Suit Yourself.(boutique clothiers in New York City)(Brief Article)

If you want, you can just buy bottoms at MALIA MILLS (199 Mulberry St.; 625-2311), a cheerful shop in Little Italy that sells beachwear all year round and even has its own slogan: "Love thy differences." A series of photos taped to the windows bears this message out: the pictures show women of widely varying shapes and sizes--they're clearly not professional models--all happily posing in two-piece suits. "Malia totally believes in mix and match, so everything is priced separately,'' the saleswoman says. "Bathing-suit shopping can be so emotional! Hardly anybody's the same size on top and bottom, so we give women lots of options. People who have, say, a black bottom from last year can come in and just buy a new top.'' On a recent Sunday afternoon, the store was doing a good business in leopard-patterned velveteen and rhinestone-studded lavender Ultrasuede, both of which were guaranteed dunkable. "So that's a petite Boob Toob and a size-zero Sassy Girl, right?'' the cashier asked a customer. "It's going to be $164.'' Shoppers who feel the days of Boob Toobs and Sassy Girls are long behind them will be glad to know that the swimmer's staple--the no-nonsense maillot--is here as well, with a high back and skinny straps, in colors with names like "deep plum" and "naughty chocolate" ($152).

At PAUL SMITH (108 Fifth Ave.; 627-9770), a haberdashery that looks like a wood-panelled library, there are jaunty polka-dot men's bathing suits--yellow bubbles on brown, turquoise with navy--in styles that range from bikinis to trunks to baggies that enter into knee territory ($65 to $115). The suits are trimmed with Paul Smith labels reminiscent of the name tags sewn into sleep-away-camp gear. "Those sarongs ...