ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIKINI

Today 5th July; 67 bikini birthday is celebrated, but we have this piece references from ancient Greece.

Around 1800 a contraption was invented known as "washing machine"; that was introduced into the sea to areas that were away from the male gaze to take a dip.

Máquina de Lavar, 1800

In 1900 they began to have the belief that bathing in salt water was beneficial to health.

The female swimsuit at this time was far from comfortable,They were made ​​of wool and once wet they could weigh up to 3 Kg.

Can you imagine a vacation like that?

Trajes de baño, 1910

It was 1920 and we could see major changes in bathing costumes, so yes; under the eyes of the policemen who controlled; meter in hand, the long swimsuit was not more than 15 cm of the knee ... 

 1922

To 1930, upper middle class; who have the time and enough money, wisely used the excuse of the healthy to skip the religious ban on wearing the swimsuit.

En la playa, 1930

In the 40s, the big Hollywood stars wore body in two-piece swimsuits were the delight of male spectators ...

Rita Hayworth, 1941 (pretamoda.wordpress.com)

 Ava Gardner, 1944 (pretamoda.wordpress.com)

Rita divirtiéndose en una piscina, 1940(kienyke.com)

But the 5th July 1946, when Michele Bernardini(theater dancer) wear a bikini in Paris; created by Louis Réard, that will be a before and after for swimwear; and whose silhouette will be coming to our days.

Louis Réard, 1946

The name "bikini" was placed by reference to Louis in Pacific Ocean atoll of the same name; in which the U.S. did explode its first plutonium bomb. 

It garment would be considered as explosive as the pump itself ... and he was right.

Bikinis, 50s

Actresses already enshrined as Marilyn Monroe, sex icons and great media coverage; also succumbed to the latest 'pin up' versions of the moment.

Marilyn Monroe, 1953 (glamamor.com)

Were the premieres of films "James Bond Dr. No" starring Ursula Andress and "a million years ago" with Raquel Welch; which prompted the use of the bikini in the decade of the 60s.

Úrsula Andress, 1962 y Raquel Welch, 1966

Chicas en bikini, 60s

Here in Spain; despite religious censorship in 1952 legalized use in Benidorm towards tourism; as many visitors from northern Europe looked on our beaches and the famous bikini.

Beatriz Ledesma, Benidorm 1955

 From the 60s, with the creation of Lycra, this garment has been changing in a thousand shapes, colors, sizes ... 
What we know for sure; is that even though the suit is gaining ground each season on the runways ... our bikini will always be a "must have" in our suitcase on vacation.

Victoria Secret, 2013

Congratulations Bikini our summers have not been the same ...


María Vi.