Bikini swimwear and SwimsuitsThe terms
bikini-swimwear,
bathing suit,
monokini,
bikini,
swimsuit,
swimming costume and
bathing suit relate to clothing that is designed for the swimming pool or for lazing on a beach, swimming in the sea or for playing water sports.
Swimsuits are often made with an inner lining to prevent the water from making the
swimsuit transparent.
Swimwear comes in many styles and the latest revolution has come from
Miraclesuit swimwear, an American company, which uses a modern fabric which is said to make a woman look up to ten pounds lighter instantly.
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One-piece swimsuit
The
one piece swimsuit which is also known as
Maillot in French is a form of
swimwear that comes in one piece and covers the hip area, the tummy and the breasts and usually has straps going over the shoulders. The
one-piece swimsuit is normally very figure hugging and flattering for women and is often the preferred
bathing costume for professional swimmers in the swimming pool.
Until
bikinis were introduced almost all
swimsuits were in one piece with various styles such as the
halterneck swimsuit, the
surplice (which is a form of wrap-around style) and the
bandeau swimsuit style (described below). The standard
one-piece swimsuit has two straps and a scooped neck or sometimes a plunge effect which shows more of the boobs. Other styles will have a very deeply plunging back to show off just a little bit more.
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Halter neck and boy short leg swimwearSome
one-piece swimsuits come with
halter neck where the straps tie around the neck and attach to the front of the
swimsuit leaving more of the back exposed. This is a very sexy style that gives great support to your bust. A style that has reintroduced, having a very 30’s feel to it, is the boy leg
one-piece which looks like a classic
one-piece with a boy short type leg.
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Surplice swim topThe
surplice one-piece has a sophisticated feel to it, almost like a toga, with a diagonal wrap over piece of fabric which is great for hiding a slight tummy. Some women who are looking for
maternity swimwear will go for the
Swim Dress which has a summer dress fitted feel to it and looks ever so sweet whether you are pregnant or not.
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Bandeau swimwearThe
Bandeau style of swimwear is very stylish and very French. A
strapless bathing suit with pleats and some have straps or halters for added support and security.
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BikiniThe
bikini, or
bikini swimwear or
two-piece swimsuit as it is sometimes known, is much more revealing than the
one-piece swimsuit and is often preferred by younger women. One piece covers the boobs while the other covers the bum and pelvic area.
The
bikini was a form of swimwear which had its origins in Greco-Roman times. Floor mosaics from the period of the Emperor Diocletian (286-305 AD) in the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily show women in
bikini like clothes. The ‘
Bikini Girls’, as they have become to be known, are shown exercising in garments that to the modern viewer are in fact,
bikinis.
However, the modern
bikini swimwear was invented by a French engineer named Louis Réard in 1946. The
bikini outraged many people when it first began appearing on French beaches in 1947. Réard had named his style of swimwear after
Bikini Atoll in the Pacific which was the site of the nuclear weapon test in mid 1946. Réard believed that the burst of excitement created by the
bikini would be like a nuclear device, and he wasn’t far wrong. After the introduction Réard‘s business became highly successful. In advertisements Réard kept the mystique of the
bikini alive by claiming that a two-piece suit wasn't a true
bikini ‘unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring.’
The
bikini is said to be the most popular
women’s beachwear worldwide. According to Olivier Saillard, the French fashion historian, who said it is due to "the power of women, and not the power of fashion" saying further that, "The emancipation of
swimwear has always been linked to the emancipation of women."
The
bikini became the official uniform, in 1994, of women's Olympic beach volleyball. It was a turning point for female sexuality and the athletic world and it gave a great increase in viewer numbers, one can only suspect that the majority were male.
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Bikini underwearBikini underwear is worn by both men and women and is revealing like the
bikini swimwear bottoms.
Women’s bikinis are effectively any close fitting, skimpy panties that are smaller than traditional
panties or
knickers.
Men’s bikini underwear is smaller and more revealing than
men's briefs.
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Monokini
The
monokini, or as it is sometimes known the
topless swimsuit or
unikini, is a form of
swimwear that has only the bottom part of a
bikini thereby leaving the boobs exposed.
This style of
swim suit is accredited to the American fashion designer Rudi Gernreich who, in 1964, brought it to popularity and is said to have first used the term,
monokini.
Monokinis are only for the most daring of women and for those beaches where
topless bathing is allowed.
