Olympic diving showcases super-tight trunks with revolutionary heritage

It may be hard to believe, but the Speedo is something of a revolutionary item of swimwear. Often the source of scorn, those form-fitting pants are the progeny of a company which reddened the cheeks of beach inspectors in the 1950s by developing a "controversial two-piece" (that's a bikini to the less faint of heart) and championed a racer-back costume to liberate women from hard-to-love bloomers. In the early 20th century, when swimwear was designed to offer maximum coverage rather than comfort and flexibility, an Australian company developed a line of swimwear under the tagline "Speed on your Speedos". Thus, a legend was born. Speedo may have history in its corner and a diverse range of swimwear under its belt but its namesake yields but one defining image: super-tight trunks. And this year's Olympic diving competition has certainly been quite the showcase for super-tight trunks, which are important in a sport where everything needs to stay neatly tucked in despite gravitational pull. China and Russia opted for a patterns which channelled the 1990s: busy and graphical, and last seen 20 years ago on bling brands like Moschino and Pucci. The US's Ralph Lauren-designed trunks did as Stella McCartney did for Team GB: national colours of red, white and blue competing for space on a very small patch of fabric. Whether the divers wore branded Speedos or a boldly coloured imitation briefs, this year's competitors gave as good as they got from their swimming trunks. Precision, synchronisation and looking good while falling upside down.