設計師翻轉時尚 連體泳衣有幸重放異彩

AFTER YEARS OF being relegated to secondary status, one-piece swimwear is having a moment. Designers are paying the silhouette a lot of flattering attention this season, lavishing it with dramatic cutouts and inventive crisscross straps. Elle Strauss, the fashion director of online retailer Shopbop reports that sales of one-piece suits on the site have been on the rise.

多年來退居二線的連體泳衣如今要大放異彩了。設計師們本季開始把心思放在這種款式上，大膽運用誇張的剪裁和別出心裁的交叉帶，打造出各種襯人的樣式。在線零售網站Shopbop時尚總監埃勒・施特勞斯(Elle Strauss)表示，該網站上連體泳衣的銷售一直呈上升狀態。

Standing out amid all that singular splashiness is the scoop-back tank suit-a piece as nostalgic as it is flattering. It can evoke a summer spent as a lifeguard, a beloved swim-team Speedo or a favorite episode of 'Baywatch.' 'All I think of when I see one is Cindy Crawford's video workout from the 1990s with her trainer, Radu,' said Ms. Strauss.

在這些連體泳衣中最突出的是露背背心式泳裝――既懷舊又襯人。它會讓人想起某個當救生員的夏天，參加游泳隊時某件很喜歡的Speedo，或者最愛的一集《海灘救護隊》(Baywatch)。施特勞斯說：“我看到這樣的泳衣會想到辛迪・克勞馥(Cindy Crawford)在90年代和她的教練拉杜(Radu)一起鍛鍊的視頻。”

The classic design-thick straps, a round neckline and a low, scooped back-is now available from a number of labels, including Eres, Tomas Maier, Orlebar Brown and Lisa Marie Fernandez. The only real variable in the style is where it ends on the hip. In the 1980s, the suits were cut daringly high (think: Jane Fonda aerobicizing), but they now land at a more modest point just under the hipbone.

厚肩帶、圓領口、U形低腰――這種經典設計現在很多品牌都有，包括Eres、托馬斯・邁爾(Tomas Maier)、Orlebar Brown和麗薩・瑪麗・費爾南德斯(Lisa Marie Fernandez)。這種款式唯一真正的可變元素是臀部開衩的高度。上世紀80年代，連體泳衣開衩很大膽（想想簡・方達(Jane Fonda)做有氧體操的樣子），但現在收斂了很多，只到胯骨下方。

Given the fashion world's current obsession with all things sporty, the tank suit is very much on-trend. 'There is a return to the sportif spirit,' said Eres artistic director Valérie Delafosse. 'If you look at the Chanel runway show, [there are] models with the tennis shoes in tweed, a sporty racerback. We are mixing sporty with refined.'

鑑於時裝界目前對運動款式的迷戀，這種背心式泳衣無疑會受到追捧。Eres藝術總監瓦萊麗・德拉福斯(Valerie Delafosse)說：“有一種運動精神迴歸的趨勢。在香奈兒(Chanel)時裝秀上，你會看到模特穿着花呢網球鞋和動感十足的工字背心。我們是在把運動和優雅進行混搭。”

For Ms. Delafosse, the tank calls to mind images shot by fashion photographer Hans Feurer in the '80s of athletic and Amazonian models like Ms. Crawford and Claudia Schiffer. '[The suit] is very iconic,' she added.

在德拉福斯看來，背心式連體泳衣會讓人想到80年代時尚攝影師漢斯・弗爾(Hans Feurer)爲克勞馥和克勞迪婭・希弗(Claudia Schiffer)等健美型模特所拍攝的照片。她說：“這是極具標誌性的泳衣款式。”

In August of last year, writer Jenni Avins (a former Wall Street Journal contributor) published an open letter to 's fashion director, Jenna Lyons, on New York magazine's fashion blog, the Cut. She asked Ms. Lyons to resurrect her favorite classic suit from the '90s. Ms. Avins had owned several in a variety of colors, and had for years been on the hunt for a replacement-to no avail. She found that the tank suit had been claimed by the slimming-garment category, which replaced the traditional sleek swim fabric with compression material meant to tuck tummies and nip waists.

