1010 bikini babes on Bondi Beach, by Georgina Safe - 27th September 2007
(Credit: The Australian)

THE brainstorming session on how to end the 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty Festival on a high note must have lasted about 30 seconds.

As soon as one bright spark inside the ACP magazine stable suggested gathering 1000 women in bikinis on Sydney's Bondi Beach in an attempt to set a record for the world's biggest swimsuit shoot - bingo! A billboard-worthy stunt and blanket media coverage assured.

The bikini brain was Cosmopolitan editor Sarah Wilson, who co-ordinated yesterday's Guinness World Record shoot at Bondi. "I wanted to do something that got women in an environment when they were around each others' bodies and could feel comfortable," she said yesterday.

"We usually hide ourselves away, but there are women walking around here in all shapes and sizes and feeling really good."

Best described as Baywatch meets Beach Blanket Bingo, the scene on the sand yesterday included 15 roving lifesavers recruited to apply sunscreen to 1010 bikini babes being ogled by countless surfers, locals and tourists who must have been surprised by the popularity of a mid-morning weekday dip. Wilson said the impressive turnout reflected "the zest for life that Australian women have".

"We love a challenge, we're not afraid to show our bodies, we love the beach and we don't take ourselves too seriously," she said,

Cassandra Gusman and her four daughters were among the participants, who were recruited through advertisements in Cosmopolitan and the website of 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty. "We are a family of women ranging from eight to 18 so I thought it was a good thing for us girls to do together," Ms Gusman said.

Also enjoying the atmosphere was Guinness World Record adjudicator Chris Sheedy, who has officiated at world record attempts including the most people renewing their wedding vows and the largest gatherings of people dressed as pirates and Robin Hood.

"We take every assignment extremely seriously, but I'm certainly not complaining about being here today," he said. "Being paid to stand around at Bondi Beach on a beautiful day surrounded by lovely ladies is hard to beat."

Yesterday's bikini brief should stand him in good stead for his next assignment - authenticating the world's largest pair of underpants. "They will be ... the size of the front of a three-storey building," he said.

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