Speedo Sunday

Set the budgie free
Tim Hunter
January 12, 2007


WHEN it comes to fashion swimwear, women traditionally have been spoilt for choice while men usually have had to choose between the extremes of a pair of racing briefs or baggy shorts.

But things are changing. Men's swimwear today is not just about budgie-smugglers or boardshorts; there's a flood of styles, colours, fabrics and prints for men to choose from, and it's all about being bright, colourful and sexy.

"You wouldn't say there's one trend," says Kelly Ingersole, a buyer for retail chain Swimwear Galore. "But there's more variety out there for men now. For those who want do your basic trunks, there are the black and navy, but a lot of people are steering away from that now. Men are looking for more high-fashion items, and bold tropical prints."

Dean White, of Bang Clothing in Prahran, is selling the popular aussieBum range but is also importing a lot of labels from the United States and Brazil, such as Rufskin and Pistol Pete. "All styles are popular; the Speedo cut, trunks and boardshorts," he says. "We're selling a lot of white, and bright colours. There's a lot of 1970s and retro cuts around."

Fitted trunks appear to be the hot news in men's swimwear this year. Sexy new James Bond Daniel Craig caused a stir striding up the beach in a pair of tight pale blue La Perla trunks. Sales have gone through the roof in Europe and the US, and similar styles are selling well here too.

Clement Chuah, of new Melbourne men's fashion label Clemente Talarico, says everything this year is a lot sleeker, sexier and more stylish. And swimwear is now smaller, he adds. "The birth of the metrosexual male has changed the way products are looking. Once upon a time, only a very small minority of men, the gay guys, was interested in looking hot, but now it ranges across the general public."

Chuah's range of swimwear is designed to "enhance the masculinity of the male form", and so they've gone for an upmarket, retro St Tropez feel. He's also used Italian lycra, which has a higher density than normal lycra, so the trunks hold their form.

"You don't want to walk into the water looking 30 and come out looking 50," Chuah says. "It's also much more chlorine-resistant so it lasts longer and the colours will hold. And you can do laps in them. A guy will always be a guy. He might want to look good but he might want to swim. What's the point of wearing swimwear if you can't swim in it?"

Links
· aussiebum.com
· · clementetalarico.com