From Style Correspondent Elsa Klensch

(CNN) -- Swimsuits have rarely played more of a role in a woman's wardrobe than they did in the spring/summer collections. One of the secrets was fabrics -- some of which don't seem practical for a lap in the pool: cashmere, leather, mohair, plastic and lace.

But designers say they do work -- not only on the beach, but as an integral part of the '90s sportswear attitude to dressing.

Donatella: leather, raffia

In Milan, Donatella Versace, who showed her third successful major collection, sums it up when it comes to swimsuits.

"Each swimsuit belongs to the group of clothing and the fabric of clothes I am going to represent. So there is soft leather, a little soft leather bathing suit, treated to go underwater. You are going to see a lot of raffia clothes, silky raffia clothes, suits, especially dresses; you are going to see bathing suits to go with it. Each part of the collection has a bathing suit."

Missoni: athletic knits

Angela Missoni is another of the new breed of designers who took over a fashion house. She brought her unique perspective to the knits her parents made famous. For her swimsuits she uses what she calls the heaviest of yarns to give them a totally new look.

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"We cut them in a way like the masculine bathing suits of the end of the century. They are kind of athletic. They look very different because they are in color blocks almost."

Gaultier: kimonos

In Paris, Jean Paul Gaultier based his collection and his swimsuits on the kimono. He made swimsuits modern, amusing and a must-have.

"It's long. What is short is the swimming suit, of course, but they are like a micro-kimono.... A little kimono for swimming, in Lycra."

Léger: sober, sexy

Fit is always foremost in any Hervé Léger collection and along with fit comes proportion. Léger spent as much time playing with swimsuit proportions as he did designing evening dresses.

"Of course I love to do swimsuits. And this season they are very sober, very strict and very sexy at the same time. Cut is very important in the swimsuit. If it's not the right cut on the leg ... one centimeter can change your proportion, you know, so I am very aware of that."

Chloe: fluid

At Chloe, Stella McCartney took a lighter touch to spring/summer. Her fabrics were fluid and her swimsuits air-brushed.

"They are really cool. They are sexy. They have humor, you know. My airbrushing bit is just a bit of fun, and the swimsuits are cool."

Rowley: windblown

In New York, Cynthia Rowley went for a windblown look in her fresh, feminine spring/summer collection. And she believed in using fabrics for swimsuits that go hand in hand with sportswear.

"There's a little cashmere swimsuit that's probably the most luxurious, which you can swim in. There's a black and white striped one with '99 on it. There's two cashmere, one knit, and a little pink paisley."

Sui: eclectic

Anna Sui, who's known for her eclectic mix of fabrics, patterns, prints and ideas, dove into dressy swimwear looks.

"There's a great sequined one, and there's some type of lamé-ish kind of bathing suits.I like to use the tops of the swimsuits a lot for tops to sportswear, because I think that so many women like to show midriff and bosom. It's kind of a sexy way of adding a top to a sportswear look."

That's the strokes designers took to swimsuits!