Well, when I studied in eastern germany, in the late nineties, I heard a variant of this which I find entirely believable.
It was related by a local, who told about some girl he knew who had been to Australia to study. Of course, she went to the beach with some friends one day, and she was chatting happily with somebody as she (and the others) changed on the beach. She was so preoccupied she didnt think about what she was doing.
Then she realized everybody were staring at her, really shocked, and she wondered why... before realizing - she had changed like she did in Germany, by taking her clothes off, then putting her swimsuit on. Without using a towel to cover up.
