The Evolution of the Bathing Suit

Jul 6

Jul 6 The Evolution of the Bathing Suit

With a strange summer on the way, here’s a look through the past decades of summers’ fashion.

The bikini was around earlier than you thought! Greek and Roman women would wear bikini style pieces when they went to bathhouses, though the bath houses were not co-ed.

1800s: The Bathing Gown and Beach Wear

Women would wear long dresses that covered most of their body when getting in water. They were usually made of wool and sometimes had weights in the hem so that the dress wouldn’t float up in the water. Women also wore fashionable beach dresses, specifically made for strolling by the water.

Early 1900s

Sailor bathing suits were trendy during this time. This particular image of suits imitating a sailor’s uniform is from Victoriana magazine.

The one-piece originates with Annette Kellerman, the Australian woman who invented synchronized swimming. She was arrested for public indecency for wearing this suit in Boston in 1907.

1920s through 1940s

These decades were a big era of change for the swimsuit, as women began to show more skin. Skirts would be measured to make sure they were long enough to be considered decent in public.

As the 30s came around, romper suits that were form fitting became more popular.

The first bikini came along in 1946 in Paris. Micheline Bernardini (rumored to be a stripper not a model because no models would wear a bikini) wore this suit which was later banned in Spain and Italy. The suit was advertised as revealing “everything about a girl except her mother’s maiden name.”

50s and the 60s

In 1952, Brigette Bardot was the first woman to wear a bikini in a movie. She starred in the film “Manina, the girl in the bikini” in a time when it was still indecent to show a woman’s belly button.

During these decades, famous women, such as Marilyn Monroe, began to wear bikinis, popularizing the two-piece bathing suit.

In 1964, Sports Illustrated published their first swimsuit edition with a model in a white bikini on the cover.

70s and 80s

In general, swimsuit fashion became more bold, showing more skin than ever before.

The thong was first worn in 1974 in Rio de Janeiro and St. Tropez.

In the 1980s, prints and patterns on bathing suits became fashionable, along with the low cut neckline. High cut bikini bottoms also were popularized.

90s and the 2000s

Bathing suits continued to show more skin, but they also became more athletic. During the 90s, the tankini rose in popularity.

Present

Nowadays, women wear all types of bathing suits from one-piece dresses to high cut bikinis. There is a collection of all styles of bathing suits at pools and beaches.

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