RELATED SEARCHES
Sponsored Bikini Results:
History Of The Bikini
By:
Published: October 2, 2006
And God Created Woman starred a young and precocious Brigitte Bardot, most notably frolicking along the beach in a bikini, creating an iconic image that still resounds to this day. But do you know who created the bikini?
The history of the bikini began several thousand years ago in Minoa (followed by Ancient Rome) when young women wore cloth bathing suits in the public bathing houses. From then until the early 20th century, one-piece bathing suits were the style of choice for women.
By the early 1930s, women were wearing two-piece bathing suits consisting of a bra top and short trunks. However, the bikini as we know it was actually invented in 1946 by two men: Jacques Heim – a fashion designer and Louis Reard – a mechanical engineer.
In the summer of 1946, in Cannes, Heim introduced his latest creation, appropriately monikered l'Atome. Back then, the smallest known molecule was the atom and Heim's new creation would be marketed as such. In fact, he hired skywriters to advertise along Cannes's horizon that l'Atome was the world's smallest bathing suit.
Unfortunately, this was not to be a niche market; a mere three weeks later, Louis Reard also introduced his version of the bikini. It had the advantage of being smaller than the smallest bathing suit in the world (take that Jacques!) Reard's bathing suit was named because of its supposed invention on the island of Bikini Atoll. Thank goodness that name stuck, can you imagine wearing a string – or halter-top – atome?
The bikini made its first official introduction July 5, 1946, at a fashion show in Paris at the Piscine Molitor. French model/striper, Micheline Bernardini was the only woman daring enough to wear this new style due to its skimpy nature.
Bikini swimsuits enjoyed great success in France, but were slow to be adopted by American women. It wasn't until Ava Gardner and Rita Hayworth wore these swimsuits in their movies that American women shed their modest one-piece bathing suits for a skimpy two-piece bikini.
In 1960, bikini sales skyrocketed amongst teenage girls because of a popular song entitled Itsty Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikni. Two years later, Ursula Andress emerged as a Bond Girl in sexy white belted bikini swimsuit, launching many prepubescent boys into manhood and officially cementing the bathing suit's iconic status.
In its 60-year history, the bikini has gone through many transformations. From its modest beginnings (by today's standards) to its experimental stages, women and men the world over appreciate the bikini for its innate sex appeal
Sources:
Bikini Trivia: History of the Bikini. Everything Bikini.com. 2 October 2006. http://everythingbikini.com/bikini-history.html/ The Bikini. 2 October 2006. http://metmuseum.org/toah/hd/biki/hd_biki.htm/
The history of the bikini began several thousand years ago in Minoa (followed by Ancient Rome) when young women wore cloth bathing suits in the public bathing houses. From then until the early 20th century, one-piece bathing suits were the style of choice for women.
By the early 1930s, women were wearing two-piece bathing suits consisting of a bra top and short trunks. However, the bikini as we know it was actually invented in 1946 by two men: Jacques Heim – a fashion designer and Louis Reard – a mechanical engineer.
In the summer of 1946, in Cannes, Heim introduced his latest creation, appropriately monikered l'Atome. Back then, the smallest known molecule was the atom and Heim's new creation would be marketed as such. In fact, he hired skywriters to advertise along Cannes's horizon that l'Atome was the world's smallest bathing suit.
Unfortunately, this was not to be a niche market; a mere three weeks later, Louis Reard also introduced his version of the bikini. It had the advantage of being smaller than the smallest bathing suit in the world (take that Jacques!) Reard's bathing suit was named because of its supposed invention on the island of Bikini Atoll. Thank goodness that name stuck, can you imagine wearing a string – or halter-top – atome?
The bikini made its first official introduction July 5, 1946, at a fashion show in Paris at the Piscine Molitor. French model/striper, Micheline Bernardini was the only woman daring enough to wear this new style due to its skimpy nature.
Bikini swimsuits enjoyed great success in France, but were slow to be adopted by American women. It wasn't until Ava Gardner and Rita Hayworth wore these swimsuits in their movies that American women shed their modest one-piece bathing suits for a skimpy two-piece bikini.
In 1960, bikini sales skyrocketed amongst teenage girls because of a popular song entitled Itsty Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikni. Two years later, Ursula Andress emerged as a Bond Girl in sexy white belted bikini swimsuit, launching many prepubescent boys into manhood and officially cementing the bathing suit's iconic status.
In its 60-year history, the bikini has gone through many transformations. From its modest beginnings (by today's standards) to its experimental stages, women and men the world over appreciate the bikini for its innate sex appeal
Sources:
Bikini Trivia: History of the Bikini. Everything Bikini.com. 2 October 2006. http://everythingbikini.com/bikini-history.html/ The Bikini. 2 October 2006. http://metmuseum.org/toah/hd/biki/hd_biki.htm/
Featured Bikini Products:
