Best of the Bland: French Bathing Suits

What is it about French swimwear? I checked out Figaro’s Best Bathing Suits today (knowing that no way will I get to Paris Plage or any other beach today with way too much work piling up!) and Figaro’s choices confirm my conviction - that when it comes to swimwear, French bathings suits are just plain bland.

You would thing that at least on the beach, it might be the time to break out with a little color and pizzaz. The idea is not to be a chameleon and blend into the sand . . . but that’s just me.

That’s not to say that French bathing suits were always bland. One of my very first bikinis was a hand-me-down from a neighbor for whom I used to babysit. Her husband had brought her a ‘bikini’ from the Cote D’Azur as a gift. She wouldn’t wear it because it was way too risque. With a little ruffle of lace scalloping the top of the suit, it was adorable. Was it risque for the day? Maybe.

But surely, French swimwear designers can come up with something better than what Figaro has picked as this summer’s best. I’d hate to see what was considered the worst.