去年8月，曾爲《華爾街日報》撰稿人的作家詹尼・阿文斯(Jenni Avins)在《紐約雜誌》(New York magazine)時尚博客the Cut上發表了一封致時尚總監詹娜・萊恩茲(Jenna Lyons)的公開信。她請求萊恩茲讓她最喜歡的90年代經典泳衣重回現代。阿文斯有好幾件不同顏色的連體泳衣，多年來都在尋找替代款式，但是一直沒有找到。她發現背心式泳衣已被歸到了塑身衣類別，採用壓縮面料替代傳統的光滑泳衣面料，目的是隱藏小肚子和縮小腰圍。

This year, however, announced the return of the scoop-back tank suit, in an ad spread crafted as a response to Ms. Avins's letter. The new suit is almost identical to the original. 'We pulled up the pattern, and at first we thought we might alter it a little,' said 's vice president of women's design Tom Mora. 'The look was so timeless, though, that we left it as it was.' The suit is available, however, in a new palette that includes a vibrant grassy green and azure.

不過在今年，在一則通欄廣告中宣佈了露背連體泳衣的迴歸，這可算是對阿文斯公開信的迴應。這款新的泳衣幾乎和經典款式一模一樣。女裝設計副總裁湯姆・莫拉(Tom Mora)說：“我們對這種款式進行了研究，起初覺得可能會稍作修改。但是由於這個款式太經典了，最後我們什麼也沒改。”不過顏色多了很多，包括活力四射的草綠色和天藍色。

In general, color is a critical element to this frill-free style. Orlebar Brown, a men's line that recently introduced women's swim- and beachwear, complements classic black and white with less expected shades of aubergine and taupe. 'It's always about the tone of the color,' said Adam Brown, who founded and designs the London-based line. 'It's especially important to get [that] right when you're on the beach in that light.'

總的來說，顏色是這種簡潔款式的關鍵元素。近期推出了女士泳裝和沙灘裝的倫敦男士品牌Orlebar Brown在經典的黑色和白色之外增加了出人意料的紫紅色和灰褐色。該品牌創始人及設計師亞當・布朗(Adam Brown)說：“顏色的色調永遠是最關鍵的。在沙灘那種光線下把握好顏色尤其重要。”

Some of the best current one-piece swim options come from U.K.-based designers. 'The British can be quite timid about their swimwear choices,' said Ursula Lake, who designs the five-year-old, London-based line Violet Lake.

目前幾款最佳的連體泳衣都出自英國設計師的手筆。Violet Lake是創立已五年的一個倫敦品牌，其設計師厄休拉・萊克(Ursula Lake)說：“英國人在泳衣選擇上相當謹慎。”

For Ms. Lake, however, the tank suit is less about modesty and more about feeling unencumbered. 'The [origin] of the tank suit is in the '20s when women were liberated from wearing full-length dresses to swim,' she said. 'Then by the '70s, it had become very sexy, if you think of Farrah in that famous poster. To me, the simplicity makes it so timeless.' Ms. Lake would recommend the style to a savvy 20-year-old, but thinks it could be exquisite on a 60-year-old, worn with a men's shirt and a beaten-up Panama hat. One factor to consider, though, is linings. Eres suits, which employ a double layer of its luxurious, lightly supportive fabric, are ideal for older women or those who prefer more support. Styles from tank-suit pioneer Norma Kamali, who often forgoes linings to reveal the more natural shape of the wearer's body, are better for the young and taut.

不過在萊克看來，連體泳衣的優點更多地體現在無拘無束而非端莊穩重上。她說：“連體泳衣的出現最早是在20年代，當時女性剛剛從長裙中解放出來穿泳裝。到了70年代變得很性感，從費拉(Farrah)那張著名海報就能看出來。對我來說，它的經典來自簡潔的設計。”萊克會推薦聰明的20歲年輕女孩穿這種款式，但她認爲它同樣也適合60多歲的女士，搭配上男士襯衫和破舊的巴拿馬帽子會很優雅。不過需要考慮的一個因素是襯裏。Eres泳衣採用有輕微支撐力的雙層奢華面料，很適合年紀較大的女性或喜歡多一些支撐力的女性。連體泳衣先鋒諾瑪・卡瑪麗(Norma Kamali)常常會放棄襯裏，從而展示穿着者更自然的體型，她設計的款式更適合身材結實的年輕人。

No matter which brand or style you choose, a tank suit always has the advantage of excellent off-beach reach. 'You can wear it with a skirt or a pair of shorts and it's suitable for lunch,' Ms Lake added. 'I use it like a body suit. If I were going away for a long weekend, I'd pack one because of its versatility.'

無論選擇哪個品牌或款式，連體泳衣都具有不僅限於沙灘穿着的優勢。萊克說：“連體泳衣搭配一條半身裙或者一條短褲，就可以去吃午餐了。我把它當緊身衣穿。如果長週末要外出，我就會帶一件，因爲它的用途很多。”