From the conservative, heavy bloomers and "bathing gowns" to the skimpiest of skimpy bikinis, beachwear through history - from Brazil to Boston - has a story to tell.
Bathing suits - Small, sexy, light, fun, cool. Right? Maybe now, but not always. Few items of clothing have evolved as far as the bathing suit.
The real surge in the popularity of bathing suits started in the early 1700s, when, thanks in part to railroads, beaches became a popular destination for fun. With that came the need for something to wear at the beach. The first solution was the "bathing gowns," which were nothing more than regular dresses made from material that wouldn't become see-through when wet. Big and long, these dresses had to have weights sewn into the hems so the skirts would not float to the surface of the water. Over the years, that style bathing suit became two-piece - but not like the two-piece bikinis of today. Those two-pieces just combined the dresses with pantaloons. And men's styles weren't any more comfortable. Their bathing suits, more like long underwear, had long sleeves and legs and were made of wool.
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.
It was in 1907 that Kellerman, an "underwater ballerina," came to the United States and performed the first water ballet - now known as synchronized swimming - in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome. During that US visit, she went to a beach in Boston, sporting one of her new bathing suits. She was arrested for indecent exposure because her swimsuit showed her arms, legs and neck. She found a compromise and redesigned her suits to have long sleeves, legs and a collar, but kept the close fit.
That modified - and accepted - style marked the beginning of the "shrinking" of the bathing suit. Soon, arms became uncovered and legs, up to the mid-thigh, began to be shown. The high collars began to relax and, eventually, lowered to the top of the bosom. Materials were more relaxed, lighter and comfortable.
By the end of World War II, the first two-piece bathing suits, dubbed "bikinis" but not much like today's two-piece suits, were created. While not too revealing, the two-piece suits had 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. The idea was the two-piece bathing suit would have as explosive an effect as the atomic bombs. In 1946, a bikini was worn by fashion model Micheline Bernaderdini at a Parish fashion show, and its explosive popularity began to soar.
The shrinking continued. At first, through the 1950s, bikini bottoms went up to the navel. Then came the rebellious, revolutionary 1960s, and bikinis were getting smaller and smaller, as celebrated in the popular song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini." In 1964, a woman in a bikini was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, another first. Then it was the 1990s, and what emerged was the smallest of the smallest bikini, the thong. The thong, already popular in Brazil, 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. - 16492
Bathing suits - Small, sexy, light, fun, cool. Right? Maybe now, but not always. Few items of clothing have evolved as far as the bathing suit.
The real surge in the popularity of bathing suits started in the early 1700s, when, thanks in part to railroads, beaches became a popular destination for fun. With that came the need for something to wear at the beach. The first solution was the "bathing gowns," which were nothing more than regular dresses made from material that wouldn't become see-through when wet. Big and long, these dresses had to have weights sewn into the hems so the skirts would not float to the surface of the water. Over the years, that style bathing suit became two-piece - but not like the two-piece bikinis of today. Those two-pieces just combined the dresses with pantaloons. And men's styles weren't any more comfortable. Their bathing suits, more like long underwear, had long sleeves and legs and were made of wool.
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.
It was in 1907 that Kellerman, an "underwater ballerina," came to the United States and performed the first water ballet - now known as synchronized swimming - in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome. During that US visit, she went to a beach in Boston, sporting one of her new bathing suits. She was arrested for indecent exposure because her swimsuit showed her arms, legs and neck. She found a compromise and redesigned her suits to have long sleeves, legs and a collar, but kept the close fit.
That modified - and accepted - style marked the beginning of the "shrinking" of the bathing suit. Soon, arms became uncovered and legs, up to the mid-thigh, began to be shown. The high collars began to relax and, eventually, lowered to the top of the bosom. Materials were more relaxed, lighter and comfortable.
By the end of World War II, the first two-piece bathing suits, dubbed "bikinis" but not much like today's two-piece suits, were created. While not too revealing, the two-piece suits had 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. The idea was the two-piece bathing suit would have as explosive an effect as the atomic bombs. In 1946, a bikini was worn by fashion model Micheline Bernaderdini at a Parish fashion show, and its explosive popularity began to soar.
The shrinking continued. At first, through the 1950s, bikini bottoms went up to the navel. Then came the rebellious, revolutionary 1960s, and bikinis were getting smaller and smaller, as celebrated in the popular song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini." In 1964, a woman in a bikini was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, another first. Then it was the 1990s, and what emerged was the smallest of the smallest bikini, the thong. The thong, already popular in Brazil, 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. - 16492
About the Author:
David Falk operates 2HotBrazil.com. For the best of tiniest bikini See the complete Hanky Panky line at www.2HotBrazil.com.
