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Maillot Lattice-side Lattice-side (also called the lattice-tie) refers to a vertical strip of openwork that runs from the underarm down to the hip on the side of the maillot. The lattice-side discreetly exposes skin on the side of the body, and the number of openings and their size constitutes an important erotic variable in this silhouette. The lattice-side should not be confused with the side-tie culotte, nor with the lattice-side culotte, or other culotte silhouettes which incorporate similar "peek-a-boo" opening. The Lattice Tie is Invented The lattice-side is a swimsuit detail that dates from the early 1900s shortly after the invention of the tank maillot. This version uses a true lacing (PC0E60), whereas this model, probably from the 1920s, involves a built-in lattice (VG0095_2663). When silent film stat Olive Borden wants to make a statement, the lattice-side separates her from the pack (OB2710). Following the opening-up of the midriff in the late 1930s, lattice-sides are sometimes combined with maillot cutout styles (LB3910, DL4710). Lattice-side Rediscovery Ironically, lattice-side maillots reappear during the 1980s, when the rising legline and declining armhole focus attention on the side of the swimsuit (VU8550). Better examples of lattice-side in the 1980s capture a mid-point between maillot tank and the maillot sidering, the ultimate reduction of the shrinking side, as the rising legline meets the descending armhole with vengeance (WW85A2, WW85A0, SB8550). Lattice-sides are not always lacings, and may involve plastics or metals, but the central idea is always a succession of bare flesh (WW8650), although in modern times, not always the full distance from armhole to legline (SE9176). Related Bikiniology Topics The advanced Bikini Scientist is advised to consult the section on Fastenology, which deal with issues of connection. |
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