the swimmer; Abaete's preppy-chic bathing suits are more Ralph than Rio.

Byline: Irini Arakas

Beach-before-school is how I remember my childhood in Ipanema," says swimsuit designer Laura Poretzky. "Classes didn't start until 11:00 a.m., so my brothers and I would wake up early and head for the water. They surfed. I swam. It was the perfect way to start our day." Today, she starts the morning in a sun-filled loft in Manhattan's Chinatown, where she works on her bathing-suit line called Abaete, after her mother's family name. Born in France but raised in Brazil and New York City, the 26-year-old graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design found early inspiration at the Copacabana hotel. "I was only a child, but I have a clear memory of my mother in a cognac-colored one-piece suit. With her dark skin, lounging by the swimming pool, she was so chic."

One might expect a Brazilian background to beget skimpy, sexed-up suits. But it was Poretzky's experience working as a concept ...