Red alert: Swimsuits from 'Baywatch' are back

At the height of its popularity, the 1990s TV show "Baywatch" was bringing in 1.1 billion worldwide weekly viewers. It made Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra famous, revived (again) the career of David Hasselhoff and inspired a 2017 movie. Now the series can be handily retrieved on streaming services - in high definition and with 350 new original songs added to the score to help draw in millennial viewers. But what about "Baywatch" is most memorable, lasting and important? Its red one-piece swimsuit.
Of late Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber and Jennifer Lopez have all posted snapshots wearing "Baywatch"-esque suits on social-media feeds, inspiring fans to swap their bikinis for maillots.
"It's awesome to see people now embracing that fashion, oftentimes tagging it as 'Baywatch,'" said actress Kelly Packard, who made several appearances in the series before landing the reoccurring role of April Giminski. She follows #baywatch on Instagram and said she sees "thousands" of posts on the subject a day.
Brian Davis, designer of Magicsuit swimwear, created the Scuba Blake one-piece, a modern twist on the Baywatch suit for the 2019 swimwear season. He said it has sold briskly, priced at $168. "As a swimwear designer it is impossible not be inspired and influenced by the iconic 'Baywatch' swimsuit," Davis said. "Who can forget the image of Pamela Anderson running down the beach, hair flying in the wind, clad in that hot cherry red one-piece?"
The official "Baywatch" swimsuits were inspired by those worn by real lifeguards on beaches in Southern California. Greg Bonann, a creator of the series and lifeguard himself, enlisted TYR, a competitive swimwear company, for help with the design. "I wanted them to be real and practical and actually work in the surf.".
While waistlines of two-pieces may rise and fall, Nicole Eggert, who played Summer Quinn, thinks the "Baywatch" suit's particular cut will never go out of style. "It's sexy without being too revealing, so it works on all body types."