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www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
Yellow two piece
The advent of WWII brought the two-piece
suit, much to the delight of soldiers
who loved to pin up images of bath-ing
beauties in their barracks. The U.S.
government actually asked bathing suit
manufacturers to use less fabric in their
designs so they would have enough fabric
to make uniforms, parachutes, sleeping
bags and other items needed by the mili-tary.
This fabric reduction led to the two-piece
suit. Gantner of California Swimwear
made this yellow suit in a rayon, lastex
knit. The bottom has a modesty panel
in the front to conceal the crotch and
a drawstring inside the tunnel waist to
adjust the fit. The top with gathers and
darts around the bust has straps to tie
around the neck and back. DuPont started
making rayon in the 20s and combined
it with lastex to add some stretch to this
popular artificial silk fabric.