Moscow heat wave '95 inspires thoughts of cool escape -- either to the dacha, or to a swimming pool, or down to Sochi to the beach. Heck, a North Pole ice floe is starting to look inviting. With the weather so beastly, swimming suits are looking tempting even as office attire.


Bathing suits are plentiful at Moscow's stores. But, besides the yearly hassle of finding one that fits properly, one problem women face in Moscow is finding a sturdy, well-made suit, an especially important task for no-nonsense athletic swimmers who wish their suits would stay put. And men who aren't inclined toward itty-bitty-teeny-weeny nylon bikinis have limited options for trunks. It seems that Russians, who must cover up for so much of the year, are ready to bare almost all once summer finally comes.


Karstadt in GUM has the arcade's largest selection of women's good-quality swimwear, snazzy enough for beachwear but solid enough for athletic wear. In size and design, the store caters to women of all tastes and ages. There are even some sale bins where prices on rather plain one-piece suits hover around 50 Deutsche marks (about $35), and prices on bikinis range from 48.50 marks to 69.80 marks. On the racks, the offerings are more stylish: Textured fabrics and bright prints are plentiful. A silver maillot costs 80.90 marks, while a bright red suit with spaghetti straps and underwires costs 67.40. More modest suits made of patterned material and equipped with bra cups cost 80.50. On the bikini rack, a brown and white seersucker goes for 161 marks, while a black underwire number costs 67.40 marks. The men's offerings are limited to one rack of blue and green racer suits for 29.60 marks. Though the prices are in Deutsche marks, they are payable in rubles or by credit card.


Karstadt in GUM, Krasnaya Ploshchad 3, Tel.: 926-3406.





Men who aren't satisfied with Karstadt's small stock should head up the line to Gal?ries Lafayette, one of the few shops in town which sells swimming trunks rather than overpriced and undersized racing suits. Some trunks made of Tactel, a water-resistant synthetic similar to cotton in feel, come in modernized foulard print and are on sale for $41, while some nylon ones, similar in cut but made of brightly printed fabric, cost $29. Red and white striped cotton surfers go for $29. Prices are in dollars, payable in rubles or by credit card.


Gal?ries Lafayette in GUM. Tel.: 926-3453.





The Adidas shop next to the Chekhov Art Theater has a very small selection of men's and women's suits, but a substantial range of sizes, which the sales clerks can help buyers locate. A blue-and-green plaid pair of men's trunks sell for $32, while a navy blue pair with white side stripes costs $33. For women Adidas sells four different models of racing suits which cost from $29 to $61, depending on the quality of the material. For less serious swimmers, Adidas offers a blue and cream striped cotton lycra number for $29. Credit cards and rubles are accepted.


Adidas, Kamergersky Pereulok 5/7. Tel.: 229-1450, 7361.





A corner of a sporting goods store on Krasnaya Presnya has been transformed into Umbro Olimp, a slick shop specializing in soccer and tennis gear. They offer Speedo suits for men, women and children as well as other brand-name suits. Women's Speedo racing suits in a variety of styles and a passable range of sizes sell for $50 apiece. Other suits of varying style and sturdiness start at $18. A solid-color string bikini goes for $40, while a tropical print number costs $50. Men's solid color racing suits go for $24, while print ones sell women's suits sell for $25 and boys' racer suits cost $24. Children's bright orange water wings sell for $22. Rubles and credit cards accepted.


Umbro Olimp, 23 Krasnaya Presnya Ulitsa. Tel.: 252-4412.





Go next door, to the former state store Olimp for other swimmers' necessities. Olimp's bathing suits fall far below Western quality standards, but many other products there are of good quality, and some are even Western brand-name items. Speedo goggles cost 52,588 rubles (about $10) and 65,525 rubles, and Speedo rubber bathing caps go for 26,250. Rubles only.


Olimp, 23 Krasnaya Presnya Ulitsa. Tel.: 255-0509.





Many Moscow health clubs, like health clubs abroad, sell sporting goods out of kiosks and behind counters in their lobbies. Check, for example, the kiosks at the Chaika swimming pool near Park Kultury. At one kiosk, women's Speedo and Adidas suits sell for $35 apiece, including one that goes for $61 and another that goes for $29 at the Adidas store. Russian bathing caps sell for about 12,000 rubles. A plastic Arena cap goes for 70,000. Arena and Speedo goggles start at 80,000 rubles and cost as much as 120,000 rubles.


Chaika Swimming Pool and Tennis Courts. Korabelny Pereulok 1/2. Tel.: 202-0474.


Finally, suits for basking and strutting are stocked in the women's lingerie and menswear departments of almost every one of the city's department stores, from Petrovsky Passage to the neighborhood Univermag.


At Krasnopresnensky Univermag, a fair selection of good-quality Israeli-made women's bathing suits are on offer next to industrial garter belts and old-fashioned knickers, starting at 50,000 rubles for a plain black tank suit with a small floral print. A halter-style suit in a blue floral print goes for 265,000 rubles, and a cotton lycra bikini goes for 93,500. Try asking for a specific size, but for the most part, what you see on the department store racks is what you get. Also, the facilities for trying on of bathing suits can be limited. If this is the case, be sure your purchase is returnable. Rubles only.


Krasnopresnensky Torgovy Dom, Krasnaya Presnya Ul. 48/2. Tel.: 242-1473.