Bathing suits of today bear little resemblance to swimwear of yesteryear. The bathing suit’s “explosive” past has evolved from bloomers to bikinis.
The fun, small, sexy, cool bathing suit. Wonderful. But bathing suits didn’t always fit that description. The bathing suit has evolved over the years, from bloomers and a dress to the bikinis of today
It started in the early 1700s, when beaches became a popular destination, thanks in part to railroads. With the beaches came the need for something to wear. Enter “bathing gowns,” which were not much different than regular dresses, but were made from material that wouldn’t become see-through when wet. These dresses were so big, weights had to be sewn into the hems so they would not rise up in the water. Eventually, women’s bathing suits became two-piece - but not like the bikinis of today. Instead, the dresses were combined with pantaloons to give full coverage. Men didn’t have it much better. More like long underwear than today’s swimming trunks, their swimsuits were made of wool and had long sleeves and legs.
This cumbersome style pretty much remained the same through the beginning of the 1900s. But then, something changed. Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman became famous for her fight to allow women to wear a fitted, one-piece, less conservative bathing suit - a fight that eventually led to her own line of swimwear. Kellerman was also credited with creating the sport of “synchronized swimming” and, after her swimming career, went on to become a famous actress.
The advent of Kellerman’s new, more stylish bathing suit started in1907, when she was in the United States as an “underwater ballerina,” performing the first water ballet - synchronized swimming - in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome. During that US visit, she went to a Boston beach wearing one of her bathing suits and was arrested for indecent exposure, because the suit showed her arms, legs and neck. She redesigned her suits to have long sleeves, legs and a collar, but kept the close fit.
From then on, the bathing suit design continued to slowly shrink, a process that led to today beyond-skimpy styles. First, arms began to be exposed. Then the legs, up to the mid-thigh, began to be shown. Collars slowly began to creep lower, eventually down to the top of the bosom. Materials were more relaxed, lighter and closer fitting.
By the time the 1940s arrived, the world was ready for its first real version of the “bikini,” which bore little resemblance to today’s bikinis. While still covering most of the space between the shoulders and hips, the bikini did have a space under the breast that exposed bare midriff. Despite the reasonable assumption that the word “bikini” is derived from the word “bi,” as in “two,” it isn’t. The bikini is named after Bikini Atoll, a reef off the South pacific where nuclear weapons were tested and detonated. Like the atomic bombs, the new two-piece suits were expected to have an explosive effect. Then, 1946, a bikini was worn by fashion model Micheline Bernaderdini at a Parish fashion show. It was explosive, and the rest is history.
For the next 10 years, the shrinking bikini bottoms came up only to the navel. But then came the rebellious, revolutionary 1960s, and, like in the popular song “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” bikinis got smaller and smaller. In another breakthrough, in 1964, the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine featured a bikini-clad woman, another first. The bikini’s popularity continued to grow, and in the 1990s, the thong - the smallest of small bikinis - became a fad in the United States.
Today’s beachgoers have a diverse selection of bikinis: the thong bikini, triangle bikini, tie-front bikini, halter bikini, demi-cup bikini, cut-out bikini - even frilly bikinis, belt-buckle bikinis and yes, a one-piece bikini. For the best in bikinis and other hot fashions, check out www.2hotbrazil.com.