Swimsuit Seams

[LeanHunk]

What kind of seams do your swimsuits typically have? I usually wear my Arena AST90 to swim laps. It has a back seam that really prevents the suit from getting that baggy, diaper look.

I've even heard of brief-style swimwear with front seams. Does anyone own a pair of those? If so, what do you think of them?

[Schoolspeedo]

Hi - I have many suits with a front seam and find them comfortable and allow movement if necessary. That said they are very brief; one had only string sides while the others vary between 1cm - 3cm- not sure what that is in inches! Most are quite low cut also. I also have suits with the crotch dart which again gives more room at the front though I have one suit which has nothing but a plain front like a womans bikini and this makes for uncomfortable use.

[sebbie]

1 inch =2.54 cm so 3 cm is a bit over an inch

[louis]

check on Nike suits thay all have seams

[PSDave]

I have never been fond of the rear seams, kind of ruin the round smooth look of the bum. Lycra suits need to have a front seam to be comfortable. It gives more room for my junk. Unless it is one of those Asian suits that have the water vent in the rear seam, I don't see any need for that rear seam

[sebbie]

The best seams are the ones that stretch on the rear of the AQUX briefs!

[Torchwatch]

The classic 2" (5cm) Speedo has a smooth front.
When a swim bikini briefer than this is wanted there can be a shortage of space at the front, sewing 2 pieces of fabric together along a convex curve creates a bowl shape which when incorporated into a swim bikini becomes a pouch.

When a Lycra swim brief ages the first thing to go is the rear, sagging down towards the knees. The Paper Lycra suits of the late 1980's were worn very tight but were prone to rapid aging and rear sagging. On stretch fabric a straight seam (sewn with the fabrics stretched) gives stretch down the seam but not across it. This can be used to give support to the rears of rapidly aging fabrics so the Paper Lycra racing speedos had rear seams.
The rear seam was found to be attractive and the Japanese incorporated a narrow piece of mesh into their rear seams to aid drainage. This feature was also popular with swimmers.

In conclusion, a front seam creates a pouch while a rear seam makes the suit last longer and give the option of adding drainage mesh.

[PSDave]

I have never witnessed this situation you described as a saggy butt.
Are these really old suits that have seen a lot of chlorine and not rinsed out?

[Dooley67]

Originally Posted by louis

check on Nike suits thay all have seams

I've got 2 Nike Scatterbrain suits that don't have seams, possibly because they are fully lined, front and back.

D67

[afewgoodmen]

Originally Posted by Schoolspeedo

Hi - I have many suits with a front seam and find them comfortable and allow movement if necessary. That said they are very brief; one had only string sides while the others vary between 1cm - 3cm- not sure what that is in inches! Most are quite low cut also. I also have suits with the crotch dart which again gives more room at the front though I have one suit which has nothing but a plain front like a womans bikini and this makes for uncomfortable use.

Hi Schoolspeedo,
It seems you have a variety of suits that I might be interested in seeing. You mind posting some pics of them. I think many might hold this curiosity on the board.