Jessica Alba (From Into the Blue) Who'd have guessed that a tiny piece of fabric could cause such a huge ruckus? Sixty years ago today, Parisian designer Louis Réard introduced the world to the bikini. Today his revealing designs are everywhere, but in 1946 they caused quite a commotion -- not that Réard minded. He encouraged controversy, naming his belly-baring swimsuit after the famous Pacific islands where the U.S. had tested a nuclear bomb just a week earlier. Réard's bikini was also scandalously small. The fashion models of the day refused to be seen in something so skimpy, so he had to demonstrate his new design on a nude dancer. Since then, fashion has eroded the bikini's borders, from top to bottom and from side to side, until they threaten to almost disappear completely. Each incarnation requires less fabric, but greater feats of engineering. With all of the talk about conservation these days, it's good to see some noble trendsetters doing their part by conserving swimsuit fabric. Suggested Sites... Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Bikini - two-piece swimwear from the 1940s-70s. Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Collection - famous athletes and bathing beauties show off their suits. Bikini.com - pictures, bikinigrams, games, and more pictures. Did we mention there are pictures? Bikini Turns 60 - CBC's video history of the bikini. Topfree Equal Rights Association - fighting for the right to skip the bikini top altogether.

Directory categories: Swimwear, Swimwear for Sale, Fashion History, Models

Archived under: Breasts, Fashion, Models, Outdoors, Swimwear

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