In Pompeii , depictions of Venus wearing a bikini were discovered in the Casa della Venere, [31] [32] [33] in the tablinum of the House of Julia Felix , [34] and in an atrium garden of Via Dell'Abbondanza. The bathing gown of the 18th century was a loose ankle-length full-sleeve chemise -type gown made of wool or flannel that retained coverage and modesty. Inspired by the introduction of females into Olympic swimming he designed a close-fitting costume with shorts for the bottom and short sleeves for the top. Rayon was used in the s in the manufacture of tight-fitting swimsuits, [39] but its durability, especially when wet, proved problematic. With the development of new clothing materials, particularly latex and nylon , swimsuits gradually began hugging the body through the s, with shoulder straps that could be lowered for tanning. The Hollywood film Three on a Match featured a midriff baring two piece bathing suit.
Half the time I always have one under my clothes during the hot months, so I'm never not prepared for a spontaneous beach trip or pool lounging. Bonus points of an itsy bitsy bikini: You don't have to worry about getting weird tan lines from your bathing suit. Of course, there are completely unique suits out there for all your quirky tastes. And then there are the bikinis that basically go breaking public decency laws. They are definitely sexy.