In the Beginning

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,” Mr. Bonann said.

The company created a red one-piece bathing suit as the wardrobe’s template, then took measurements of each actress playing a lifeguard. The goal, Mr. Bonann said, was to flatter each star’s body — for example, putting Alexandra Paul’ s athletic frame “in a high neck suit with bare shoulders,” while shorter cast members like Erika Eleniak , Ms. Packard and Ms. Electra , were given higher-cut legs to fake the appearance of height.

The suits were then outfitted with official “Baywatch Lifeguard” patches. “The red bathing suit has absolutely no meaning whatsoever without a patch on it,” Mr. Bonann said. “As far as the real lifeguard is concerned, that is the iconic thing.”

Michael Berk , another creator of the show, said. “We never tried to be sexy intentionally. It was all about athletics and functionality.” This was also the case with the famous slow-motion run, an idea that came from Mr. Bonann after he filmed the Olympic hundred-yard dash runners in slow motion to show off their athleticism. “When we did our original music video that we did to sell ‘Baywatch,’ we were filming the lifeguards sprinting to the rescue in slow motion to build up the tension,” Mr. Berk said. “And suddenly it became this very sexy thing.”

Throughout the years, the “Baywatch” suits took on many different iterations; Speedo , JAG and Kiwi Swim all contributed designs. Necklines got lower, legs got higher and versions appeared with variations like zippers in the front. “We stuck with the authentic style but we tweaked it and made it more exciting than what is standard wear for the lifeguard,” said Karen Braverman Freeman, a costume designer for the show.