A bikini swimsuit is the best way to make a splash on your next vacation. This two-piece beauty is fun in the sun and has been making women look beautiful and glamorous for more than 70 years. It was a huge success and it is still in fashion today. There are many styles and colours available, so it’s easy to find the right one for you. When was the first bikini invented?
The Birth Of The Bikini
1946 was the first year that Europeans had experienced a summer without war. It was a time of joy and freedom, and designers felt a renewed sense of hope. Louis Expert, an auto engineer turned clothing designer, visited St. Tropez in France. When he was ten, he noticed that women would roll up their swimsuits and the wheels in the head started turning.
He created a two-piece bikini, which he called the bikini after he returned to Paris. The fabric was scarce and his new design did not require much. He used two triangles to make the top and two others to sew the bottoms. He was so shocked by the suit that he couldn’t find a model for it and hired Micheline Bernardini, a nightclub dancer to pose in it at a July swimwear event.
A Swimsuit Idea That’s Explosive
Expert’s daring new swimsuit was named after the Bikini atoll, an isolated group of islands between Australia and Asia. Their name derives from the word “bikini”, which means “coconut place” in the local language.
The bikini was a hit with the press and pictures began to appear in magazines and newspapers around the world. Expert received over 50,000 fan letters praising his revolutionary creation. Many were also sent by men.
A Slow Climb To Swimwear Popularity
Although many fell in love with the bikini, there were also its critics. The swimsuit was banned on beaches in Australia, Portugal, France, Spain and Portugal. It was criticized by magazines and fashion designers in America, who said that it was unattractive and no one with ‘tact or decency would ever wear it. Even the pope condemned the beauty queen of Britain for wearing one.
The bikini was so appealing that women couldn’t resist it, mainstream acceptance finally started to take hold. Lycra, which was invented in the 1960s, gave bikinis an additional boost. It improved the fit, appearance, and feel of bikinis. The two-piece swimwear trend was popularized by Lycra in 1988. It remains a favourite today.
Modern Bikini
Bikinis of the early days were made from jerseys and cotton, which can be difficult to get wet and dry quickly. Modern times have seen DeBras make modern bikinis or plus size bras Australia from fabric that contains Spandex and Lycra, which gives them a great fit. Our swimwear is also UPF 50 protected, which means that only 1/50th of the sun’s rays are blocked.
Modern bikinis offer more support than the earlier styles. Bikini tops with underwires fit like a bra, and your bust will appear fuller and more beautiful. Soft cups can also be used to contour your curves.
Women often believe they are unable to wear a bikini due to their soft stomachs. You can get some control by skipping the low-cut swimsuit bottoms. These have a vintage look that will hold your stomach in place and won’t make you look muffin top.
It’s difficult to believe how incendiary this bikini was in 1946 and how it continues to shock people for many years. Today’s standards would consider many early versions to be tame, while others didn’t show the navel. It’s not surprising that this swimsuit is still very popular, considering how easy and fun it is to wear.