A swimsuit, bathing suit or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn for swimming. In New Zealand English and some areas of Australian English, swimsuits are usually called togs. This term is less common in other parts of the Commonwealth where it can also refer to clothes in general. Swimsuits can be skin-tight or loosely fitting and range from garments designed to preserve as much modesty as possible to garments designed to reveal as much of the body as possible without actual nudity. They are often lined with a fabric that prevents them from becoming transparent when wet.

COMPETITIVE SWIM WEAR :

Unlike regular swimsuits, which are designed mainly for the physical appearances, competitive swimwear is manufactured for the purpose of aiding athletes in swim competitions. They reduce friction and drag in the water, increasing the efficiency of the swimmer's forward motion. The tight fits allow for easy movement and are said to reduce muscle vibration, thus reducing drag.

TYPES & STYLES :

Swimsuits are designed to cover at least the genitals and in most cultures women's breasts or nipples. Men's swimsuit styles are swimming trunks such as board shorts, jammers, speedo-style briefs, thongs, g-strings or bikini. Women's swimsuits are generally either one-pieces, bikinis or thongs. The most recent innovation is the burqini, a more modest garment designed for Muslim women; it covers the whole body and head (but not face) in a manner similar to a diver's wetsuit.

The monokini, a style of swimsuit that most often takes the form of a bikini bottom without the corresponding top, leaves a woman's breasts uncovered. Monokinis are quite common in many places throughout South America and Europe due to the high instance of topless beaches, though due to taboos they are almost never seen in the United States, except in places with a strong European tourist influence. For pre-pubescent girls leaving the chest uncovered is sometimes considered acceptable.

Women's swimsuits :

One-piece swimsuits

• Tank suit, or simply one-piece: Probably the most common form of one-piece swimsuit, the tank suit form is inspiration for the subsequent creation of the tank top as a mainstream article of clothing. The name "tank suit" is also supposed to be derived from the term "swimming tank", an obsolete term for what is now called a swimming pool.
  
  
• Monokini: A term used for different styles of one-piece swimsuits inspired by the bikini style. A monokini is a bikini shaped that has been modified into one piece- for instance a monokini may be a bikini shape from the back, but with the torso covered in the front. Sling bikinis are sometimes, though not often, referred to as monokinis.
  
  
• Thong swimsuit: One-piece swimsuit with thong back, buttocks exposed, otherwise ordinary

• Sling bikini: Also known as a "suspender bikini", "suspender thong", "slingshot bikini" or just "slingshot". The slingshot is a one-piece suit, which provides as little, or even less, coverage (or as much exposure) as a bikini. Usually, a slingshot resembles a bikini bottom, but rather than the straps going around the hips or waist, the side straps extend upwards to cover the breasts and go over the shoulders, leaving the entire sides of the torso uncovered, but the nipples and pubic area covered. Behind the neck, the straps join and reach down the back to become a thong.
  
• Pretzel suit: A one-piece suit similar to a sling bikini, but the straps encircle the torso around the bottom of the ribcage, forming a very high-sided bikini bottom; instead of the straps passing over the neck and down the back, they simply encircle the neck, joining the straps which pass around the midriff.

Two-piece swimsuits

• Bikini:
• Thong, T-back or G-string.
• Tankini: A tank top combined with a bikini bottom.
• Stringbodys, halter-necks, maillots and plunge fronts.

Men's swimsuits :

• Briefs: The style varies from a speedo to thongs or g-string.
  
  
• Board shorts: The length goes down to the knees. Most French swimming pools forbid these for sanitary reasons.
  
  
• Lifeguard shorts: a loose mid thigh short, usually made of 100% polyester fabric. Like spandex-based swimsuits, they dry relatively fast. In the 1990s, they were the most popular bathing suit in the United States and were highly popularized thanks in part to TV shows like Bay watch. Today, they have been eclipsed by board shorts. Lifeguard shorts are often referred to simply as trunks or shorts.
  
• Jammers: a type of men's swimwear worn primarily by competitive athletes to obtain speed advantages. They are made of nylon and lycra/spandex material and have a form fitting design to reduce water resistance. They provide moderate coverage from the mid-waist to the area above the knee, somewhat resembling compression shorts worn by many athletes. They provide greater leg coverage than speedos or competitive briefs, although they also have slightly more water resistance.