Eyes open or Eyes shut? When trying on a bathing suit of course. Actually, I don’t try them on. The lights are always so harsh and no matter how much tan you have accumulated, it is never enough. The way around it is to find a brand you really like, that fits your body and stick with it. Catch end of season sales and “Cruise” season to catch the newest styles while it is still chillier outside.
Options… welllll….there are lots, but let’s stick to the basics. One piece swimsuit – lots of varieties to choose from: halter, two straps, asymmetric essentially one strap cross body, and halter no straps at all. Now all these versions can be full coverage or not, boyfriend leg or high cut. Solid colors, prints, stripes the whole gamut – defer to your preference. Remember stripes are good for everyone, vertical as well as horizontal, just pay close attention to the scale. You will know which is just right for you with one look in the mirror – I promise!!
Two pieces (bikini, tankini) – “She wore an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini”, a song that played in my head as a teenager while wrangling with my mother over how much coverage was required. I don’t know which is worse those days when I have to face my own “discernment.” Two piece swimwear can go from barely there to sensibly covered. Although the bikini didn’t come along until the 20th Century, the two piece dates back to ancient Rome. A mosaic found on the walls of a Sicilian villa depicts images of women now known as the “Bikini Girls,” as they are dancing, running and playing in almost contemporary looking beachwear. Boy, those must have been some wild times, talk about Fashion Forward.
Where did all the hub bub start over what to wear while pursuing one of mankind’s favorite pastimes, a jump into the water on a hot day.
The history of “Bathing Suits” is quite an interesting story, and it goes back to ancient Rome. The invention of the bathing suit was a combination of sports, fun, modesty, and fashion, with lots of interludes.
Before modern day bathing suits, there were bathing Dresses with Corsets, seriously, and they were made of wool, heavy, restrictive not to mention itchy and pungent. Can you imagine what that must have been like? Wool, water and sand not a pretty picture. Thankfully, they were not made for swimming, but rather for sea adjacent leisure activities.
Lest we forget the men, they too had one piece bathing costumes. Interestingly, until 1937 when a law forbidding “bareback” swimming was overturned, they were not permitted to swim bare chested. Once the law changed, they were able to abandon the one piece and wear the modern trunks which are worn to this day.
In closing, allow me to walk you down the lane of iconic memorable swimsuits and those who wore them… look them up it is a fun stroll:
The Red Wool One Piece – circa 1920 – Jantzen Knitting Mill’s own “Red Diving Girl” – which introduced ease of wear and the elastic stitch easing a bit the heavy wool fabric
Brigitte Bardot – 1952 – “The Girl in the Bikini”
Red One Piece – Farrah Fawcett – Cover girl and Calendar
White Bikini – Ursula Andress in Dr. No James Bond 1st film
One Piece Bay Watch lifeguard suit – Pamela Anderson
“Furkini” – Raquel Welch – One Billion BC 1966
Halle Berry – Die Another Day – Belted orange bikini
Carrie Fisher – Gold Metal Slave Bikini – 1983 – Return of the Jedi
Bo Derek – Slow motion in a gold One piece – “10” – 1979
Marilyn Monroe – ALL of them – Same for Sean Connery, Daniel Craig and Burt Lancaster.
Be well, Be Stylish, Be Happy as you Glow with me!