Bathing suits of today bear little resemblance to swimwear of yesteryear. The bathing suit’s “explosive” past has evolved from bloomers to bikinis.

The beaches of yesteryear revealed much less than today’s. There are few items of clothing that have come as far as the bathing suit. The evolution from the full-coverage “bathing gowns” of the 1700s to the small, sexy, light, fun, cool suits of today is a story in itself.

It started in the early 1700s, when beaches became a popular destination, thanks in part to railroads. With the beaches came the need for something to wear. Enter “bathing gowns,” which were not much different than regular dresses, but were made from material that wouldn’t become see-through when wet. These dresses were so big, weights had to be sewn into the hems so they would not rise up in the water. Eventually, women’s bathing suits became two-piece – but not like the bikinis of today. Instead, the dresses were combined with pantaloons to give full coverage. Men didn’t have it much better. More like long underwear than today’s swimming trunks, their swimsuits were made of wool and had long sleeves and legs.

Not a lot changed on the beach until the early 1900s. An Australian swimmer named Annette Kellerman became famous for her fight to allow women to wear a fitted, one-piece, less conservative bathing suit – the popularity of which led to her own line of swimwear. Kellerman was also credited with creating the sport of “synchronized swimming” and, after her swimming career, went on to become a famous actress.

The advent of Kellerman’s new, more stylish bathing suit started in1907, when she was in the United States as an “underwater ballerina,” performing the first water ballet – synchronized swimming – in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome. During that US visit, she went to a Boston beach wearing one of her bathing suits and was arrested for indecent exposure, because the suit showed her arms, legs and neck. She redesigned her suits to have long sleeves, legs and a collar, but kept the close fit.

That modified – and accepted – style marked the beginning of the “shrinking” of the bathing suit. Soon, arms became uncovered and legs, up to the mid-thigh, began to be shown. The high collars began to relax and, eventually, lowered to the top of the bosom. Materials were more relaxed, lighter and comfortable.

By the 1940s, the first two-piece bathing suits were introduced. Those suits had little similarity with today’s two-piece suits. While still modest, the two-piece suits of the day had a space under the breast that exposed bare midriff, and were called “bikinis.” Although many believe that the word “bikini” comes from the word “bi,” as in “two,” it isn’t. The bikini is named after Bikini Atoll, a reef off the South Pacific where nuclear weapons were tested. The idea was the two-piece bathing suit would have as explosive an effect as the atomic bombs. In 1946, a bikini was worn by fashion model Micheline Bernaderdini at a Parish fashion show. It was explosive and its popularity began to soar.

The shrinking continued. At first, through the 1950s, bikini bottoms went up to the navel. Then came the rebellious, revolutionary 1960s, and bikinis were getting smaller and smaller, as celebrated in the popular song “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.” In 1964, a woman in a bikini was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, another first. Then it was the 1990s, and what emerged was the smallest of the smallest bikini, the thong. The thong, already popular in Brazil, became a fad in the United States.

Today, there are all kinds of bikinis: the thong bikini, triangle bikini, tie-front bikini, halter bikini, demi-cup bikini, cut-out bikini – even frilly bikinis, belt-buckle bikinis and yes, a one-piece bikini. Find more resources about bathing suits and other fashion trends at www.2hotbrazil.com.