By Laurie Brookins, Photographs: Antoine Verglas

lizabeth Hurley strides into the standing-room-only bar in New York's St.Regis Hotel, all tanned skin and an easy smile, seemingly unaware of the stir she's causing, especially among a group of suits gathered in one corner of the sumptuously paneled room. But the first thing you learn about one of Britain's most recognized women is that she's always cognizant of her price-of-fame trappings, from the furtive glances in her direction to the preventive measures she'll take with anyone who falls under the category of journalist.

The latter becomes clear the moment we sit down (in the adjacent tearoom, the bar having been deemed too crowded and noisy). As I'm pulling out my tape recorder and setting it before her, she's doing the same. "It's a crashing bore, I know, but I have to do it," she says by way of explanation. "There was a horrible incident with a magazine once—luckily we had it on tape, so it all worked out."

You can't fault Hurley for taking such precautions; This is, after all, a woman who has endured more than her share of tabloid attention, a frenzy that reached its zenith during her relationship with a certain British actor. There was also the slightly less intensive, but no less breathless, coverage surrounding the paternity of her now three-year-old son, Damian (for the record, it was Hollywood producer Steve Bing). Lately Hurley is clearly enjoying a quieter life, splitting her time between a house in London and a farm in the nearby countryside. The paparazzi, however, show no signs of departing. "To [Damian] right now it's completely normal that men are outside the house with cameras everyday bothering me," she says.

Not even something as venerable as British Vogue is immune to speculating about Hurley, as I discover when I mention a story on that magazine's website about her desire last fall to launch a lingerie collection."Absolute rubbish, a myth, total fiction," Hurley says.

The publication, it turns out, had at least one fact straight: The model-turned-actress-turned-film-producer is adding "fashion designer" to her list of titles, but it's swimwear, not lingerie, that has her embarking on this latest career path. Elizabeth Hurley Beach launched in mid April at Harrods in London and recently made its debut at select Saks Fifth Avenue locations around the U.S. (locally at Fashion Show mall).

"It should make people think of balmy nights in Saint-Tropez, of cobbled streets in Capri, or of white sands in St. Barth's or Mustique," Hurley says of the collection."It's very small and bijoux, and very much my personal taste. I love bright, beautiful colors—the sun isn't the time to wear beige or black. There's also a slight Euro-chic,retro, Brigitte Bardot '60s feel, which is a time I just love."

The 21-piece collection features luxe string bikinis accented with turquoise, amethyst or tiger's-eye, as well as silk caftans and tunics, sarongs, beach totes and hats. The intent, Hurley says, was to create a beach lifestyle rather than merely pieces. "I like the idea of 'après-beach,'" she explains. "When you're doing après-ski,you go sweating up and down the mountain, and then some goon says, 'Let's go out,' and you're thinking,Thanks, and somehow you have to look decent. It's the same with the beach or worse: You don't feel fabulous after a great sweaty day on the beach, but invariably somebody says, 'Let's swing by somewhere on the way up to the house.' So it's nice to have a little something in your bag to slip on..."

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