From HuckFunn: One of the great fashion statements of history was presented 70 years ago by a Parisian engineer named Louis Reard. The following article includes the history and pictorial illustrations of the evolution of the bikini. Rounding out the pictorial are pictures of Marilyn Monroe, Brigette Bardot, Ursula Andress and Raquel Welch. Enjoy.
Via Daily Mail:
When Michele Bernardini posed for the cameras on July 5, 1946, in swimwear so skimpy it could squeeze into the matchbox she held in her hand, she sparked worldwide outrage — and a fashion trend that has never gone away.
Yesterday, the itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny two-piece celebrated its 70th birthday. And, judging by this week’s pictures of pop star Taylor Swift and her squad of supermodel friends splashing in the sea together, the bikini is as popular as ever.
It’s a telling sign of society’s changing attitudes that when Parisian engineer Louis Reard launched his revolutionary swimwear in 1946, the only person he could persuade to wear it was a less-than-respectable nude dancer, whereas today top supermodels make whole careers out of posing in barely-there bikinis — and no one raises an eyebrow.