A Modest Attempt at a Major Cover-Up

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea, you and me, you and me--in our matching one-piece bathing suits.

This summer, women won’t be the only ones who get to be modest at the beach. Men have returned to the 1920s with a stretchy cotton one-piece tank-top bathing suit.

“Everything’s coming back . . . People get nostalgic, you know,” says Rozit Anbre of Fred Segal, where the swimsuits, by Joe Boxer, sell for about $40. Anbre says men buy the suits for swimming, but women have stepped into the men’s department and are snatching up the suits for bicycle and gym wear.

Why would men--after 60 years of topless freedom--suddenly decide to cover up at the beach?

“Oh, jams and Speedos got boring,” says Burbank production manager Geoff Bennett. “This look is perfect for me. I have this scar on my stomach that I’ve always been embarrassed about. Now, I can go to the beach and not have to worry about everyone staring at my stomach.”

The suits aren’t as Buster Keatonish as one might think. Women actually find that in this case, more is, er, more.

“Oh, I think they’re sexy,” purrs one young man watcher. “Since they’re cut off at the thigh, they flatter and draw attention to the thigh--there’s something nice about that. And the tank part makes the shoulder and back look nice.”

There is one drawback to these sexy yet demure suits. “They do give you a bizarre tan line,” says Bennett.