May 24, 2013 10:15 am

30 Bombshell Babes in Modest Swimwear

By Maureen O'Connor

Photo: Stan Malinowski/Corbis

Beach season is upon us, which means women must begin their annual agonizing over the relative appropriateness of skimpy swimwear. Can a one-piece conservative enough for the family also be hot enough for boardwalk seduction? Can sexiness be achieved in a suit that covers your corn-dog-stuffed Memorial Day belly? What can you wear to avoid starting a sex riot with that outrageously hot bod you’ve got going on?

For inspiration in the delicate art of the not-too-naked sexiness, let us study Christie Brinkley, Farrah Fawcett, Liz Taylor, Bo Derek, Sofia Vergara, Rihanna, and other bombshells babes in (relatively) modest beach attire. Because “sexy” need not be synonymous with “string bikini.”