My recollection is that size-wise, this is pretty much what the guys wore in competition to the early 90s under the guise that less material made for faster times. however, i do not recall long rows of swimmers all clad in black..the suits were usually a rainbow of different colors.
In international meets it was always most interesting, as the Europeans had always been more attuned to wearing swimming briefs as skimpy as possible, so, like the French swimmers would be clad in a colorful suit that was only barely there, with every meet pushing farther the envelope in this regard. These suits were much like the little Asian suits of today.
The American guys, not wishing to be outswum by the European competition from, say Spain or France, and fearing the Europeans somehow knew more about the type of suit needed for fast times, felt they needed to try and be competitive suit style-wise as well, so, lacking the choices in the really skimpy swimwear the Europeans had, they simply downsized the suits that were available one size, two sizes or three sizes, which made the normally- designed 2" side suits look skimpier in competition and more like what the Europeans were wearing.
Maybe some of this was in the thinking that if a guy cupped his balls in a tight and skimpy enough of a brief, all the pressure would help him go faster down the lane and beat the Europeans. Swimsuit modesty did not rule as it seems to nowadays.
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