A brief history of the swimsuit
What if we took a look in the fashion rearview mirror?
How did we get to the point where we can wear swimwear, low-cut one-piece swimsuits , or ultra- glamorous bikinis today?
Today, the beach or the edge of a swimming pool, become fashion spaces where everyone can wear a swimsuit with varied shapes, shimmering colors ... And the cherry on the cake, which fits us like a glove! Because nowadays the offer is immense, and you already have a very good overview with the chic and ethical models of Luz !
Around the 1850s, going to the seaside was a family-friendly way to relax! People went there to breathe in the sea spray, to walk with their feet in water up to their ankles, the only part of the body that was exposed...
A decade later, what could be called the ancestor of the swimsuit appeared... The trend of the time was white skin and a very covered body. Thus, the swimming outfit consisted of pants tightened at the knees. A short-sleeved shirt in the style of a peacoat served as a swimsuit top . Above all, don't forget the swimming cap!
Everything began to change at the beginning of the 20th century through sport. Indeed, swimming champion Annette Kellerman wore the first tight-fitting swimsuit: a piece that was quite close to the body, with bare arms and legs. This caused an outcry...
Yet this episode, accused of outrage to good morals, was the start of a detailed research in terms of quality necessary for good "penetration" in water. In 1920, Mr. Jantzen developed a very elastic mesh ideal for aquatic clothing. Very close-fitting to the body, the swimsuit then became like a second water, absolutely not hindering movement.
We were then entering a new era on the beaches! Galvanized by the recently introduced paid holidays, the French began to invest in the coastal area, and enjoyed sea bathing in outfits very similar to ours at present.
Last step, the birth of the famous bikini ... Named after a Pacific island where a nuclear test had taken place, the Frenchman Louis Réard launched his Bikini and with it, the fashion for catchy slogans "First Anatomical Bomb"! That said, the swimsuit was not yet financially democratized, because the first two-pieces remained excessively expensive.
Little by little, past the bans on wearing it on certain beaches, the seventies atmosphere allowed women to be freed a little more in their emancipation, and wearing the bikini even became a militant act! Imagine that today, walking around in a two-piece swimsuit like the vintage Lou model , makes you an insurgent!
The emergence among women of the idea of having their bodies as they wish, supported by a few proud and statuesque starlets like Brigitte Bardot posing on La Croisette, the bikini now becomes natural and normal on all the pages, swimming pools, aquatic spaces of the world!
