Origin & Brief History of Bikinis

During 1800

Bathing and swimsuit outfits became fashionable as beachgoing became a social pastime. According to Dennis Nothdruft, curator of Fashion and Textile in London, “Early swimwear would have been made of wool, serge, or heavy cotton.” Women would have dressed in stockings, shoes, and headgear.

During the 1850s,

When Bloomers initially gained popularity, it was credited to Amelia Bloomer, publisher of The Lily, the first women’s newspaper (1849–1853). She authored numerous articles about the pant-tunic combo, which freed women from the cumbersome weight of lengthy skirts.

From 1890-1910

Sailor fashion became even more popular in the 19^th century, as illustrated in Tom Tierney’s History of Swimwear.

In the early 1900s,

Hemlines started to show up and gained popularity as more skin was revealed. As swimmer Annette Kellerman wore a knit bathing unitard with a scoop neck that exposed half of her leg and arms, swimsuits got increasingly skimpy. At long last, women could swim in this.

In the 1910s,

Following Kellerman, Jantzen, a knitter in Portland, began selling swimsuits made from wool. Other knitted swimsuits were made with elasticated thread, and the body-hugging costumes continued well into the 1920s, most likely a two-piece version.

During the 1940s-1950s

Sweetheart necklines, scalloped edges, feminine cuts, and design-forward details in Lycra and Nylon fabrics were introduced and became popular.

In 1946

French engineer Louis Réard made a new shape and named it after a U.S. atomic test off the Bikini Atoll. Soon, the two pieces were everywhere, and this took off in the 1960s.

Unlike the two-piece swimming suits, which were also being worn and exposed the navel, the main point of the bikini was considered risky when introduced and came into fashion, but became the norm in the following decades.

During the 1960s-70s

Swimsuits became smaller, sleeker, cosier, smoother, and tighter. Rudi Gernreich introduced a topless bathing suit called the monokini, and he went on to create the pumpkin, which was meant to show off the pubic hair of the swimmer. In the advancement of the 70s, more psychedelic prints of bikinis began to appear as well, and thong bathing suits were also hitting the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.

During the 1980s to ’90s, showing off thighs became a trend. The trendy high-cut briefs that emphasize the leg line became famous, but they pressure many women to get rid of their body hair as the bottom is much narrower, which makes the wearer conscious. For this reason, in 1987, Brazilian waxes were introduced for women in the U.S.

In the 2000s

One-pieces did a huge comeback, specifically with hot and sexy cutouts, and high-waist briefs are still in fashion nowadays. Whereas, the shaping of bodies through swimsuits like the structured and corseted swimsuits of the 1950s with specially designed and purposeful fabrics has also returned; however, the wool suits are not having a comeback nor will they come in the future as predicted.

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