BIKINI BOMB
6/7/2007 10:12:43 AM by
The first two-piece bathing suit debuted in 1946 and was designed by Jacques Helm. It was appropriately called “The Atom.” However, it is designer Jean Reard (above) that gets credit for the first true bikini — a small bra top and triangle-shaped bottom that totaled a mere 30-inches of material. This radical fashion item made its appearance on beaches in the summer of 1946. The name was taken from the then-recent nuclear test of the H-bomb on Bikini Atoll. The exotic isle was on everyone’s mind, and the nuclear test seemed an apt comparison to what this bombshell of a bathing suit design was going to do to the world of fashion. The conservative U.S. of 1946, however, was not ready for this new fashion trend. At some beaches, lookouts were posted — yes, this is true — and bathing suits were measured to make sure they provided sufficient modesty. An exposed bikini could get you instantly kicked off the beach. Today, of course, less is more.