Jessica Simpson recently featured daring, skin-baring designs for the Miami launch of her new swim line. Eva Longoria just tested out a gold number—to the delight of paparazzi—while yachting in St. Tropez. And Paris Hilton has been sporting skinny mini versions at beach parties from Maui to Malibu. 

But if you think these fashion-forward femmes invented the monokini, think again: It’s been around since 1964, when Austrian fashion designer Rudi Gerneich introduced a scandalous breast-baring suit with a panty-like bottom and two suspender-style straps in response to the burgeoning sexual revolution.

Today, the monokini is hot once again, though contemporary versions make a slightly more covered-up sensual swimwear statement than their topless counterculture counterparts. "I think women today want to be sexy and look hot," says Juliana Renz, the cofounder of Brazilian swimwear line Le Doux, which makes suits popular with the likes of Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Lopez. "The monokini, being more of a fashion item than a comfortable suit, gives women that extra sexiness the regular suit doesn't provide. It makes them feel like a walking magazine cover."

Which raises the question: Can you be a walking magazine cover and still, well, walk at a party? To see if the monokini works off the runway and on the beach bashes of everyday life—on everyday women!—check out the new monthly test-drive series I'm doing for Mystyle.com!