eminently wettable wearables for getting smartly in the swim
Now that "Liberation!" is the fashion battle cry--among established as well as avant-garde designers--the freedom-in-menswear movement has been gaining considerable ground. Right up in the front lines is swimwear, with a radically new emphasis on the humorous and the whimsical, the colorful and the unabashedly sexy. Trunks and briefs, such as those shown here and on the preceding and following pages, have broken out of the dull, solid-color boxer-shorts mode. Beach garb has now joined ranks with the youth revolution, also reflecting the wild decorating trend of pop art, the comic rebirth of Captain Billy's Whiz Bang and Superman, and the Indian-craft approach to multicolor combinations and geometric designs. And leading the march from the streets to the beach or pool is the cutoff-jeans look in trunks, reinterpreted in denimlike fabrics and frequently punctuated with studs, white cord lacings and vinyl and leather trim. What's more, the well-suited male on the current beach scene wears less, for the right looks are pared-down tank suits and briefs--low-waisted and short-legged. The updated styles, teamed with the latest fabrics, make bulkier, heavier trunks seem quaintly obsolete and, moreover, uncomfortably clammy when wet. The fastest drying swimwear yet, the new suits come in a multiplicity of materials, including nylon knit, tricot, Lastex, nylon jersey and rayon satin. So join the freedom movement, mates, and take the plunge.
