Saturday, July 09, 2005

Bathing suit anarchy

Now for something frivolous.

It's summer, although the weather here is back in its "Seattle in winter" mode. But I'm planning a trip to California, so yesterday I went off to get a bathing suit.

It's been a few years since I've engaged in that always-entertaining activity . I discovered that, while I was coasting on my old suits, the world of swimwear has undergone what you might call a sea-change. And I found it to be a very confusing one.

This time not only did I wrestle with that age-old confrontation between the ideal and the real, but I found that I don't even understand the bathing suits of today.

Now, I consider myself a fairly intelligent person. I try to follow fashion enough to make it seem as though I haven't given up on the whole endeavor. But these bathing suits had me stumped.

It used to be that there were two kinds: one-piece and two piece. Each had some variations on the theme, but the basic theme was clear. The two pieces of the two-piece ones, for example, were together on a little hanger, so you could see what went with what. The one-pieces came in two basic types--the maximal cover-up (skirted and trussed and rather formidable) and the non-maximal.

But now it seems that chaos has taken over. Two-piece suits are now sold piece by piece, like food at a very expensive restaurant with an all a la carte menu, or a sushi bar. It's hard to understand what these pieces are--there are little shorts, for example, and long tops that seem to not quite meet those shorts, exposing what is no doubt supposed to be a boardlike midsection. There are things that could be put together to be bikinis, if one could find the bottoms that matched the tops. There are the large skirted cover-ups. But where, oh where, are the regular one-pieces, the ones I'm looking for? Few and far between (and rather ugly, I might add). And most of them seem to be geared for a figure type with which I'm not too familiar--the long-torsoed woman.

Now, I've been around long enough to have heard women complaining in almost every way about their bodies. It just might be our favorite sport. But somehow I haven't ever heard too many complaints about long torsos. Perhaps it's because I don't know a lot of 5"11" models. My guess is that, unless these women wear bikinis (which they no doubt usually do), they have a terrible time with their long torsos, poor dears. So my local Filene's and Macy's have decided to make sure that they will have a plethora of one-piece bathing suits from which to choose. As for the rest of us--well, we'll muddle along, as we always have. And yes, I finally managed to find a bathing suit to buy, and it was even on sale. But don't think it was easy.

13 Comments:

At 3:16 PM, July 09, 2005, Blogger Pancho said...

Yes I can see that it is much easier for we men of the world...we Bubba's.

I have one pair of nylon all purpose shorts that I use for walking/running, yard work and yes..swimming. One pair suits all. Much to the chagrin of The Bride.

 
At 5:48 PM, July 09, 2005, Blogger junebee said...

I'm long-torsoed but I'm surely no model. I had luck in the past finding bathing suits at Marshalls, Ross Dress-for-Less, etc. I'll see if it holds out, I'm up for another one soon.

 
At 6:13 PM, July 09, 2005, Blogger Pancho said...

You indeed have a grand blog. Where else could women's swimsuit fashion talk engender such a fine essay on the fall of communisim!

 
At 8:50 PM, July 09, 2005, Blogger goesh said...

I have no expertise/knowlege/insight into women's fashion. If my wife asks me if I like something she has on or is wanting to buy, I always say yes. I don't have a clue about any of it. I really don't. Well, I don't think hefty women should wear those low slung, belly-showing jeans and have rolls of fat hanging over the sides and front and back. That is maybe more common sense than fashion insight.

 
At 9:39 PM, July 09, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Accidental traveller - found you on a whim of free movement through "blogger!" You age relates and the apple guy needs turned around is my flickr icon! Someone over 50 has some meaning also. Left the left in a bigger way maybe!?

 
At 10:04 PM, July 09, 2005, Blogger jaed said...

NOTICE: Models are not the only women who have problems with long torsos! One-pieces ride up and tankinis don't meet between top and bottom. For those of us with boardlike abs, this latter is of course no problem, but for the other 99.8% of women....

 
At 9:44 AM, July 10, 2005, Blogger Charlie Martin said...

Try Lands End. I don't wear women's suits (you ever tried to find one for a 52in chest with an AA cup? ;-) but they have a lot of plausible looking suits and make an effort to fit nearly everyone.

 
At 9:54 AM, July 10, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks very much for publishing Olson's essay. It is very imformative and should be a great help to anyone wanting to read on these events.
Also, at 5 feet, finding a bathing suit has alway been a problem since I outgrew two piece sets. Surgeries and children will do that to a woman.

 
At 10:02 AM, July 10, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said...

neo,
You might want to consider, for next year, the J Crew Catalogue. or store, if you live near one. They always have some nice one-piece suits in good colors.
One is strapless, which might work for your longer torso? I am about your age and even though I was once a fashion designer, I too have less patience for shopping than I used to, esp for things like bathing suits. Good luck!

 
At 10:09 AM, July 10, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said...

neo..
on review, I see you are not familiar with the long torso-ed body. oops.
so much the better. J Crew has 9 simple one-piece suits.

 
At 11:56 AM, July 10, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said...

terryt: Thanks, but I can't buy bathing suits without trying them on, I'm afraid. My ratio of suits tried on to suits purchased is about 100 to 1, so if I used mail order the shipping alone would put me out of business :-).

T J Olson: I took a quick look at your essay. It seems very informative--I may, later on when I get some time, try to edit it and post it in some way. Thanks!

 
At 4:07 PM, July 10, 2005, Blogger Judith said...

Ditto for Land's End, also Eddie Bauer. They understand the fuller figures of mature women. J Crew is for skinny college students.

Personally, tankinis have been a Godsend for me. I get the flexibility of a bikini and many models do cover my flabby abs.

And I like the fact that you can mix and match tops and bottoms.

 
At 4:08 PM, July 10, 2005, Blogger Judith said...

I would try Eddie Bauer for now since they have stores all over. But check out Land's End end of season sales. You still save a lot of money even if you have to ship back the rejects.

 

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