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THE FIRST SWIMMING COSTUME
European women first began wearing two-piece bathing suits that consisted of a halter top and shorts in the 1930s, but only a sliver of the midriff was revealed and the navel was vigilantly covered. In the United States, the modest two-piece made its appearance during World War II, when wartime rationing of fabric saw the removal of the skirt panel and other superfluous material. Meanwhile, in Europe, fortified coastlines and Allied invasions curtailed beach life during the war. -
THE TRANSITION FROM THE ONE-PIECE MESH TO THE BIKINI
Louis Réard, a French mechanical engineer in charge of his mother's lingerie company, noticed on the beaches of Saint Tropez that women were rolling up their bathing suits to get a better tan. That inspired him to design a suit that left the abdomen exposed. -
THE MOST TALKED BIKINI
Fashion designer Jacques Heim, in May 1946, created a two-piece bathing suit, "Atomo", advertised as "the smallest in the world". Micheline Bernardini, a nudist from the Casino de Paris, was the first to pose in a bikini, at a parade in Paris, in July 1946. -
THE ACTUALY SWIMMING COSTUME
There were many changes in fashion trends, in relation to female swimsuits, until today where bikinis triumph, topless is accepted and full suits provide a touch of glamour. Bermuda shorts appear for men and recent years are marked by colours, promoting great freedom in the use of different shades.