Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-10
About Bathing Suits
By frederic J. Haskin.

Washington. ID. C. July Follow ing
conference with bathing suit buyer and
connoisseur. added TO considerable per-
sonal observation aud intensive research.
We arc IN position to give our readers the
latest official dope on the seaside situation.
The bic buyer sat back in his sanctum
and nursed an insignificant moustache
and foreign accent
The mems bathing suits this year.
Oh. they will be about the same as usual IF
PLAIN and convict stripe effects And he
waved his hand to dismiss the utterly
boring subject Of what man wears when
swimming.
Well. how about the women"
"Ah" The authority heamed His
mollstachc assumed an angle indicating
jov and pep lie Informed Us that he had
Just bought a velvet bathing suit which
was a triumph and which IN addition to its
other charms might be worn IN the water.
The cost of this trihe named Carry Me
Home Carry for short-was S59.59,
and there was a muf TO GO with it to pro-
tect the hathcrs hands from the heat.
Carry was produced for the edihcatlon
al the reporter. and the buyer, who was
now fully warmed up TO his discourse. con-
fded the momentous secret that scarfs OF
rubber "a match bathing caps viii be worn
this year. lie further prophesied that
bathing suits VII be worn in the mou n
tains as a novelty next season.
SEN At BEACH.
But there is not much kick in talking
about bathing suits in store, or even IN
hooking AZ them on blonde wax models.
A nearby beach yielded more authentic
information rs 10 what IS actually being
done in the various beach circles.
A copper-colored life-guard treated to
grape Juice loosened up more than one
would think possible lie almost went
over the new order that forbids guards at
that particular beach To fiirt with the
girls He said that made harder TO
protect human life. because the gi Is all
said he was an old crawfsh. and that if he
couldn't be polite, they wouldn't let him
rescue them any more.
The guard admitted that conditions
are worse at .everal New York beaches
where women policemen have been given
pistols and authority to use them if neees-
sarv. TO keep girls in one-piece suits and
stockingless knees out of sight
One-piece affairs were barred at this
beach, the guard SAID, but there was no
law against fancy costumes and he pointed
out young woman clad IN a purple suit
that was almost an evening gown. In
fact. IL was more than an evening gown,
for il had all the low neck characteristics
of a woman's full dress uniform. and the
shorfness Of skirt made IL a bathing suit
besides The wearer tripped lightly down
10 the sand. SETTLED a red rubber handker-
chief around as much Of her shoulders as
possible Cthe buyer said they would be
wearing 'em) and proceeded to look un-
conscious for the benefit Of more fully
attired bathers.
Obviously her beruffled and futed COS
tune was not created for sea duty. The
life guard said IL reminded him Of a girl
who took a strictly beach bathing suit
into the water by mistake The suit had
depended mainly on glue and dry weather
10 keep il intact and he had to rescue the
young swimmer with a raincoat.
The dry land bathing suit Is the most
striking type this year, but it is not the
most usual Girls as a rule put on a
bathing suit in order 70 20 into the water.
and suits are getting more practical TO
meet the needs Of the athletic young
women. The one-piece suit. unhampered
by skirts and superfluous material, is
rapidly gaining approval, though it still
shocks some people and is barred at good
many beaches When police headquarters
and beach superintendents get reconciled
D. IL, the bathing suit will presumably
ak4nge again-that is, If Its past can be