How Amphibious!

Robin Piccone, the California designer who turned wet-suit neoprene into sexy swimwear four years ago, is about to introduce a line of sexy sportswear.

Although Piccone is still formulating the collection (it’s scheduled for an October delivery to stores), she has no doubts about the direction it will take. The projected 38 pieces are inspired by what she sees as the narrowing gap “between swimwear and sportswear. People who like the stretch fabric in their swimwear don’t want to leave it at the beach.”

So Piccone will offer them stretchy street wear, such as full-length and half-length unitards with neoprene bras attached. In addition, there will be snappy, stretchy jackets, skirts, Capri pants, biker shorts and dresses, including a long, clingy black one designed with a deep-cut neoprene bodice. A few prototype pieces, including the seductive long dress, were seen for the first time at a recent City of Hope luncheon, where Piccone was honored as the group’s “Woman of the Year.”

The sportswear will be all Piccone’s, unlike her swimwear, which is made under a licensing agreement with Body Glove, manufacturers of wet suits and other surf-set apparel. Going in a new direction means Piccone will get a chance to flex some unused design muscles.

“I don’t think anyone ever bought a swimsuit with sleeves,” she says with a soft laugh. “And swimsuits with lapels never sold. There’s no superfluous fabric in swimwear.” Thinking of the sexy, sleek garments she has designed, she adds: “Basically, there’s nothing superfluous in the sportswear, but I can be a lot more creative with it.”

Piccone says she has focused on bust line and waistline in both the upcoming swim and sportswear cruise collections, and she will use the same color palette. “You’re not going to see much high-cut leg. That’s not the point of the collection,” Piccone says of the swimwear. “And we’ll be offering some suits for less-than-perfect figures. They’ll have more coverage, more bust support, more structure.”

The mother of an 16-month-old son, Piccone smiles as she notes: “Maybe it’s because I’ve had a baby, but I think in the ‘90s the emphasis will be on less perfectly athletic bodies than in the ‘80s, when the emphasis was on being very, very thin, and working out was almost a competition. I think women will give in to their predisposition to be more feminine, heavier and more shapely.”