Jul 28th, 2010 | Written by Original Writer | Posted in Swimwear |

Bikini Swimsuit

The bikini is a women’s swimsuit, similar to modern underwear. One piece envelops the chest; the other conceals the privates and usually the buttocks while leaving the ab region uncovered. The designs range from modest to “barely there”.

History of the Bikini Swimsuit

Predecessors of the bikini can be followed all the way back to antiquity. Artwork in Sicily dating back to 286-305 AD, depicting ten women in garments resembling bikinis (nicknamed the “Bikini Girls“) can be admired in a mosaic on the floor of the “Romana del Casale” Villa. Even though more than 37 million colored tiles exist at the site, this particular mosaic has been replicated the most.

Archeologists also found several images of the goddess Venus sporting a bikini in Pompeii.

The first two-part swimsuit was created in 1913 by designer Carl Jantzen. It still was a form-fitting one-piece at that time, with the bottom resembling shorts and a top with short sleeves. However, by 1934 the swimsuit became more tight-fitting and had shoulder straps you could lower for tanning.

In the 1940s bikini swimsuits were frequently worn on American beaches and made more popular by Hollywood actresses like famous Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner and Ava Gardner.

Finally, in 1946, an engineer from France by the name of Louis Réard and fashion designer Jacques Heim introduced the type of bikini we know today in Paris.

How The Bikini Got Its Name

Réard took the name “bikini” from the Bikini Atoll. In the summer of 1946 atomic bomb testing took place on one of the islands located in the region of the South Pacific. It is assumed that Réard believed the bikini’s revealing fashion would cause an explosive reaction among people, similar to that of America’s atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan one year earlier.

Types of Bikinis

Today, bikini swimsuit styles and cuts vary greatly. We also have to distinguish between tops and bottoms, considering that mix-and-match are quite popular and help reveal and conceal body features for maximum enjoyment. Some of the most common ones are:

Bikini Tops

• Traditional-style triangle-shaped cups (shape and lift the breasts)
• Halter-style neck (for greater support with good coverage)
• Strapless bandeau (covers the breast with a rectangular strip of fabric, which is a great option to minimize large breasts)
• Push-up bra top (to lift the breasts and suggest larger size)

Bikini bottoms

• Underwear-style (complete coverage of groin and buttocks)
• Shorts
• Skirted bottom (with a skirt panel to conceal hips and buttocks, sometimes even part of the thighs)
• Thong/G-String (exposed buttocks)

Variations include V-cut (front-piece), French cut (high-cut sides) and low-cut string (ties at sides)

The bikini swimsuit undoubtedly remains the most popular beach swimwear worn in both the USA and Europe.

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