THE SWIMWEAR display was dazzling - vibrant colors, shots of metallic thread, tantalizing shapes. The one- and two-piece suits in the window were practically singing, "Come try me on." There was just one little catch. According to the little card in the corner, the cheapest suit was $68.
That may not be a mind-boggling price to some, particularly catalog shoppers and well-heeled cruise-wear buyers, but even occasional swimmers and pool lizards say they need at least two suits to get through the season. Really serious swimmers also wear out at least two per year and keep several on hand if they swim in chlorinated water.At $60-plus each, those little pieces of fabric add up.
But swimsuits, whether for show or for function, don't have to be expensive. If you don't mind working at it, you can buy them at sales, discount outlets or mega-stores that sell everything from groceries and tires to shoes and socks.
While shoppers might not find every style featured in the Victoria's Secret or Sports Illustrated swimwear editions, there's a great variety available - at prices ranging from $12.99 to about $30. And saving money doesn't mean forsaking fashion.
What's fashionable swimwear this season? It depends. According to a recent Associated Press dispatch, suits of crushed velvet, metallics and crocheted fabric are "in." A California newspaper and at least one fashion magazine say white is very big.
Suits with a crocheted look can indeed be found in area stores, and once in a while there's a glimmer of gold or other precious metal, but crushed velvet is scarce. And so are white swimsuits. You know, the suits that tend to become transparent when wet? Silver suits can also be found on magazine pages and sex-driven Coors beer commercials, but rarely in the stores.
Breast-enhancing suits, however, are everywhere - suits with underwires, pads, so-called "coconut cups" and other infrastructure systems that seem to be taking their cues from the current push-up bra fad.
And the built-in help doesn't end at the bustline. There are suits that wrap, or have color blocks inset to help disguise a tummy or create a waistline. Some suits, supposedly targeted at aging baby boomers, have more coverage in the rear. There are suits with tummy-control panels and suits with skirts that cover thigh tops and hips. Many "helpful" suits come with hang tags that explain their hidden assets.
Retailers are also being more helpful by selling two-piece suits separately: Buy the top in one size, the bottom in another. Chris Bathurst, a buyer for Fred Meyer stores, says the chain started selling mix-and-match tops and bottoms in some of its stores last year. It was such a success they've sent them to almost every store this season, where they're accounting for about 20 percent of swimwear sales.
Bathurst calls swimwear a "print-driven business," with small florals selling slightly better than large ones. Textured fabrics and "nature colors," such as forest green, blues and rusty browns, also have hanger appeal this season. So do puckered fabrics, plaids, checks and weaves that resemble brocade. Solid colors seem to be in the minority.
Pick a print, a pucker, a plaid or anything else that appeals, but make certain it fits. Catalina Maddox, swimwear buyer for J.C. Penney, says swimwear has to be tried on. Then move around in it. Stretch, sit, twist. If anything creeps up or binds, try another style, another size.
When the price is right, you can afford to experiment.