Swimsuits are making a splash ¡ª albeit a dry one.

Crochet with Crystal: A lace back maillot by Lenny, $230.

Pool time is more about lounging than laps for many women, so designers are creating hydrophobic bikinis and maillots more appropriate to showgirls than swimmers.

Crystal-encrusted or lace-trimmed, these bathing suits might more aptly be called sunbathing suits. They're the extreme end of the larger trend toward embellished swimwear, with rope belts, wooden buttons and shell beads.

"Swimwear over the years has gotten a lot closer to ready-to-wear," says Hope Greenberg, fashion director at Lucky magazine, which last month featured a spread of beaded and embroidered suits.

To be sure, designer Rudi Gernreich's 1964 topless tank wasn't exactly breaststroke-ready. Likewise the white fishnet one-piece Cheryl Tiegs famously modeled in Sports Illustrated in 1978.

Still, at least you could get those suits wet.

The lingerie-inspired, lace-trimmed styles from Newport Beach, Calif.-based Beach Bunny originally were "not recommended for ocean activity," according to the company's website, because saltwater has corrosive properties. (The company has revamped the suits to make them more seaworthy.)

But no matter. Owner Angela Chittenden knows the largest body of water her customers are likely to dip into is a hot tub. The former Hawaiian Tropic model started her $189-$229 collection last year because she wanted something "cute to wear by the pool, more outfit-oriented." Fans include Paris Hilton and Jessica Alba.

Beach Bunny Swimwear's 'Lady Lace' sells for $189.

"I don't think a lot of our customers do that much swimming, to be honest with you," Chittenden says.

With gold hardware links securing the sides and glass beads crocheted into the fabric, Lenny suits, a luxury Brazilian line that launched in the USA this year, are for women who wear them "as a fashion statement," says the company's Jennifer Mallicote. The Lenny buyer "spends a lot of time with her look ... and she wouldn't want to mess it up by getting wet."

Living in Miami Beach, Jennifer Feil spends a lot of time in one of her 15 bikinis, doing lunch on the terrace of the swanky Shore Club and cocktails later. "It's like a daytime outfit in Miami Beach," says the 38-year-old real estate agent, who owns 10 Lennys.

Marshalls, too, is selling suits that are dressier compared with past seasons, adorned with grommets, wooden rings and turquoise or coral beads.

The shift is a reflection that for many, the beach is more of a catwalk than an ocean springboard. "You're already combating Mother Nature in the summer anyway ¡ª it's humid, it's hot," says Marshalls' Jennifer DeBarge-Goonan. "So adding water to the mix is disastrous."