(FORTUNE Magazine) – Legend has it that when a young journalist visiting Saint-Tropez was faced with the horror of those teeny-weeny bikinis popular among European men, he swiped a cafe's red-and-white checkered tablecloth and cut himself something more modest. Voila: Vilebrequin trunks were born. Thirty years later the suits--known for their finely stitched, quick-drying material, two holes for air circulation, waterproof pocket, and bold prints--cover the buns of the likes of Hugh Grant and Jack Nicholson. The company has shops across France and in places where the French tend to gather, like St. Barts and New York City's SoHo (436 West Broadway; 212-431-0673). Trunks go for $100 to $120.

--CORA DANIELS