Fruit Friday: Paulina Porizkova, 1984

I wish I had a nicer, digital copy of this photo.

But I think it’s worth sharing because, first of all, it means more Paulina, which is always welcome. And second, it led me to this “Same Suit, Different Babe” entry from the following year. Kim Alexis wore this same suit design (different color, different country, different postmark) for the 1985 issue, with the photo ending up in the 1986 calendar.

One-Piece Wednesday: Kim Alexis, 1983

Play Freeboob!

According to legend, the ancient mythical Amazons had one breast removed to allow them to become better archers.

I can only assume that was the inspiration behind these numbers sported by Kate Bock and Barbara Palvin.

These rather impractical one-piecers each cover only the right breast, leaving the left to be covered modestly by the palm of a hand.

They’re not good for beach volleyball, I guess is what I’m saying.

They’re not the first single-breast suits the swimsuit issue has shown us. Just last year, Hailey Clauson shared this number with us.

Now it’s the right breast that is free while the left one is hidden from view.

A couple years earlier, in 2015, Sara Sampaio and Sam Hoopes flaunted a couple of breasts: one left and one right.

Ten years earlier, in 2005, Anne V and Carolyn Murphy flaunted the same breast in possibly the same swimsuit.

And let us travel all the way back to 1990, when the lovely Elle Macpherson showed us what was right. (Marisa Miller followed suit in 2004.)

I have a feeling there are other examples that I wasn’t able to dig up. If I find more, I’ll update this post. But the current tally is 6 right breasts exposed, 3 left breasts exposed. (Or, if you're a pessimist, 3 right and 6 left concealed.)

But obviously, in order to be actual swimsuits, some additional cover would have to be added.

One that note, another theme of 2018 seems to be “mesh one-piece swimsuits so scandalous that they need to be worn with bikini bottoms underneath.”

See? Swimsuitologist is really just a fashion blog at heart.

• • •

You know what? Over a year later, I'm going to take the suggestion left in the comments by an anonymous tipster and include Kim Alexis here. Even though her back is to us, I think we can speculate that she's revealing her left and concealing her right. This is the suit referred to in the magazine, mysteriously, as "one-piece topless," and maybe that's what they meant.

Welcome, Kim!

One Last One-Piece Wednesday

A final array of beauties to support my pro-one-piece argument.

QED.

Same Suit, Different Babe: Kim and Carol, 1983

Bellazon user Juju62 has been tirelessly collecting scans of swimsuit issues and calendars from the 80s and 90s. Because of his efforts, I found a new “Same Suit, Different Babe”: Kim Alexis in the 1983 issue, Carol Alt in the subsequent 1984 Calendar

You may notice that the design on the suit is reversed. I’m not sure which photo was flipped, but there may be a clue in Heaven.

This is the Kim suit as it appears in the coffee table book. It matches Carol’s. So I’m guessing Kim’s was flipped for the magazine.

Happy One-Piece Wednesday.

I'll Take One of Those Oxygen Masks Now

By now, you've seen the Air New Zealand safety video featuring Ariel, Hannah, Jessica, Chrissy, and Christie.

I thought I'd rummage through my brain and post a couple more shots of models with planes. I'm sure there are more.

 

Same Suit, Different Babe

I drew your attention on these pages to the great swimsuit-sharing experiment of 1995.

And later to the recycling of Bar Refaeli’s bikini to Jessica Perez’s body, perhaps as a magic talisman to help Jessica win the 2011 model search.

In 1985, Paulina Porizkova’s shell top also found its way onto Kim Alexis.

(I was amazed to find that Paulina doesn’t sport those shells in the actual magazine—apparently, just in the 1986 wall calendar the following year. I consider it such an iconic Paulina suit.)

In 1990, Ashley Richardson and Rachel Hunter sported what looks like the same shiny, golden one-piece—on the same giant piece of driftwood.

(I discovered Rachel’s pic thanks to photographer Robert Huntzinger’s site, which has some nice swimsuits to browse through.)

In 1991, Stephanie Seymour and Judit Masco both took a liking to this gold bikini.

In 1992, Ashley appeared in one of the weirdest SI photos—I guess her ghost has multiplied itself and is haunting this vineyard?

In any case, several pages later Judit is wearing it at the Salvador Dalí museum.

Also in 1992, Stacey Williams and Shana Zadrick vied for the right to wear this silvery one-piece.

Who can forget this spiderwebby top, shared by Anne V and Bar in 2009?

Julie Henderson and Esti Ginzburg both took this dusty-hued bikini for a spin in 2010.

And the following year, Julie shared this adorable bikini with Hilary Rhoda.

Those are some lucky suits.

EDIT: For a fascinating story of Carol Alt and Christie Brinkley in an inter-magazine swimsuit battle, check out the end of today’s Swim Daily video.