Bikini

The Infield bikini competition was held in the late morning today, so I scrambled from the awkwardness that was Kegasus’ man stall and weaved through a crowd of pervy guys and their angry girlfriends to catch the end of the event. Afterward, I chatted with the winner and couple of other competitors. Julia Tirenna, 21, of Westminster won the crown, sash and cool cash prize and qualified for a national competition in the Bahamas. Not too shabby for her second career competition (her first was last week)

It's 9:30 a.m. on a Friday, and a short line of cars has formed in the drive-thru of Java Divas coffee shop. Inside the small gray shed, barista Lauren Lucabaugh serves a frappuccino with a smile — and little else. The brown-haired, blue-eyed Lucabaugh sports a skimpy purple and black bikini, which her customer, Justin Hartman, glances at before thanking her for the cold coffee drink and driving off. "I've never seen anything like this," said Hartman, a 23-year-old who lives in Pasadena.

N ews item: Skier Lindsey Vonn, one of the United States' top medal contenders in the Winter Olympics, is not sure she will be able to compete in Vancouver after suffering a deep shin bruise in a Feb. 2 training accident. My take: This is the same young woman who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated's Olympic Preview Issue and also is prominent in this year's SI Swimsuit Issue. Talk about tempting fate - and the SI jinx. I'm surprised she hasn't been run over by a truck.

The ever-popular Sports Illustrated swimsuit (or should I say teeny bikini) edition is on newsstands now. It's one of the top-selling magazines, so what business wouldn't want a little of that success to rub off on it? That may explain why Southwest Airlines decided earlier this month to paint the fuselage of one of its 737 jets with a bikini-clad image of this year's cover model, Bar Refaeli . The airline dubbed the plane SI One and said Southwest would play host to the model by flying her to promotional gigs around the country.

FOR DECADES, THE BIKINI has been the one-piece bathing suit's prettier, sexier and more-popular younger sister. But lately, the tried-and-true one-piece has gotten a bit of a makeover -- shedding a few inches in some key areas, adding some key accessories and ramping up its sex appeal. Strategically placed cut-outs, hardware and daring shapes and colors all have made the new and improved one-piece hipper and more desirable, sparking a noticeable resurgence in the swimwear staple. "The one-piece swimsuit has been an iconic fashion statement for decades," says Michael Fink, vice president of women's fashion for Saks Fifth Avenue, adding that the company is "seeing an increase in the demand for one-piece swimsuits."

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, unless it involves a mayor in a bikini and a county executive with his foot in his mouth. At a fancy reception for Maryland politicos attending the International Council of Shopping Centers Convention, Harford County Executive David Craig stepped up to say a few words. There were plenty of bigwigs gathered at Wynn Las Vegas, from other county execs to Gov. Martin O'Malley. Craig gave Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon a special shout-out. Sadly, no one was taking notes, but I'm told this is the gist of what Craig said: "I've seen a lot of Sheila Dixon this week, specifically this morning out by the pool when she was in her bikini."

Freshman state Sen. John A. Giannetti Jr. was never a conventional state lawmaker. He passed out free beer to University of Maryland students outside football games, once sent out a news release about his honeymoon -- describing his Speedo and his bride's bikini -- and broke into song on the Senate floor. But some of his Democratic colleagues didn't chuckle when he sided with the Republican governor on slot machines, an assault rifle ban and a takeover of Baltimore schools.

Miss Afghanistan knew she was taking a risk when she strutted across a catwalk in Manila, Philippines, in a bright red bikini. "I did understand," said Vida Samadzai, a 25-year-old California State University, Fullerton, student, "that it would probably not be acceptable in my society." But she did not know she would be denounced by the government of her native land, criticized by her community and at the same time hailed by others as a role model for girls and women in the "new Afghanistan."

Since Sept. 11, 2001, patriotism has been in vogue across America, from bumper stickers to pop songs to the recent rallies in support of troops in Iraq. So it only seems natural that television would work this patriotic fervor into prime-time programming. Reality shows like American Idol, America's Most Talented Kid, and the reincarnated America's Funniest Home Videos all seem to be out to capitalize on down-home American spirit. But what about ABC's reality series All American Girl? The show, which airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m., began with a promise to produce the ideal "all-American girl."

Like many things in fashion, these teeny ensembles come in lush fabrics like velvet, suede, macrame and lace. They're dressed up with Swarovski crystals, sequins, buttons and beads. And accents like bamboo detailing and shiny silver buckles are everywhere this year. Sound fairly typical? The catch is, we're talking about swimwear. Bikinis and one-pieces have taken a daring foray into high fashion this season, kicking aside the traditional, unadorned swimsuit and ushering in a summer of impracticality.