Itsy Bitsy History of the Bikini
Exotic dancer Micheline Bernardini models the first bikini in 1946.
What do nuclear science and beachwear have in common? Would you believe the invention of the bikini? In July 1946, two French designers, Jacques Heim and Louis Reard, almost simultaneously unveiled a scandalous redesign of women’s swimwear. Heim called his the “atom” and advertised it as “the world’s smallest bathing suit.” Reard’s version — a […]