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Why the racy 'Baywatch' went with one-piece bathing suits
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A scene from "Baywatch" - photo by Brittany Binowski
An otherwise racy R-rated comedy opted for a conservative piece of women's fashionwear.

"Baywatch," a movie about a lifeguard on a quest to solve a local crime, features one-piece bathing suits for many of the women in the film, which debuted in theaters May 25.

However, "Baywatch" costume designer Dayna Pink, who chose the iconic red one-piece for some characters, said this spike in popularity of the bathing suit didn't start with her.

Pink told USA Today that even though she encouraged the "Baywatch" cast to wear one-piece suits, it was mostly because recent fashion trends seem to be moving in that direction.

"The one-piece has really been a big trend, said Pink, according to USA Today. I peeked again at the original show, did research on bathing suit trends and what was happening, and said 'OK, so where is it going?'"

Pink said the original "Baywatch" bathing suit was just too iconic to turn down. To adapt the red one-piece to modern times, she decided to go with a deeper, ruby-red for the swimsuit with some sparkle, gold accents and a heavier fabric.

"The original (suit) is really tiny. There's not much fabric to it," said Pink, according to E! News. "The new suits are neoprene-inspired. There's more fabric to it, more coverage. Sometimes, less isn't more."

And according to EDITED, a retail data company, Pink is right. The number of one-piece swimsuits offered online has risen by 20 percent, while bikini sales have dropped, the New York Post reported.

"The one-piece has made an explosive comeback this year. Its not surprising due to current trends and our quest for comfort and retailers are capitalizing on this growth with a bevy of flattering and daring styles for 2017," EDITED head analyst Emily Bezzand said, as reported by the New York Post.

Many celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Beyonce and even Kendall Jenner, have also been spotted in recent years sporting one-pieces.

"It's official: One-pieces have surpassed bikinis in terms of popularity," InStyle wrote in 2015. "It's a swimsuit trend that we've been tracking for awhile, and now, we have the stats to back it up."

Don't, however, expect much modesty from the film. Common Sense Media reports that "Baywatch" has "more violence than you might expect, with deaths played for laughs" as well as some very crude, sexual scenes, inappropriate language and some "revealing costumes (particularly bathing suits)."
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