Put Away Your Boy-Short Bottoms: The ’80s Bathing Suit Is Back!

It was a cut that shaped a generation. High-waisted, hip-bone-grazing, and cut-to-there, the bikinis and one-pieces of the ’80s were unapologetically skimpy, and spoke to the extreme nature of the era’s fashion. Now, a host of style influencers too young to try the trend the first time around are fueling its inevitable resurgence.

 Whether it’s the sight of Bella Hadid hanging off the stern of a private yacht in a two-piece whose deep-V bottom frames her feminine curves or because of all the throwback moodboard Instragram accounts posting images of supermodels frolicking about in hip-bone-revealing maillots, the idea of slipping on the leg-lengthening style is becoming more and more enticing—a bombshell alternative to ubiquitous boy shorts.

That’s not to say the high cut doesn’t have its skeptics. It takes a thorough wax to pull off, for starters, and an informal poll of Vogue editors reveals that many feel the cut only works for Amazonian frames. But according to designer Amelia Lindquist of buzzy brand Solarium—a handmade line of “’80s babe-inspired” suits she created last year with her boyfriend Harry Mason Dent IV—that’s not so.

“Because this cut is lengthening, it works well on most shapes,” she says. “You can see a lot of different body types embracing this cut, which is exciting!” And while Solarium’s vintage-inspired cheek-revealing suits, tied together with the most negligible of strings, flatter any number of sizes, what are the faint of heart to do? “I don’t see it as risqué,” she adds.

“I see it more as a naturally empowering cut that is more aware of the female body.”

Other designers appear to agree. ACK’s recent collaboration with artist-designer Ana Kraš offers stunning, colorful options that juxtapose quirky fabrics like ribbed corduroy with saucy bikini cuts, while Hunza G’s stretchy, crinkly seersucker fabric adds a coquettish wink to the line’s body-hugging suits that reads more ingenue than sexpot.

In other words, the look has range—which makes taking the plunge all the more worthwhile this summer.

Here, 32 high-cut, high-waisted styles bound to make a splash all summer long.