66 years ago, French designer Louis Réardon unveiled his latest designer: a swimsuit for women made of very little cloth (both pieces could supposedly fit through a wedding ring) in order to get the best tan. And the rest is history.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the bikini has become a staple everywhere for laying out in the summer or, you know, posing for the cover of Sports Illustrated. Here’s 10 iconic pictures of the bikini throughout the years.
Above: Rita Hayworth, 1941
Barbara Stanwyck, 1944. I would wear this.
Marilyn Monroe, 1951.
Check out more in the gallery and at Huffington Post!
Lovelies, is a bikini your swimwear of choice? Personally, I own lots of different types of swimsuits but a bikini is definitely a must for certain occasions
guest
bikinis oneof the best fashion inventions ever
magnolia / 1054 posts
sadly most bikini sets are sold separately
guest
Just came here for the pictures again…
guest
Who would hate bikini’s? Thong bikini’s or itsy bitsy yellow polka dot bikini’s maybe. Naw even those aren’t so bad. Definitely a good invention though.
guest
Angelina Jolie looks so different now.
sunflower / 451 posts
Despite thinking the really high-waisted look is a bit strange, I really like the 40s and 50s bikini pictures. A lot of the clothes from that era just look so classy.
I think the one on the cover of Sports Illustrated 2012 looks a bit silly. Not that the style itself is bad, but it looks like she’s trying to wear a top that’s 2 sizes to small just so it looks like she has more cleavage, and I’m not a fan of that look. I’m all for cleavage, but it needs to look like it’s supposed to be there, not like you couldn’t find your size so you had to borrow your 12-year-old sister’s bikini top.
guest
ahh i love MarilynMonroe bikini !