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The history of bathing suits is the story of brave women

Although it is quite difficult for historians and fashion specialists to say when the first bathing suits appeared, it is known that from the very beginning this garment had to go through a lot, so that modern women could feel at ease on the beaches, lakes or swimming pools. It would not have happened without courageous ladies who decided to oppose the trends and social traditions prevailing at that time. Women demanded their rights not only in the political but also in public space. The growing popularity of relaxing by the water required designers to create an outfit that would be both useful and modest at the same time. After all, the most important thing was that women's clothes should not offend other sunbathers.

The first one-piece costumes appeared that looked more like gowns than the currently known costumes. They were uncomfortable, hard to swim in and covered all female charms. At that time, the first heroines appeared who decided to break with embarrassing traditions. One of them was swimmer Annette Kellerman, who showed up on the beach in a sports swimsuit, which led to her arrest. It was 1907.

One-piece, two-piece and bikini swimwear - what was it really like?

Let's move to 1915. In a small sewing workshop in Jantzen, the first wool outfits were sewn (this company also coined the term "bathing suit"), which more and more resembled our modern beachwear. Still, the lower part had legs, the length of which had to be long enough not to offend other sunbathers. It happened that women resting on the beaches had to undergo the control of the length of the legs from their clothes. This was dealt with by policemen who did not mind punishing unruly women with fines.

Soon after the First World War, women began to impose new trends, opposing even more morals. They exposed thighs and shoulders, they also started to sunbathe, the fashion for a tan appeared exactly in the 20s. One of the famous women who decided to show that going to the beach is "trendy" was Coco Chanel herself.

About 10 years later, latex appeared and was used in beach fashion. Thanks to him, the outfits became close to the body, which emphasized the feminine shapes. The next step was a bra sewn into the costume, which emphasized and supported the bust. Bikini appeared in the 40s. Its fathers were two independent designers Jacques Heim and Louis Réard. The first woman to advertise a bikini was Micheline Bernardini in 1946, but the real popularizer of this outfit was the beautiful Brigitte Bardot. It is worth adding that the name of the costume comes from the atoll in the Marshall Islands archipelago. This is how we come to the 50s, 60s and the real revolution.