Believe it or not, women of the Victorian era were only permitted to wear such garments while at the beach or lake, as showing skin was strictly prohibited. For decades, bathing suits were made of cumbersome material such as flannel or wool and comprised of trousers, dresses or bloomers with stockings. It wasn’t until the 1920s that we begin to see less overdressing and a slow progression towards the bikini swim wear we women are accustomed to wearing today.
The swimwear fashions of the 1920s were extremely revolutionary and unlike anyone had ever seen before. That is because they showed more skin than ever revealed before. The suit, although a one-piece, was sleeveless, shorter and figure hugging. This tank suit was still somewhat masculine and resembled the bathing suits that men had already been wearing.
We begin seeing the real origins of today’s bikini swim wear in the cotton, low-backed, tighter swim suits, which were also cut higher in the legs to show more curves. Still, most women continued to wear one-piece swimsuits up until the 1950s. Although the first actual bikini was invented in 1946, bikini swim wear was not widely accepted among the masses in America and was seen as risqué. Swimsuits were now being made of cotton and stretchy, clingy materials. Manufacturers started designing swimsuits with zips, bra cups and boning to give them a corset look. They were cut straight across top of the legs, making it look like a short skirt or apron that hid the small bottoms.
Soon the apron look became outdated and what came after that was what you might call the first actual line of bikini swim wear. By the end of the ‘50s, women were wearing a Lycra swimsuit with a mesh midriff. The cut of the legs were higher than before, but the suit was still set high on the hips to cover the navel and still cut across the legs. Today we would call this style “low-leg.” Soon the mesh was toss aside and what we have left is an actual two-piece swimsuit, which quickly caught on. Thin and leggy was in. In 1960 the song, “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” came out and Annette Funicello frolicked on the beach with Frankie Avalon in Beach Party in 1963 sporting one too.
As the years progressed, bikinis became less confining and more of what we see today: a two-piece suit revealing full torso, shoulders and legs. With all the bra-burning of the seventies, more naturally-fitting suits that did away with padding became popular. The thong was invented in Brazil at this time, also. What was once considered shocking and slutty was now becoming the biggest seller when it came to swimwear.
Bikini swim wear has now expanded into a wide variety of styles and colors, from halters, to string bikinis to tankinis to Wonderbra tops. Today a woman has the freedom to wear just about anything she wants to the pool, just as long as it isn’t topless, and even that is tolerated in some places. One-piece swimsuits are still very popular, as well as thongs for those with the buns (and the guts) to wear them.
By Kelley Caner