Cathy à la plage -- aide moi, s'il vous plait!

OK, enough parlez-vous for one day.  Readers, I need your help.

We're taking a mid-week beach vacation next month to the glamorous Fire Island Pines and we're bringing my cousin along with us.  Trouble is, Cathy claims she has nothing to wear.  You can guess what that means.

Now I can work my way around a 1939 Hollywood dress pattern pretty well, but I know next to nothing about women's bathing suits -- not to mention all the little cover-ups that come with them.

I hightailed it to Etsy to see what was available.  What I noticed is that the older the swimsuit pattern, the more likely it is to include an entire beach/poolside wardrobe.

For example:

The bikini's nothing special, but that palazzo pants number is very Liza with a Z!

Then there's this:

As soon as I saw that I started singing "The Shadow of Your Smile" and anyone who can guess why wins a free lollipop and maybe more.  It's cute...but a little modest for an athletic girl like Cathy.

This one, modeled by Cathy's doppelganger, Brooke Shields, is a favorite:

As is this...

For a girl without a lot on top, I think that's a cute look.  Here's another:

Who knew the Eighties were such a great decade for swimsuits when they were so dreadful for everything else?  I especially like that blue one-piece with the gathered front up left.  But no cover-up included.

Of course, if it were up to me Cathy would wear something like this.

That's Annette Kellerman, who swam the English Channel way back when.  Esther Williams played her in "Million Dollar Mermaid."

I'm fond of Esther's one-piece suits, but they're a little heavy looking to my eye.  Plus you don't get much of a tan.

So what do you think, folks?   Should we go modest?

Mod?

Or Mamie Van Doren?

Is there a bathing suit pattern -- contemporary or vintage -- you're especially fond of?  Do you think old styles end up looking...old?  Any celebrity inspiration you might share?

What's the best look for a girl who's small on top and not willing to get a Brazilian bikini wax?   Is the entire idea of Cathy in a bikini -- waxed or not -- distasteful?

Thank you from the bottom of my two-piece!