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Once upon a time (1994 to 2004), fashion designer Tom Ford ruled the house of Gucci – his hedonistic, sensually-charged chic reverberated across the kingdom (Milan Fashion Week) and beyond. More than 27 years on, even amid a swarm of Y2K-obsessed TikTok accounts, it’s still hard to overstate Ford’s enduring influence on pop culture and style. Back in the ’90s, he heralded a new era of whipsmart sex-positive fashion that put the breaks on the industry’s obsession with grunge – and inspired Vogue to deliver arguably fashion’s all-time greatest one-liner, when describing Ford’s autumn/winter 1996 collection as the “equivalent of a one-night stand at Studio 54.”

Whew. Today, we’re diving into Gucci’s spring/summer 1997 show. “I hope it was sexy,” Ford told Videofashion reporters just after the runway had wrapped. Well, the catwalk had been set aflame (so to speak) by the Texan designer’s buttock-baring designs during a presentation that makes the word “sexy” feel coy – so, yes, you could say it had a vibe.

Fifteen minutes in came the infamous, interlocking G-logo G-string, styled with an open-knit sweater, a shoulder bag and ankle boots – the model’s hair damp, as though she had just stepped out of a Bel-Air swimming pool, her eyes daubed in smoky, morning-after-the-night-before make-up; a spotlight bathing her bare cheeks in a music-video glow. 

Next off the starting blocks: a mens’ version, worn by runway model Sacha, who (luckily for us) had a free moment to walk reporters through his look backstage: “There’s a little pad up front, but in the back you’ve got nothing but a string, baby!” 

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The original, infamous runway thong did go on to live happily ever after: Kim Kardashian wore the cult vintage piece in Miami in 2018 – as she should – and 1stdibs has previously offered the Tom Ford for Gucci logo G-string for sale (apparently unworn, I should add) for an eye-watering asking price of £4,435.20. But, that’s not the end of its story. In summer 2022, as the world reawakens from its p*ndemic slumber, Tom Ford’s power to unleash a spirit of sensorial freedom has been invoked, once again.

In a testament to the longevity of its design, Gucci currently stocks the iconic G-logo thong silhouette as a bikini – meaning that the modern reincarnation of one of fashion history’s most legendary pieces is available to buy right now.

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For context: I came across the Gucci swim piece by accident last week when scouring the internet for a swimsuit to wear on a trip to Ibiza, one eye simultaneously fixed on the final episode of Ozark. Initially, I’d been looking for something that I could also wear as a top (like Versace’s Barocco Goddess scarf swimsuit). I hadn’t planned to buy a thong bikini, but then – mid-scroll – there she was: Utterly brazen, butt-revealling and, like the iOS 15.5 melting smiley face emoji, right at my fingertips.

Fast-forward four days and I was hovering over my suitcase holding a not-too-distant cousin of a fashion history heavyweight in the palm of my hand. The clothing label is enormous by comparison to the actual thong (I cut it off). The G-string, complete with its signature metal hardware (minus label), comes in at 49g. I know that because I weighed it on my kitchen scales (lol). What’s it like to wear in the wild? I’ll just say it feels defiantly chic in an “I’m-basically-naked” kind of way, which is very now… It also works beyond the pool (cue: Prada’s oversized re-nylon trousers and a vest).

In short, I’m here to break it to you in no uncertain terms: this summer we are poised for – no, owed – a radically “minimal” swimwear moment and we have Gucci to thank for it. My bet is that the descendant of Tom Ford’s infamous runway thong will have taken over your IG feed by the August Bank Holiday. For the moment, though, I’ll leave you with the word’s of the legendary André Leon Talley. “[Tom Ford] is very decisive about defining a silhouette – and making a silhouette clean and spare and very chic.”

Dismiss all doubts and embrace the thrill of added bare skin: this summer’s ultimate high-drama beach silhouette has landed and it won’t stay in stock long.