In response to past years' readers, The Chronicle wanted to show real women in real suits.

More than 100 women volunteered for the job, ranging in age from 18 to 70. After going through interviews by telephone and in person, seven women were selected, including Catherine Tribby, who is seven months pregnant. One participant, age 70, had to drop out for family reasons. Our six remaining participants range in age from 27 to 57 and vary in swimsuit size from 6 to 14.

The participants, none of whom has ever worked as a model, were selected in March, giving them about seven weeks before the photo shoots. Like Mrs. Johnson, they all said the opportunity was incentive to eat healthily and exercise regularly.

After all the work, the payoff was to keep the suit that each participant modeled. The only stipulation in choosing the swimwear, was that it had to demonstrate one of the summer's trends.

And, the hot suits this year give consumers more options for hiding "flaws" by using camouflaging patterns and textured fabrics.

Black-and-white patterns are popular, as are retro styles with Hawaiian prints and strapless cuts.

Some other things to look for this year:

Tankinis: The tankini is seemingly here to stay. The tank-style tops are a little longer and more flared at the waist this season. Try this style if you want to cover your stomach or want the comfort of a two-piece with one-piece coverage.

The skirtini: Take the traditional tankini and add a short, A-line skirt and you have the skirtini. For women who want a little more coverage over the hip area.

Stripes: Stripes - horizontal, vertical, thick or thin - are everywhere this summer. And contrary to what your mother told you, horizontal stripes can be flattering.

Texture: This year's fabrics are all about texture. Fabrics are thicker, with more control elements to hold everything in. Texture also keeps the eye moving, much like an all-over pattern, which creates the illusion of a slimmer figure.

Flat florals: This is simply a two-color floral print in different shades of the same color, such as turquoise and navy, pink and red, yellow and orange.

Black and white: The classic look of black and white is also a trend for this season, particularly in graphic floral prints.

Red, white and blue: Whether in a patriotic print such as the stars and stripes, nautical themes or bandana patterns, red, white and blue colors are showing up pool side this summer.

Retro Hawaiian prints: Reminiscent of the classic Hawaiian shirt, this year's swimwear says aloha to Hawaiian prints with large flowers and bright colors. The all-over patterns also can disguise imperfect parts of the body.

Special thanks to Springhouse Apartments for supplying the location.