|
Maillot Asymmetrical Defined Asymmetry is the characteristic of a garment to be different on one side from the other. A single-shoulder strapped maillot is asymmetrical and is a good example--it has a strap on one side but not the other. In theory asymmetry can apply top/bottom, front/back, or left/right, but given that the human body is only symmetrical left/right that is the only axis which concerns us. Other asymmetries in the maillot include variations in cutouts (explored in the maillot cutout species, tensioning design (explored here) and the maillot halftop, or single bare-breasted maillot. Emergence and Variations Film star Norma Shearer wears this early one-shouldered maillot for a postcard pinup at the end of the 1920s (NS2910). One side of the suit has a shoulder strap, an armhole not unlike a tank top, but the other is bare-shouldered and strapless, with a neckline that cuts across the bosom, deep under the arm, and around the back to return to the single shoulder strap. Clara Bow wears a similar silhouette (CB2910). Cutouts can also take on asymmetrical formations; here single-shoulder-strap maillots on the bikiniite's left (TC8810) or right (CI9210) put the the opposite breast in jeopardy. The Asymmetrical Bikini Asymmetrical maillots bring to mind asymmetrical bikinis. An asymmetrical one-shouldered bikini very much follows the line of the asymmetrical maillot, except of course that is it two-pieced and bare midriffed. |
|
