Wetlook World Forum

As for whether that Athleta dress is swim-wear, there is room for debate.  Skirted swimsuits like the examples above are invariably made with a very short skirt, a built-in bra, and attached panties.  The sunset dress, although it does have a built-in bra, is much longer and is apparently intended to be worn with panties.  If a woman wears regular underpants with a garment and would be admitted to a restaurant in it, then it's hard to classify it as swim-wear.  I'd have to agree with Desert Hawk that it's street legal.

Issues like shine, color change, cling, and so on are still open questions in this case, but those aren't part of the definition of what is and is not wetlook.  Those characteristics simply determine which wetlook is interesting and which is boring.

If anyone wants to conduct a conclusive experiment by getting together enough models to wear all the various colors and prints of the sunset dress that are available, throwing them all in the pool, and seeing what they look like as they climb out dripping wet -- I'll be happy to help evaluate those results. :-)  It's too bad the online catalog didn't have at least one picture demonstrating the "pool toss" feature of the dress.