swimwear than opera.) During the Prohibition era, it was the East Coast Babylon for bootlegging, brothels and betting, but in 1946 Atlantic City tried to persuade the United Nations to settle there, citing its "historically noncontroversial background." In the late '50s the Chamber of Commerce campaigned to make local newspapers...
...swimwear is revealing less, not more, of the skin and using an array of design and construction tricks to camouflage body flaws. Higher necklines and underwire bras help disguise a large bust; ruffles and other upper-body froufrous distract from a small one. Lower-cut legs and flirty little skirts divert attention from big hips and thighs, while high waistlines, belts and stomach-control panels are doing their bit to hide the belly...
Most major suitmakers are in the covered-up swim. Designers Adrienne Vittadini and Randolph Duke are among those who have swirled out skirted suits, while Norma Kamali recalls the 1940s with long-line swimwear featuring elegant drapery. Former Hollywood star Esther Williams has lent her name to a line of classic one-piece suits reminiscent of her costumes in films like Neptune's Daughter. Using a bit of verbal camouflage, Body Glove Apparel, a California outfit, says its line is "cut for the Midwestern frame," and Sandcastle is doing well with a collection intended to "minimize common figure problems like...
...draped shape can be traced to those ubiquitous trend setters, the baby boomers. The generation that grew up in the let-it-all-hang-out '60s has found that by age 35 or 40, it may be time to start holding some of it in. Sales of women's swimwear have fallen in recent years, and the aging of the population is probably one reason. "Women were complaining that they couldn't find appropriate bathing suits," says Ruth Rubinstein of New York City's Fashion Institute of Technology. "Most were made for the very young who had perfect bodies." Asserts...
...bikini is a generic term, but the original article has been custom-made in Paris ever since designer Louis Reard introduced his bombshell of a swimsuit in June 1946. Alas, last week the Reard boutique closed its doors. Reason: the sportswear company that now owns the swimwear line plans to sell off the rights to it for a seductive sum. Anyone for a plunge...